Poole Flying Boats Celebration Charity No. 1123274

Trustee Newsletter: Easter 2013

** PFBC progresses

Aye Ma'am and other

projects during 2013

With best wishes to You for Easter from the PFBC Trustees...

The new Pontiff - Pope Francis and the A of C - Justin Welby,

will be delivering Easter Messages and Blessings to millions,

no doubt referring to ‘a challenging world with global issues’,

inc. the crises in Syria, and the banking dilemmas of Cyprus !

Basra is still a troubled place, just as when Poole Flying Boats

in WW2 had to be diverted briefly via the Gulf of Aqaba etc.,

and I am reminded of another fascinating story, from Arabia:

This concerns Dubai, which opened as a Flying Boat stop in

1937 with passenger facilities, but mainly as a staging post…

However, when civil insurrection there, threatened to disrupt

IAL’s Routes, the two opposing factions reached agreement !

That was, for 3 afternoons-a-week they would stop hostilities

to allow for a peaceful passage of Flying Boats & Landplanes

- which gave a very different perspective on Civil Air Travel !

In WW2 new perspectives were emerging at Poole for BOAC

with the introduction of Seawomen & Stewardesses, and other

Female Staff (uniformed); + the contingents of WAAF at RAF

Hamworthy & Wrens at HMS Daedalus - RNAS Sandbanks !

THE

' OPUS

©

Within the Project there is Plenty of Scope for Your Research:

♦ The reasons + method of recruitment of Poole’s Seawomen

♦ Our Seawomen were unique: Look for military equivalents !

♦ 18 BOAC Seawomen when at the BOAC Marine Sch., Poole

♦ Instructors: Coursework /Curriculum /Practical Experience

♦ Those who graduated from this School to be deployed here

♦ Their Backgrounds + Personal Stories...and what happened

♦ Duties, Terms and Lengths of Service: The Kit + Uniforms

♦ Photos, News Reports, Articles + other Artefacts about them

♦ What occurred when the Seamen returned...What reactions ?

♦ Where appropriate locate + trace the life-stories post service

PFBC Honorary Positions & Life Members Foundation Trustees: Ken Sanson, Harry Alexander, Bertie Bowman

Aimée ( now Coordinator for PFBC Projects ) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ PFBC Archivist: John Gully PFBC Library Volunteer: Val Lewis

Hon. Commodore, Air: David Mauleverer

Patron: Lady Cobham ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Honorary President: Jeremy Waters

Hon. Vice Pres: Leslie Dawson, June Topham, Douglas Cook OBE

Colin Cruddas, Norman Hull, John Parsons, Mike Phipp, Vic Pitcher,

Babs Plumbridge, Colin Pomeroy, Colin van Geffen & John Witcomb also including Ian Andrews (who Represents all of our HLMs)

Senior ‘Hons.’

within PFBC

Stop-Press: More News...

Next Newsletter will have

marvellous news about the

our Hamworthy Storyboard

...also another Blue Plaque

as a ‘private commission’...

John Gully has become the

PFBC Archivist to release

Aimée to concentrate upon

role of Project Coordinator

Val Lewis has volunteered

to look after PFBC Friends’

Library Collection on a part -time basis (approx. once-a-

month)… Why not join Val by becoming a volunteer too

so we can sort out day/time

to suit your commitments ?!

Project Dates to-date !

* Application Acceptance ► HLF Letter of 10th. January

General Announcements: ► Friends Spring Newsletter

Our Address to the RAeS ► 24th. January - B’mth Univ.

Our Project First Launch ► 7th. February - Haven Hotel

S.Poole Chairs LG Meeting ► 25th. February - Haven BC

Lilliput Residents’ Assoc. ► 26th. Feb. at PFBC’s Office

Bmth Red Arrows Address ► 5th. March at the Aero Club

AYE MA'AM well and truly !

Coxswain (Ist. Cl)

Mrs Nora Bevis of the respected

BOAC Marine-

craft Unit (MCU) based at Poole;

significantly the

last Seawoman ( Woman Seaman ! )

and most senior to serve here up

to 1948 the time

of the Transfer to Southampton

of Flying Boats

with closure of Salterns ~ Poole

Coxswain Nora Bevis

+ her lead-in Launch

Bosun Frank Hewitt + L→R: Isobel Rickard Mary Hill Bunny Reece Mollie Skinner a.n.other + Nora Bevis gathered on Poole Quay during WW2

For great News about this Project + lots more, please read on:

Poole Seawomen became

largely synonymous with

the BOAC Boeing 314As

Do You Remember any of this Group ? Relatives, Friends or Neighbours ?

