Viscounts at Wadi Haifa
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more great stories many thanks for keeping the post interesting
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Wadi Halfa
Thanks Planemike and all the other commentators.
It must have been Eastleigh then ( why did I think Nairobi Airport / Wilson ?)
Thanks also for the photo of the Railway / Nile Hotel at Wadi Halfa.
G-AKNO - was a marvellous experience and even though I was only 5 /1/2 years old in August 1949 I can still remember a lot about that flight. As the plane was unpressurised, we could not totally avoid nor certainly try to climb above some pretty severe tropical turbulence ( very topical given the recent Air Asia disaster) and it was very bumpy over Sudan. I believe the Solent's ceiling was 15,000 ft. According to the BOAC timetable ( Flight BO 157)the flight left Southampton at 0800 hrs. ( we had spent the previous night in a hotel in the New Forest) and routed via Augusta, Khartoum, arriving on Lake Naivasha at 1400 hrs the following day. Then the bus journey up the Rift Valley to Nairobi, where we were lodged at the Delamere Hotel, before flying on the next morning to Mombasa where my father was waiting to meet my, mother, brother sister and myself. I remember my first meal in Mombasa - egg and chips ( and tomato sauce ! ) at the Cosy Café Mombasa. We had just left the rationing in the UK behind - to see so many egg was a treat !!
I have full details of G-AKNO from the BA archivist, Mr.R.A.R Wilson, by letter on 22nd September 1987. The flight I was on was the plane's second service flight. In May 1949 G-AKNO had landed on the Thames and taxied under Tower Bridge where she was named ' City of London' by the then Mayor, Sir George Aylwen.
It must have been Eastleigh then ( why did I think Nairobi Airport / Wilson ?)
Thanks also for the photo of the Railway / Nile Hotel at Wadi Halfa.
G-AKNO - was a marvellous experience and even though I was only 5 /1/2 years old in August 1949 I can still remember a lot about that flight. As the plane was unpressurised, we could not totally avoid nor certainly try to climb above some pretty severe tropical turbulence ( very topical given the recent Air Asia disaster) and it was very bumpy over Sudan. I believe the Solent's ceiling was 15,000 ft. According to the BOAC timetable ( Flight BO 157)the flight left Southampton at 0800 hrs. ( we had spent the previous night in a hotel in the New Forest) and routed via Augusta, Khartoum, arriving on Lake Naivasha at 1400 hrs the following day. Then the bus journey up the Rift Valley to Nairobi, where we were lodged at the Delamere Hotel, before flying on the next morning to Mombasa where my father was waiting to meet my, mother, brother sister and myself. I remember my first meal in Mombasa - egg and chips ( and tomato sauce ! ) at the Cosy Café Mombasa. We had just left the rationing in the UK behind - to see so many egg was a treat !!
I have full details of G-AKNO from the BA archivist, Mr.R.A.R Wilson, by letter on 22nd September 1987. The flight I was on was the plane's second service flight. In May 1949 G-AKNO had landed on the Thames and taxied under Tower Bridge where she was named ' City of London' by the then Mayor, Sir George Aylwen.
Thread Starter
eastleigh/wilson NBO
i read that during the construction of embakasi that for a temp period some flights including the Britannia trials operated into eastleigh - is that so or was it wilson?
i read that during the construction of embakasi that for a temp period some flights including the Britannia trials operated into eastleigh - is that so or was it wilson?
Steve.........
Great to hear more details of your Solent flight. Wonder why the service did not operate to Mombasa Port Reitz. I am sure flying boat operations were carried our there. I remember going to the Port Reitz Hotel but that was after the flyboat operations had ceased. Port Reitz is not too far from present day Mombasa Airport.
I have similar memories of my first flight. Airwork Viking, again of course, unpressurised.
rog747.........
Eastleigh was in use prior to Embakasi opening in April 58. It was constructed during the war as RAF Eastleigh. A "civil side" opened after the war and all international traffic transitted through here, BOAC, Airwork, SAS, Sabena, Air India, SAA and a good many more.
