Names of ex-BSAA staff


During our long research for 'Fly With The Stars' we met many former BSAA staff, and in doing so we were told of many more. We also discovered many documents which referred to names of staff which we hadn't been aware of from other sources. As the research progressed, we decided to add all the names we came across to a list. Some of these people are well known to us, whereas others may have been a name we found on an old document, and we therefore have no idea of their role within the airline. Whilst this list is just a fraction of the staff employed by the airline, it currently extends to over 740 names and is reproduced below for interest. If any former BSAA staff read this and find that they (or a friend/relative who worked for the airline) are missing from the list, please let us know at info@flywiththestars.co.uk and we'll be happy to add them. --------------------------------------------- A REQUEST FROM THE BA ARCHIVES & MUSEUM - Keith Hayward, the Honourary Consultant Archivist for the BA Archives (and himself a former BSAA employee), is compiling a record of BSAA movements in and out of Heathrow for the period 1946 to 1949. This includes all BSAA flights, whether they be scheduled, training or even simply repositioning flights. He is recording the details of the aircraft, crew, dates and times. In fact all the information which would normally be shown in a crew log book. If anyone still has a copy of an ex-BSAA crewmember's log book for that period, Keith would be delighted to hear from you. Please either telephone him directly on 01895-637872 or, if you prefer, email me at ian@flywiththestars.co.uk and I will forward your message to Keith. Thank you! --------------------------------------------- Please scroll down the page to see some interesting photos of BSAA staff.

Len Acres Dorothy Adam (see Kidd) Captain R. C. 'Cliff' Alabaster Wing Commander J. Alexander Captain G. M. 'Dickie' Allcock Eric Allen Anne Andrew (née Barker-Mill) Captain Jimmy Andrew J. Gus Angers A. Annis L. Ansty Fred Appleby Cynthia Arpthorp Captain Maurice R. Aries Bill Ashdown Guy Ashendon J. E. Ashton Jack Atkins Albert T. Axten L. F. Ayling Alf Bailey Bill Bailey I. Bailey J. Bailey Sue Bailey Rita P. Baines (see Colby) T. D. Bale A. Barber Kay Bardell Anne Barker-Mill (see Andrew) Miss W. Barlow Harry Bartholomew Graham Bartter Nita Barwell-Harrison Terry Barzilay (see White) Dora Barzilay Wing Commander C. Baskett Mr. F. Beard P. S. Beckett Richard E. Beddoes (Dick) Ted Belbin Mr. Bellamy Ed Bellamy C. A. F. 'Crystal' Bendall Air Vice-Marshal Donald C. T. Bennett L. V. Bennett Jack Berry G. V. Bethke Jack Betts Pam Bewg D. Bianchi Bill Bickford John Bingham Tony Birch Mr. Birkby L. E. Bishop Miss Blackman H. E. Bligh J. N. Blows Miss J. Boast Charles Bodimeade Les Bone Rene Boot (see Fearnley) Wing Commander John F. Booth Ken Bowers T. M. Boyd R. L. Bracher Air Commodore Herbert G. Brackley David Brackley Lyn Bradley Una Bradley C. P. Brady Eve Branson (née Huntley-Flindt) Miss Margaret Bray L. W. Bray Jean Brennan (née Macfarlane) John C. Brennan Captain David Brice Jim Britton Len Broad Angus H. Brooks Denis Brown Don L. Brown E. R. 