The Postcard
A postally unused postcard that was published by Drumahoe Graphics and printed in Great Britain by Beric Tempest & Co. Ltd. of St. Ives, Cornwall.
The artist was Steph Cavallero, and the work is reproduced by permission of British Airways' Museum Collection.
Imperial Airways
On the formation of Britain's first national airline, Imperial Airways, on the 31st. March 1924, Croydon south of London became the new airline's operating base. Imperial Airways was the British Government's chosen instrument to develop connections with the U.K.'s extensive overseas interests.
It was therefore from Croydon that Great Britain first developed its European and long-haul routes to India, Africa, the Middle and Far East, Asia, Africa and Australia (in conjunction with Qantas).
-- The Crash of the Imperial Airways de Havilland
Following the Imperial Airways de Havilland DH.34 crash, Great Britain's first major civil aviation accident, conditions at Croydon came under criticism from the public inquiry that investigated the causes.
The crash occurred on the 24th. December 1924. The aircraft took off from Croydon Airport on a scheduled international passenger flight to Le Bourget Airport, Paris.
Witnesses described the aircraft as flying low over Purley before nosediving to the ground and overturning. The crash was followed by an explosion and fire.
The crash site was 1 1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) from Croydon Airport, at Castle Hill, Purley, where the Kingsdown housing estate was then under construction.
Attempts to rescue the pilot and the seven passengers were made, but the intensity of the fire made this task impossible. A witness stated that he thought the accident was unsurvivable.
It was only after the local fire brigade had extinguished the fire that the bodies of the victims could be extricated from the wreckage. The accident was the first fatal accident suffered by Imperial Airways.
A memorial plaque and cross were placed at Kingsdown Avenue. They are still there to this day.
The inquiry was Great Britain's first into an aviation accident. It led to an Act of Parliament, the Croydon Aerodrome Extension Act 1925.
-- Further Accidents and Incidents of Imperial Airways
(a) Fatal Accidents
- On the 13th. July 1928, a Vickers Vulcan G-EBLB crashed at Purley during a test flight, killing four of the six people on board. As a result of the crash, Imperial Airways stopped the flying of staff (so called joy rides) during test flights.
- On the 17th. June 1929, a Handley Page W.10 G-EBMT ditched in the English Channel following engine failure whilst on a flight from Croydon to Paris with the loss of seven lives.
- On the 6th. September 1929, a de Havilland Hercules G-EBMZ crashed and burned on landing at Jask, Iran in the dark due to the pilot misjudging the altitude and stalling the aircraft, killing three of the five individuals on board.
- On the 26th. October 1929, a Short G-AADN force-landed off La Spezia, Italy in poor weather; the flying boat sank in the night during attempts to tow it to shore, killing all seven on board.
- On the 30th. October 1930, a Handley Page W.8g G-EBIX struck high ground in fog at Boulogne, France, killing three of the six individuals on board.
- On the 28th. March 1933, an Armstrong Whitworth Argosy G-AACI crashed at Diksmuide, Belgium following an in-flight fire. This is suspected to be the first-ever case of sabotage in the air. All fifteen people on board were killed.
- On the 30th. December 1933, an Avro Ten G-ABLU collided with a radio mast at Ruysselede, Belgium and crashed. All ten people on board were killed.
- On the 31st. December 1935, a Short G-AASJ crashed off Alexandria, Egypt when all four engines failed on approach, possibly due to fuel starvation; twelve of the 13 on board drowned when the flying boat sank.
- On the 22nd. August 1936, a Short G-ABFA sank at Mirabello Bay, Crete after a heavy landing, killing two of the 11 on board.
- On the 24th. March 1937, a Short G-ADVA crashed in the Beaujolois Mountains near Ouroux, France following a navigation error, killing five.
- On the 1st. October 1937, a Short G-ADVC crashed on landing in Phaleron Bay, Greece due to poor visibility, killing two of 15 on board.