I remember departing from there in a BOAC Brit 102 in July 57: my first flight in a four engined turbo prop. Also remember the Brit prototype landing there for the first time when on tropical trials, around 54/55.
Planemike
Great to hear more details of your Solent flight. Wonder why the service did not operate to Mombasa Port Reitz. I am sure flying boat operations were carried our there. I remember going to the Port Reitz Hotel but that was after the flyboat operations had ceased. Port Reitz is not too far from present day Mombasa Airport.
I have similar memories of my first flight. Airwork Viking, again of course, unpressurised.
rog747.........
Eastleigh was in use prior to Embakasi opening in April 58. It was constructed during the war as RAF Eastleigh. A "civil side" opened after the war and all international traffic transitted through here, BOAC, Airwork, SAS, Sabena, Air India, SAA and a good many more.
I remember departing from there in a BOAC Brit 102 in July 57: my first flight in a four engined turbo prop. Also remember the Brit prototype landing there for the first time when on tropical trials, around 54/55.
Planemike
Last edited by Planemike; 27th Apr 2016 at 19:33.
Thread Starter
does anyone have a photo of the original airport buildings at Wadi please?
is this wadi Haifa please??
see here
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=3&theater
and here
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=3&theater
is this wadi Haifa please??
see here
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=3&theater
and here
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=3&theater
Last edited by rog747; 27th Apr 2016 at 17:54.
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Wadi Halfa Hotel photo
Hi there,
It is a while since this thread stopped but I am researching my first ever flight at the age of 3 from Nairobi (Eastleigh) to Blackbushe on Airwork London G-AJFT. I have recently 'digitised' a 1956 7-minute cine8 film of the trip which my father took. I was interested that someone knew the name, and had a photo of, the overnight hotel in Wadi Halfa and would appreciate if that could be re-posted as I would love to see where I spent my first night outside of my birth country, Kenya.
Once I have finished adding some text to give context to it, I will post the video on YouTube and leave a link here.
It is a while since this thread stopped but I am researching my first ever flight at the age of 3 from Nairobi (Eastleigh) to Blackbushe on Airwork London G-AJFT. I have recently 'digitised' a 1956 7-minute cine8 film of the trip which my father took. I was interested that someone knew the name, and had a photo of, the overnight hotel in Wadi Halfa and would appreciate if that could be re-posted as I would love to see where I spent my first night outside of my birth country, Kenya.
Once I have finished adding some text to give context to it, I will post the video on YouTube and leave a link here.
Have you seen the Airwork timetables for 1955 and 1957 here ? Not 1956, but they seem pretty much the same.
http://www.timetableimages.com/ttima...4/aw5504-2.jpg
http://www.timetableimages.com/ttima...7/hcaw57-1.jpg
http://www.timetableimages.com/ttima...4/aw5504-2.jpg
http://www.timetableimages.com/ttima...7/hcaw57-1.jpg
Thread Starter
Hi there,
It is a while since this thread stopped but I am researching my first ever flight at the age of 3 from Nairobi (Eastleigh) to Blackbushe on Airwork London G-AJFT. I have recently 'digitised' a 1956 7-minute cine8 film of the trip which my father took. I was interested that someone knew the name, and had a photo of, the overnight hotel in Wadi Halfa and would appreciate if that could be re-posted as I would love to see where I spent my first night outside of my birth country, Kenya.
Once I have finished adding some text to give context to it, I will post the video on YouTube and leave a link here.
It is a while since this thread stopped but I am researching my first ever flight at the age of 3 from Nairobi (Eastleigh) to Blackbushe on Airwork London G-AJFT. I have recently 'digitised' a 1956 7-minute cine8 film of the trip which my father took. I was interested that someone knew the name, and had a photo of, the overnight hotel in Wadi Halfa and would appreciate if that could be re-posted as I would love to see where I spent my first night outside of my birth country, Kenya.