'Ted' Brown E. S. Brown Mrs J. Browne Maria Teresa del Socorro Browne Frank Brownlie Judy Bruce-Lockhart John Buckell Danny Buckland Mr. Budd G. A. Bullen Frank W. Bunker Ken Bunker Maurice Burgess Arthur 'Tosh' Burridge Brian Burston Miss A. Butler Arthur Butler Jock Butterworth Jack Cacutt G. M. Cain Thomas A. 'Tommy' Cairns E. E. Calver Miss Calvert Miss Erica Calverwell Wing Commander D. Cameron Alec Campbell Barbara Campbell (née Hammond) Tom Campbell Eric Cantor Mr. Carey Andy Carlisle S. G. Carpenter Robert W. Chandler Mr. Chapman S. P. Chapman J. J. Charlebois Donald S. Checklin Diana Chester-Masters J. E. Chettle Mrs. Chipps G. Chirgwin Thomas M. 'Tommy' Clark Mrs. Celia M. Clark (née Hepworth) G. W. Clarke V. A. M. L. ‘Lynn’ Clayton Captain Stephen B. Cliff John Coatalen F. S. G. 'Syd' Codling Captain David Colby Rita P. Colby (née Baines) Derek Cole F. C. Cole F. H. Cole Mr. R. W. Coleman H. Collier Wing Commander H. M. Collins H. T. Comber Terence Conner F. Connor D. K. Cook Norman H. Cook Captain Reginald J. Cook Sidney Charles Cook Alec Cooper Dickie Cooper Fred Cooper L. Cooper Robert J. ‘Paddy’ Cormican B. Cornthwaite May Cox Ron Cox Captain D. A. Cracknell C. E. Crick Miss D. V. Cripps Thomes S. H. Croft Dick Cromie Captain John N. S. Cumming Mary Cunningham (née Guthrie) T. Cupit William Curry Mary Danbrook (see Holden) Paul R. Dane D. M. Daniel Harry Darby Aubrey T. Dare F. Dauncey A. G. Davies David Davies Nadia Davies (née Smart) Fred Davis Derek H. Davison David A. R. Day (Roy) Murray Deloford Trevor L. de Nett Mr. Denman G. J. Dennis J. H. Dennison Mr. Deverteuil R. C. de Wilde Charles Diacond Mr. Dick Roland Dismore Wing Commander B. Dobb Mrs. Donaldson B. Dowes N. Downs Brian Duffey Captain Peter Duffey J. M. Duncan Bill Dyer G. W. Dyson Jack Eade Eddie Eade Captain Godfrey Earnshaw Howard Easton Mrs. Eckett 'Elsan' Eddy S. Edge J. R. Edmunds Eddie Edsell Bill Edwards G. C. Edwards Arthur Egerton Cyril Ellison Marquis of Ely Eric Emberson Mr. Emberton D. Emmerson Richard Enser E. G. Escott Miss Iris M. Evans J. B. Evans L. Evans Paddy Evans Vere D. ‘Doug’ Evans Norman Fairfax P. Falconer H. Farmer Bert Farrow Rene Fearnley (née Boot) Geoff C. Fearon David Ferguson Sid Ferris Tony Ferris Captain E. D. 'Wyn' Fieldson Priscilla Fieldson (née Vinyals) Ray Finucane S. Fishwick Miss P. V. Fitzherbert Air Commodore A. Fletcher J. D. Flint Captain Bill Flower R. E. 