HURRY * Harry has already selected Nora as his Special Area of Study

You can Choose one (or more) of

the 18 Seawomen

for your Research

Progressing PFBC ~ HLF Project ‘Aye Ma'am’

Progress Report Nº 1...March 2013

> Designation of Project Organisers and Team Leaders

> Determining the Parameters + Structure of the Project

> Identifying / Agreeing a Matrix of Areas for Research

> Prospecting the Components in our Project Timeline

> Presentation put-together to support Project Launches

> Recruitment of Friends of PFBC wanting to take part

> Acquisition of Materials and Equipment as required !

> Setting-up of Displayboards / Preparation of Displays

> Securing extra Room for our Project Group Meetings

> Scheduling Interviews for those relevant to our Study

> Establishing communication channels for Participants

> Making of Guidelines + Recommendations available

> Support networking to Advise, Assist and Encourage

> Collation of all Data with Information when received

> Accurate Keeping of Records (inc. Progress Reports)

> Info. Retrieval Systems put in place for PFBC Office

> Upgrade PFBC Computer Peripherals to facilitate this

> Obtain / prepare Course Books + Docs. for Participants

> Also develop /expand Friends of PFBC Library Coll.

> Keep Comprehensive Listing Book + Mag. References

> Access our Network of Aviation and Local Historians

> Contact with Specialists / Experts eg Women’s Studies

> Liaison with Local Interest Groups + Residents Assocs.

> Flight Paths for cascading our Project to general public

> Denote our Progress in Trustee + Friends Newsletters

* As time Marches-on we need YOU to be now involved !

Findings have confirmed that the origins of Air Stewardesses

on modern UK Airliners extend back to Poole & Hurn in WW2

after trials on the Foynes Shuttles, by Landplane from BOAC

Whitchurch, former base and Operational Centre near Bristol.

So what is the story here, about these Stewardess ‘Pioneers’ ?

Daphne Kearley prewar; Rosamond Gilmour (Whitchurch trial);

Helen Wigmore, Peggy Kyte, Momkea Winter, Jeanne Cox;

Jean Wortley, Barbara Baker who joined Rosamond on the

Poole Flying Boats, followed by others eg Marguerite Wilson,

who is easiest to research as she was a National News-Celeb.

Research is now indicating that there

must have once been around 100-200

Female Staff based at BOAC Poole, +

others who had a relevant association.

The number of Aircrew Stewardesses was small but significant,

and grew as the Springbok Route by BOAC Flying Boats opened

from Southampton through to Vaaldam (nr. Jo’burg) South Africa

~ also when temporary BOAC Hurn was replaced by Heathrow,

& Aquila Airways had a Flying Boat Swansong from the Solent.

Alongside the extraordinary achievements of Wrens & WAAFs

most recently recognised is that of the ‘Flying Nightingales’ the

Medics & Nurses who potentially had a WW2 presence at Poole

in accompanying the Wounded + former PoWs back to the UK !

If any of these aspects above, are of particular interest to YOU...

and your Friends, then please sign up to take part in our Project !

ALL CONTACTS PLEASE

Poole Flying Boats Celebration For the attention of:- - - - - - -

Parkstone Library Buildings

1 Britannia Road Parkstone

Poole Dorset BH14 8AZ For membership of Friends… and renewals contact Bertie Bowman.

For bookings of tickets for PFBC Celebrations contact Ken Sanson,

and all other general enquiries - PFBC’s Office new reg’d. address. PFBC Email: info@pooleflyingboats.com

PFBC Website: www.pooleflyingboats.com

and please mark clearly who you are contacting…

This also includes PFBC’s

John Gully who has become

PFBC Archivist...and is now

initially focussed on special

interest of Imperial Airways

© 2013-14

Do You want

to Research

about Peggy

and /or Her

Colleagues ?

Let us Know !

Uniformed Female Staff:

Signals Team at Salterns

( for BOAC April, 1947 )

L→R: S/A I. Canetta S/C S.B.Heaney S/C P.J.Dean S/C S.Davie Dpty S.Off P.Oxley S/C A.B.Tomlinson S/C M. Dudley S/C J.E.M. Cooling S/C F.O. Bayley-Jones S/C D. Parsons

Notes: The Trainee’s Uniform worn by S/A I. Canetta

also the rectangular pattern of

buttons on front of the uniform: Deputy Signals Officer P. Oxley

Sunderland Mk III G-AGER frequent visitor to Foynes on the Poole Shuttle

Note: The larger lettering in the registration which dates this as 1943 → 44

also the wartime Camouflage and Lines denoting unarmed Civil Air !

When this came more under ‘the aegis’ of RAF Transport Command,

the new Regis. OQZR was allocated for the critical period of 1944/45

* Then the Regis. G-AGER was restored for moving towards the postwar era

and in 1945 a significant upgrade was undertaken for passengers, and with

new Pegasus engines fitted as a Hythe Class, G-AGER was named Hadfield

WW2 Censor has blanked out distinguishing features within photo’s background

Do You Recognise any of this Group ? Relatives, Friends or Neighbours ?

√

*