Once I have finished adding some text to give context to it, I will post the video on YouTube and leave a link here.
Title: Sudan. Wadi Halfa. Air view. The. R.R. [i.e., railroad] hotel and Nile beyond 1936 taken on a flight with Imperial Airways on a World Trunk route following the Nile from the Delta to the Victoria Nile and the Victoria Nile and the Victoria Lake.
Another Hotel photo here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi_H...arden_1936.jpg
Last edited by rog747; 23rd Aug 2020 at 13:21.
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Airwork G-AJFT Vickers Viking video clips of NBO - LHR (1956)
Rog747 - Thanks for the Wadi Halfa hotel information and excellent photo. Yes the RailRoad (RR) Hotel with River Nile in the background. When flipped horizontally, the photo reads "Wadi Halfa - Hotel & Nile".
WHBM - Thanks. I have been able to download and print the excellent brochure time tables for this route effective 1 April 1955 and assumed to still be valid in Autumn 1956
The edited 7-minute cine-8 colour film of parts of this trip in 1956 is now available on YouTube. Search "ClandonMan" and it is easily found at the top of the list.
WHBM - Thanks. I have been able to download and print the excellent brochure time tables for this route effective 1 April 1955 and assumed to still be valid in Autumn 1956
The edited 7-minute cine-8 colour film of parts of this trip in 1956 is now available on YouTube. Search "ClandonMan" and it is easily found at the top of the list.
Incredible how many stops these flights made , how many sectors did the crew do given they were not exactly going into anything that could be called an airport in modern standards. Perhaps the pilot error at Benghazi was related to some long shifts. And, after all that as one poster points out you end up at Blackbushe, middle of no where and 40 miles from London.
Bit of a thread drift but back in my Ian Allen/Civil Aircraft Markings spotting days at LHR (god we were spoiled compared to today for variety) there were a number of real oddities like flights that only operated on Sundays like an Iraqi Airways Viscount , Lots of stops from Baghdad , Aerolineas Argentias, Comets all the way from BA with about three stops and less sure of this one Kuwait Airways Viscounts .I am sure there were a few other once or twice a week ops but it was long time ago
Bit of a thread drift but back in my Ian Allen/Civil Aircraft Markings spotting days at LHR (god we were spoiled compared to today for variety) there were a number of real oddities like flights that only operated on Sundays like an Iraqi Airways Viscount , Lots of stops from Baghdad , Aerolineas Argentias, Comets all the way from BA with about three stops and less sure of this one Kuwait Airways Viscounts .I am sure there were a few other once or twice a week ops but it was long time ago
ClandonMan has asked me to post the following with a link to the video of his journey from Nairobi, completed with the kind assistance of various PPruners:
A cine8 colour film has recently been digitised featuring clips of Airwork Vickers Viking G-AJFT operating from Nairobi to London in 1956 with some additional clips of various contemporary aircraft at Nice.
The video has just been uploaded for public view at
A cine8 colour film has recently been digitised featuring clips of Airwork Vickers Viking G-AJFT operating from Nairobi to London in 1956 with some additional clips of various contemporary aircraft at Nice.
The video has just been uploaded for public view at
As requested above, a 1947 map showing previous location of Wadi Halfa town & airport (the red icon by the Nile to the southwest). Also my fairly unscientific guess (working off a bearing from Jebel Shaitan) at the submerged location of the old WH town - old airport would be few km south south west under Lake Nubia. The backdrop of the Britannia photo posted earlier seems to suggest that the old airport was indeed by the river, with an elevation shown as c500ft in Clandonman's fascinating video. This seems to fit with the tale of being submerged as the current shore height at the re-located Wadi Halfa new town is around 650ft. The new and far less appealing airport 15km east of WH is at over 950ft. (n.b. the map spot heights are in metres). Open to better guesses, of course!
