BOAC property around the UK
Thread Starter
BOAC property around the UK
Having had a very good response to a similar thread about BEA I have started this new topic to cover BOAC. I have seen reference to a hotel in Bristol taken over during the wartime as a headquarters but I would like to hear about the operation at Poole and of course post war around the UK. Did BOAC also have a base in Canada?
I have fond memories of the rest house in Karachi and the excellent bearers' curry. Also, virgins' alley.
Grand Spa Hotel Bristol and I think Poole used a yacht club.
I read of one pilot who had completed OTU and was waiting posting to a bomber squadron where life expectancy was not great.
He received a posting to the Grand Spa Hotel and spent a happy 2 years as a first officer on flying boats.
Other UK bases included Leuchars Lyneham,Hurn and Bramcote.
The Liberators were based at Dorval,Montreal for the Return Ferry service to Prestwick.
Other overseas bases were at Baltimore,Durban,Cairo and for a few years Asmara.
I read of one pilot who had completed OTU and was waiting posting to a bomber squadron where life expectancy was not great.
He received a posting to the Grand Spa Hotel and spent a happy 2 years as a first officer on flying boats.
Other UK bases included Leuchars Lyneham,Hurn and Bramcote.
The Liberators were based at Dorval,Montreal for the Return Ferry service to Prestwick.
Other overseas bases were at Baltimore,Durban,Cairo and for a few years Asmara.
Last edited by renfrew; 20th Jul 2021 at 21:38. Reason: more
N4790P
Poole Flying boats
There's a fascinating thread here on PPRuNe about a trip to the Far East by BOAC that started from Poole Harbour in May 1940 including an overnight in a hotel at Sandbanks.
See here:
RMA Caledonia
..and here's a photo of the Haven Hotel at Sandbanks
and a C-Class Flying Boat of the type flown to Burma
There's a fascinating thread here on PPRuNe about a trip to the Far East by BOAC that started from Poole Harbour in May 1940 including an overnight in a hotel at Sandbanks.
See here:
RMA Caledonia
..and here's a photo of the Haven Hotel at Sandbanks
and a C-Class Flying Boat of the type flown to Burma
Last edited by Warmtoast; 21st Jul 2021 at 15:11.
DC10 man
Having spent 13 years in Bermuda I had never heard of that but I can well believe the BOAC crew especially immediately post ww2 with probably longish layovers, would be granted temporary membership of the Royal Bermuda Yacht club so I can see how the idea came about.. Probably only flight deck crew though as ladies were not allowed in the bar until about 1990.
I worked for Cable and Wireless for many years and if there were three things an imperial outpost , especially an island one, had to have it was Barclays Bank, BOAC, C&W
Having spent 13 years in Bermuda I had never heard of that but I can well believe the BOAC crew especially immediately post ww2 with probably longish layovers, would be granted temporary membership of the Royal Bermuda Yacht club so I can see how the idea came about.. Probably only flight deck crew though as ladies were not allowed in the bar until about 1990.
I worked for Cable and Wireless for many years and if there were three things an imperial outpost , especially an island one, had to have it was Barclays Bank, BOAC, C&W
In 1976 when I worked for Airwork at Hurn, the radio section building had concrete drainpipes at sentinals outside the entrance with "BOAC No2 Line Headquarters" on them in blue paint.
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