'Dick' Flower Mrs. Joan Forbes (née Thompson) John Ford Kathleen 'Pat' Ford (née Gubbins) Captain Jimmy Fordham Ron Forrester Bill Forsyth Frank Foulds L. Fountain Helen Fowler (see Storey) Mr. Fowler Mike Fox Miss K. Francis (see Scarr) James Fraser A. L. French Ken French Charles Gallagher David Gallanders Jack Galvin Mrs. J. Gardner Nadine Garland (née Snelling) Joyce Garrett Eric Gaston Denis J. Gaynor R. Geddes Miss R. Geraghty Doug Gilbert Miss M. Gillespie Johnny Ginone Mr. Glenny Max Gliwitski A. Godbehere F. C. Gold Eve Goodliffe (see Lucas) J. Goodwin T. L. Gordon William Gordon S. Gorteen Captain G. L. 'Ted' Gosling William A. Gould Captain Albert C. Graham H. Graham Hugh Grant-Dalton Arthur Grant-Jones Miss Gravestock Kathleen Gray Mr. Graynorth George D. Green R. C. P. Green F. A. Greene Arthur Gregory Mr. Greig Barbara Griffin H. Griffin Captain R. F. ‘Frank’ Griffin Peter Griffin Peter Griggs Charles Groves Kathleen 'Pat' Gubbins (see Ford) Eileen Gummer Pat Gummer Eileen Gunnell (née Beales) J. Gurney Mary Guthrie (see Cunningham) Poppy Hagerston Jack Haines R. W. M. Hall W. H. Hall Harry Halliday Barbara Hammond (see Campbell) Will 'Hawk' Hancock W. Hannah Dennis B. Harmer Mr. Tom Harmer Barbara Harper H. J. Harris Wilf Harrison Phil Hart-Lovelace Ron Hartley Thomas J. Harvey W. Harvey Jack Hasell R. H. Hawken Colin Hawkins Mr Hawthorne A. A. Hay Sylvia Haynes Keith Hayward Simone Hayward (see Mathews) F. G. Haywood Leslie Head Miss G. Heitman Mrs. E. D. Herrington R. Hewitt Joy Hickey H. Highton Herbert Hill F. Hillier W. G. Hille H. L. Hing A. G. Hirst Tony Hiscock George Hobson Mary Holden (née Danbrook) Les Holland R. B. Holland Mike Holmes B. J. Hooper Jock Horne Leonard Hough Reg Howell A. J. F. Hughes Ray Hull Miss Zanick Hulton Eve Huntley-Flindt (see Branson) H. D. S. Ison Captain Archie S. Jackson Joe Jacobs Mrs. E. E. James J. N. A. James Jean Jarrard Douglas Jarvis Zoë Jenner Joanne Jennings-Bramley Bill Jewitt Alan Johnson Dudley Johnson Edward Peter Johnson Keith Johnstone Gwynne Jones H. T. 'Jonah' Jones John Jones Sid Josling Mr. Keagh L. Keemer Mike Kelly L. E. Keemar Miss Keith-Fraser Tom Kellock		Mr. James W. Kenny Mr. Keogh Robert D. Ker Ruth ‘Helen’ Kerly Miss I. Kerr Philip P. Kerrigan Mr. A. G. Key Bert Key Dorothy Kidd (née Adam) Mr. Kilpatrick Mr. Kimber Alison King E. King Captain King Glen Kingston Captain E. T. Kippenberger Ruth Kirby Stan Kirkman Mr. Kirkus W. Kirkwood E. Knight Mrs. June Knight (née Maddock) Bill Koster Bill Lamb Pete Lane Stuart Langston Reg Langtry Ernest Sidney Larkin (Sid) Eric Larsonnier W. R. Larty Bill Lauder Andy Laughland S. S. Law Margaret M. Lawrence (née Owens) H. H. Lawson A. Layton Alan Leach Miss Leach J. W. Leach John Leakey Arthur Ledger J. Lee Captain H. ‘Lincoln’ Lee Robert James Lewis (Bob) Geoff Liggins Cecil 'Butch' Light Mr. Lighton James B. Linton Edward J. Lisle Bill Liverton Mike Llewellyn Glyn Lloyd Mr. Loughland Ken Loveless Michael Lovell H. D. Lowrie H. Loxdale Eve Lucas (née Goodliffe) Mr. Lucas A. S. Lucking Joan K. Lywood Group Captain A. Macdougall Jean Macfarlane (see Brennan) Dr. J. C. Macgown Guillermo 'Biggie' Machado Robin Macilwaine Captain Donald Macintosh Mr. Macphee Miss June Maddock (see Knight) Jack Mahood Edna M. 