Last edited by Max Tow; 23rd Aug 2020 at 06:12. Reason: to add that spot heights on map are in metres
Thread Starter
Incredible how many stops these flights made , how many sectors did the crew do given they were not exactly going into anything that could be called an airport in modern standards. Perhaps the pilot error at Benghazi was related to some long shifts. And, after all that as one poster points out you end up at Blackbushe, middle of no where and 40 miles from London.
The hotels, meals, and transfers were all included in your Air Ticket.
All of the sector lengths would be one duty day?
BTW the 1956 Video is AWEsome
Thread Starter
I'm trying to source any more Wadi Halfa old airport shots both on ground and from the air ...anyone?
If you Google: old Wadi Halfa from the air,
then 'select images', there is quite a bit of material.....
I found this articel -
6 November - 13 March 1925
Alan Cobham made for Imperial Airways’ a route survey flight from UK to Cape Town and back in the Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar-powered DH-50J G-EBFO.
The outward flight was London-Paris-Marseille-Pisa-Taranto-Athens-Sollum-Cairo-Luxor-Assuan/Aswan-Wadi Halfa-Atbara-Khartoum-Malakal-Mongalla-Jinja-Kisumu-Tabora-Abercorn-Ndola-Broken Hill-Livingstone-Bulawayo-Pretoria-Johannesburg-Kimberley-Blomfontein-Cape Town.Sallum, also As Sallum or Sollum is a village in Egypt, near the Mediterranean Sea, east of the border with Libya, and around 145 km from Tobruk.
Sallum is mainly a Bedouin community.
Atbara is located in River Nile State in northeastern Sudan.
Because of its links to the Sudan railway industry, Atbara is also known as the "Railway City'
Flying from Wadi Halfa to Atbara - Would Cobham have followed the longer route of the winding River Nile on his route South, or fly direct but over some inhospitable Desert following the railway line from Wadi Halfa to Abu Hamad and then on to Atbara and then picking up the Nile again there to Khartoum?
Distance direct from Wadi Halfa to Atbara is 326 miles / 284 nautical miles.
He did follow the Nile from Khartoum to Malakal.
On his return Cobham was awarded the Air Force Cross for his services to aviation.
It would be some years before Imperial Airways opened both an Air Mail and then a Passenger Air service to Cape Town.
This is the Wadi Halfa air accident list - quite a bed time read....
https://www.baaa-acro.com/city/wadi-halfa
Wadi Halfa was known as 'bloody half-way' to 19th century British troops!
But on their way to where?
The town of Wadi Halfa was founded in the 19th century. The British during their occupation of the country made there their headquarters, while during the Second World War is a communication post of the allied forces.
The British built a railway the construction of which started in 1877 during the time of General Gordon, in order to facilitate their activities in the country.
Wadi Halfa was certainly the most important town between the first and second cataracts, with it's grand Government House, all the administrative offices, schools, a mosque and an important market.
The modern Nile Hotel, architecturally, was definitely the most appealing building of the city. Its rooms housed the visitors, rich traders, administrators & Government officials, but also tourists who came to Wadi Halfa in the winter as well as the well-known international personalities, in particular academics during the Salvage Campaign before the destruction and flood of the city in 1963.
Although the strip of cultivable land was limited, it was very fertile and rich in palm trees.
The famous “Palm-Date Avenue” shaded with two rows of thick date palms was also the first of its kind in the country.
1960's
RR Nile Hotel 1936
From Khartoum it was necessary to travel all the way by overnight train to the Egyptian border town of Wadi Halfa due to the Nile Cataracts, one would have then travelled on one of theSudan government express steamers (the Sudan, Britain, Lotusor Meroe) which left every Monday and Thursday evenings for its 40 hour journey towards Aswan at the First Cataract.
The Steamer, which accommodates only first class passengers, was flanked by two smaller boats which float alongside, carrying steerage class or local deck travellers.