- On the 5th. December 1937, a Short G-ADUZ crashed on take-off from Brindisi, Italy due to incorrect flap settings, killing two.
- On the 27th. July 1938, an Armstrong Whitworth G-ABTG flew into a hillside near Kisumu, Kenya shortly after take-off, killing all four on board.
- On the 27th. November 1938, a Short G-AETW crashed in Lake Habbaniyah, Iraq in bad weather after the pilot descended to maintain visual contact with the ground following spatial disorientation, killing all four crew.
- On the 21st. January 1939, a Short G-ADUU ditched in the Atlantic 285 mi off New York due to carburettor icing and loss of engine power; three drowned while ten survivors were picked up by the tanker Esso Baytown. Thereafter Imperial Airways and Pan-American trans-oceanic flying boats had the upper surfaces of the wings painted with orange high visibility markings.
- On the 1st. May 1939, a Short G-ADVD crashed in the Lumbo lagoon while attempting to land at Lumbo Airport, killing two of the six individuals on board.
- On the 1st. March 1940, a Handley Page H.P.42 G-AAGX disappeared over the Gulf of Oman with eight on board; no wreckage, cargo or occupants were ever found. The cause of the crash remains unknown, but fuel starvation, a bird strike damaging a propeller and causing an engine or wing to separate, an in-flight breakup or multiple engine failure were theorised. Two months after the crash, the H.P.42 was withdrawn from passenger operations. It was also recommended that all commercial aircraft used in long flights over water be equipped with personal and group life saving gear; this would later become standard throughout the airline industry.
The 18 fatal Imperial Airways accidents listed above (including the 1924 Purley crash) produce a death toll of 101 fatalities, which is relatively modest by today's standards - the years between 1924 and 1940 produced an average of only 6.3 deaths per year.
This is due at least in part to the fact that modern aircraft have a much larger capacity and transport vastly more passengers, resulting in many more fatalities per crash; the Imperial Airlines fatal crashes recorded above produced an average of only 5.6 deaths per flight.
(b) Non-Fatal Accidents of Imperial Airways
- On the 21st. October 1926, a Handley Page W.10 G-EBMS ditched in the English Channel 18 nautical miles (33 km) off the English coast after an engine failed. All 12 people on board were rescued by FV Invicta.
- On the 19th. April 1931, a de Havilland DH.66 with registration G-EBMW was damaged beyond repair in a forced landing following fuel starvation at Surabaya.
- On the 8th. August 1931, a Handley Page H.P.42 G-AAGX was operating a scheduled passenger flight from Croydon to Paris when an engine failed and debris forced a second engine to be shut down. A forced landing at Five Oak Green, Kent resulted in extensive damage, although no injuries occurred. The aircraft was dismantled and trucked to Croydon to be rebuilt.
- On the 9th. November 1935, a Short G-ABFB caught fire and burned out during refuelling in Brindisi Harbor; the refuelling crew were able to jump clear of the burning aircraft and survived.
- On the 29th. September 1936, an Armstrong Whitworth G-ABTK burned out in a hangar fire at Delhi, India.
- On the 31st. May 1937, a Handley Page H.P.45 G-AAXE was destroyed in a hangar fire at Karachi, India.
- On the 3rd. December 1938, a de Havilland G-ADCN burned out at Bangkok.
- On the 12th. March 1939, a Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat G-ADUY was damaged beyond repair at Tandjong, Batavia, Netherlands East Indies. It struck a submerged object while taxiing. The aircraft beached, but proved to be damaged beyond repair by immersion and mishandling during salvage. The aircraft was dismantled and shipped to England, but not returned to service.
- On the 7th. November 1939, a Handley Page H.P.42 G-AXXD was written off following a forced landing at a golf course at Tiverton, Devon.
- On the 19th. March 1940, a Handley Page H.P.45 G-AAXC and H.P.42 G-AAUD were both written off after being blown over in high winds while parked at Whitchurch Airport.
