This is 10 minutes of what LHR looked like in 1946, including a range of the interesting types around at the time.

The opening, and departure of the first BSAA Lancastrian flight, with Bennett at the controls, on 1 Jan 46, is at 4.45 in the film.


London Airport | The National Archives

Fascinating. All those construction workers, and not a hard hat or hi-vis vest in sight. The removal of people from their homes though, hasn't changed.

LAP Film
 

Excellent piece of film WHBM - many thanks for the link.
Having seen Herod's comment before watching it, I couldn't help but wonder if the guys with the pneumatic drills were wearing ear plugs or not...but perhaps they were already stone deaf after doing that job for years!

Any idea what airfield this was taken at?
 

Waddington perhaps?

Sadly "Star Dust Falling" is responsible for a lot of misinformation about BSAA and is something of a character assassination of Don Bennett. Bennett's son was horrified when he read the book (having co-operated with the author fully at the research stage) as he felt his father was seriously misrepresented.

As for the accident figures, yes they are unquestionably very serious for BSAA, but the figures in the book are not accurate. From official sources the true figures are - for every 100 million miles flown by BOAC, 4 passengers had died (not 2.3), the figure was 11 for BEA and 48 for BSAA (not 61.6). Similarly, with BOAC one passenger had died for every 9,733 flown (not 18,900) and for BSAA the figure was 762 (not 385).

Not sure of the airfield I'm afraid, although it's quite possibly Waddington as that's where this particular Lancaster was modified in early 1946. However it's a very nice photo of Lancaster 'Star Gold' and one I don't remember seeing before. Interesting.

Hello BSAA1947,
Thanks. It is interesting that you say that aircraft was converted at Waddington.
I have long wondered if that kind of work was actually done at Waddington or nearby Bracebridge Heath and Waddington was merely the runway used to position the aircraft in and out. I know numerous aircraft were towed between the two sites via the A15 but I have never seen a picture of a Lancastrian making that particular journey.
Ed

Your information may be more reliable than mine as I can't find my sources at the moment but I had noted in the BSAA fleet list on my website that the aircraft (a Lancaster remember, not a Lancastrian in this case) had been fitted with a Lancastrian style nose by A.V. Roe at Waddington. It had originally been loaned to BSAA and was only bought by them at the end of March 1947 when it was dismantled to be used for spares.

From Jackson's British Civil Aircraft Since 1919:

"Early in 1946 the British South American Airways Company took delivery of six Lancaster Is from the Ministry of Supply. Four of these were commissioned as freighters, the conversions being carried out at the works of A. V. Roe and Co. Limited at Bracebridge Heath".

G-AGUK was one of the four.

Ah, good, thanks Dave. I'll update the fleet list on my website when I get a moment. AirportsEd, it looks like your information was correct!

For those interested in BSAA Lancasters
Sorry about the quality. Notice the bomb bay doors. Taken in Montevideo about 1947.
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x...psue4s71ao.jpg
Mike

Thanks BSAA / Dave / Mike.
Was G-AGUM also one of the four Lancasters converted at Bracebridge?
Ed

The batch converted at Bracebridge Heath were:

G-AGUJ "Star Pilot", ex PP689
G-AGUK "Star Gold", ex PP688
G-AGUL "Star Watch", ex PP690
G-AGUM "Star Ward", ex PP751

The other two of the six purchased that weren't converted to freighters were:

G-AGUN, ex PP744, later to BOAC as G-AHVN, then to Flight Refuelling
G-AGUO, ex PP746, subsequently returned to the RAF

Thanks Dave.
I had had no idea that any Lancasters were converted at Bracebridge Heath, my Waddington guess re the photo is purely based upon the buildings you can see in the background.
Ed

Off The Beam
 

Hello Mike6567,
Regarding the Off The Beam book by Robert Chandler you mentioned a while back, do you have a copy, if so, would you recommend it?
I wondered if it had much Lancastrian or indeed flying content.
Regards,
Ed

Dave, following conversion did they then become officially recognised as "Lancastrians"? In the Lancaster/Lancastrian listings I have they get no mention, other than noting the relevant Lancaster aircraft took up a civil registration.

No, the Lancastrian name was only applied to the passenger conversions. Those four freighters remained Lancasters.

Just as an aside, if you take look at the ARB paper record sheets for G-AGUJ, K, L & M all are shown as "seventeen seater monoplanes". There seems little doubt they were only ever used as freighters.

Ed Re "Off The Beam" by Robert Chandler
The book has a few chapters on his time with BSAA and BOAC. Some interesting and amusing anecdotes. He was on the first flight from Heathrow January 1st 1946 in "Star Light" and there are several pages on this.
Not a lot of specific Lancastrian content.
Mike

Off The Beam
 

Thanks Mike,
I'd like to read those anecdotes so I will get a copy from the river site.
Regards,
Ed