Soon after getting underway the vessel called at the Nubian monuments and The Temple of Abu Simbel for 1 or 2 hours.
From Abu Simbel they continued their journey 300 miles down the Nile towards Aswan, the southernmost town in Upper Egypt.
Here the Nile was blocked, as created in 1902 by the construction of a Dam. The Dam was built at the former first cataract of the Nile.
Weary travellers would likely seek rest and refuge from the heat at the Cataract Hotel built by Thomas Cook & Sons to house European tourists.
The same builders as for the Winter Palace Hotel on the Corniche in Luxor.
Set in Palm Tree adorned grounds on the shores of the Nile, overlooking Elephantine Island, this iconic British Colonial-era grand hotel first opened its doors in January 1902.
Hotel guests have included Tsar Nicholas II, Winston Churchill, Howard Carter, and Agatha Christie, who took up residence here for a year in 1937 to write Death on the Nile, which set portions of her famous novel at both of the Hotels.
Using the help of her close friend and Egyptologist Stephen Glanville, they concocted a perfect tale of a crime of passion. A mystery novel that would remain famous and have people guessing the red herrings & whodunits even today.
Her suite, beyond the lavish furnishings, contained a simple mahogany desk.
This is where she would sit for hours and write (and probably re-write) chapters of her book.
There was also a wicker chair on the shady carved wooden veranda where she would sit, sipping Hibiscus Tea and admire the views of the Nile and Feluccas sailing past below, all the while contemplating her work.
If you Google: old Wadi Halfa from the air,
then 'select images', there is quite a bit of material.....
I found this articel -
6 November - 13 March 1925
Alan Cobham made for Imperial Airways’ a route survey flight from UK to Cape Town and back in the Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar-powered DH-50J G-EBFO.
The outward flight was London-Paris-Marseille-Pisa-Taranto-Athens-Sollum-Cairo-Luxor-Assuan/Aswan-Wadi Halfa-Atbara-Khartoum-Malakal-Mongalla-Jinja-Kisumu-Tabora-Abercorn-Ndola-Broken Hill-Livingstone-Bulawayo-Pretoria-Johannesburg-Kimberley-Blomfontein-Cape Town.Sallum, also As Sallum or Sollum is a village in Egypt, near the Mediterranean Sea, east of the border with Libya, and around 145 km from Tobruk.
Sallum is mainly a Bedouin community.
Atbara is located in River Nile State in northeastern Sudan.
Because of its links to the Sudan railway industry, Atbara is also known as the "Railway City'
Flying from Wadi Halfa to Atbara - Would Cobham have followed the longer route of the winding River Nile on his route South, or fly direct but over some inhospitable Desert following the railway line from Wadi Halfa to Abu Hamad and then on to Atbara and then picking up the Nile again there to Khartoum?
Distance direct from Wadi Halfa to Atbara is 326 miles / 284 nautical miles.
He did follow the Nile from Khartoum to Malakal.
On his return Cobham was awarded the Air Force Cross for his services to aviation.
It would be some years before Imperial Airways opened both an Air Mail and then a Passenger Air service to Cape Town.
This is the Wadi Halfa air accident list - quite a bed time read....
https://www.baaa-acro.com/city/wadi-halfa
Wadi Halfa was known as 'bloody half-way' to 19th century British troops!
But on their way to where?
The town of Wadi Halfa was founded in the 19th century. The British during their occupation of the country made there their headquarters, while during the Second World War is a communication post of the allied forces.
The British built a railway the construction of which started in 1877 during the time of General Gordon, in order to facilitate their activities in the country.
Wadi Halfa was certainly the most important town between the first and second cataracts, with it's grand Government House, all the administrative offices, schools, a mosque and an important market.
The modern Nile Hotel, architecturally, was definitely the most appealing building of the city. Its rooms housed the visitors, rich traders, administrators & Government officials, but also tourists who came to Wadi Halfa in the winter as well as the well-known international personalities, in particular academics during the Salvage Campaign before the destruction and flood of the city in 1963.
Although the strip of cultivable land was limited, it was very fertile and rich in palm trees.
The famous “Palm-Date Avenue” shaded with two rows of thick date palms was also the first of its kind in the country.
1960's
RR Nile Hotel 1936
From Khartoum it was necessary to travel all the way by overnight train to the Egyptian border town of Wadi Halfa due to the Nile Cataracts, one would have then travelled on one of theSudan government express steamers (the Sudan, Britain, Lotusor Meroe) which left every Monday and Thursday evenings for its 40 hour journey towards Aswan at the First Cataract.
The Steamer, which accommodates only first class passengers, was flanked by two smaller boats which float alongside, carrying steerage class or local deck travellers.
Soon after getting underway the vessel called at the Nubian monuments and The Temple of Abu Simbel for 1 or 2 hours.
From Abu Simbel they continued their journey 300 miles down the Nile towards Aswan, the southernmost town in Upper Egypt.
Here the Nile was blocked, as created in 1902 by the construction of a Dam. The Dam was built at the former first cataract of the Nile.
Weary travellers would likely seek rest and refuge from the heat at the Cataract Hotel built by Thomas Cook & Sons to house European tourists.
The same builders as for the Winter Palace Hotel on the Corniche in Luxor.
Set in Palm Tree adorned grounds on the shores of the Nile, overlooking Elephantine Island, this iconic British Colonial-era grand hotel first opened its doors in January 1902.
Hotel guests have included Tsar Nicholas II, Winston Churchill, Howard Carter, and Agatha Christie, who took up residence here for a year in 1937 to write Death on the Nile, which set portions of her famous novel at both of the Hotels.
Using the help of her close friend and Egyptologist Stephen Glanville, they concocted a perfect tale of a crime of passion. A mystery novel that would remain famous and have people guessing the red herrings & whodunits even today.
Her suite, beyond the lavish furnishings, contained a simple mahogany desk.
This is where she would sit for hours and write (and probably re-write) chapters of her book.
There was also a wicker chair on the shady carved wooden veranda where she would sit, sipping Hibiscus Tea and admire the views of the Nile and Feluccas sailing past below, all the while contemplating her work.
Last edited by rog747; 23rd Aug 2020 at 15:54.
Rog 747, yes of course I overlooked the established practice of calling it a day and not flying at night (probably quite wise) on these empire type trips. A real adventure they must have been.
A great thread and got me thinking about the fabulous documentary "The Last African Flying Boat".
The Flying Boat Forum from www.seawings.co.uk ? View topic - Trans African Catalina Trip
There is a write up here from one of the crew of the PBY in that documentary. They retraced the old flying boat route some time in the 1980s in an attempt to start up tourist flights. They stopped off at Abu Simbel along route, just downstream from Wadi Haifa.
The Flying Boat Forum from www.seawings.co.uk ? View topic - Trans African Catalina Trip
There is a write up here from one of the crew of the PBY in that documentary. They retraced the old flying boat route some time in the 1980s in an attempt to start up tourist flights. They stopped off at Abu Simbel along route, just downstream from Wadi Haifa.
That service had long been an odd-ball, however, as night-stopping aircraft had become uneconomic in the jet era, and unnecessary with increased frequency of services. Even in 1958, when CAA lost that Viscount at Benina on a service from SAY (Salisbury) to London, the crew had changed at Entebbe. On duty just after midday and operating via Khartoum and Wadi Halfa, they were rostered to slip at Benina. At the time of the accident, at about 01:15 local time, they'd been on duty for 12 hrs 44 mins.
... the fabulous documentary "The Last African Flying Boat".
I was intrigued by the deviation of the Egypt/Sudan border on Max Tow's map and had to look it up. The deviation was made for British Colonial convenience!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi_Halfa_Salient
I also note the now-submerged Jebel Shaitan southeast of Wadi Halfa - in English, it is Devil's Mountain.