'Peggy' Mannakee (see Palmer) Ruth March Leslie Marks Miss S. D. Marrs W. V. Marshall Miss C. Matalon Simone Mathews (née Hayward) W. J. Matson B. C. J. Matterface R. M. Maunsell Fred Mayhew Jim McAuley D. McConnell A. C. J. McCormack R. McCormack T. McCrae Radio Superintendent J. A. McGillivray Miss McGown Miss McIntosh Captain Brian W. McMillan Captain John C. McPhee Mr. Mead H. Mellor Mr. Melmore D. R. Merry Thomas S. Middleton A. Miller Dr. Miller Mary Mills (née Spiers) Arthur Milner George ‘Basil’ Milsom Dennis Milson W. H. 'Bill' Minns D. Mitchell Miss Montegriffo Alex 'Scotty' More H. E. Morgan V. Morgan Mr. A. Morley B. Morley Herbert Morris L. Mortimer Jean A. Mortleman (see Young) Dick Moules K. Mountney Miss Judith B. Moxon E. S. Mulcahy Miss R. Murray Jock Neish Tony Nelson R. C. Nelson Marjory Neville (née Tong) Des Neville M. E. Newson V. J. Neyle L. H. Niall H. S. B. ‘Sheila’ Nicholls A. S. Nightingale George Nixon Mr. Oakeby F. J. O'Hara Bill Olsen T. H. Outhwaite Don M. O'Sullivan Reginald H. Ottaway (Reg) Margaret M. Owens (see Lawrence) A. H. Paddon A. G. Palmer Don Palmer Edna M. 'Peggy' Palmer (née Mannakee) R. Palmer R. F. Parkinson J. S. Parnell L. Parry Mr. Parry-Jones M. N. Parsons Miss Peggy Parsons Philip Patchwell Bernard Patrick Philip Patrick Alf Pearce Miss D. Pearce Mr. Pearson Dennis Peck John Penning Miss Pennington G. J. Perryman Bob Petty Paddy Phelan B. C. Phillips Walter Phillips Miss Philpotts Graham Phipps Carl Pitu G. E. Pole Mr. P. M. Polhill Alan Ponsford Daphne Pope Mr. B. G. Porter Cecile E. R. Power Len Pratt Frank Price Paddy Pryor R. Quigley Frank Quinn Wing Commander R. J. Ralph Eric Rampling Jack Randell Geoff Ratcliffe Captain W. J. ‘Jeff’ Rees Gordon Rees Ken Rees Eileen Reeves Frank Rendell Gordon C. Rettie J. Reynolds Bob Rice J. Richardson Norman Riddell Miss Beryl J. Riley M. S. Rivers Joan Roberts (née Saunders) Willy C. Robertson James P. Robeson Captain Ernest E. Rodley E. 'Bunny' Rolandi John Romeril Wing Commander J. C. Rose R. Rosevear Colin R. Ross F. A. Rowlands Margaret Rowntree Jock Roxbrough Ted Royall Andy Ruthven Bob Sale Group Captain Charles F. Sarsby P. A. Satchwell Joan Saunders (see Roberts) Ted Sawkins Miss K. Scarr (née Francis) Kenneth Scarr J. W. Scott Margaret Scott Molly Scott R. B. H. Scroggs R. B. Seabourne Geoff Seaton Fred Secker R. Sermon V. D. J. Shapley E. Sharp (Radio Officer) S. R. (or S. C.) Sharp (Overhaul Superintendent) Miss E. L. Shaw Bill Shepherd R. B. Shoebridge Derek Shorter John Silver Howard Simmons Dan Skillman Mr. H. Skinner E. D. Slater G. T. Slaughter Captain Peter Sleight Nadia Smart (see Davies) Mr. Smiley Charlie Smith Katie Smith Mr. L. P. Smith Reg Smith Sylvia Smith 'Tubby' Smith Philip A. Smoker Captain John H. Smurthwaite Ted Snare Nadine Snelling (see Garland) Wing Commander Snowball Alex Soutar Egerton 'Pancho' Spanton John Spatcher Mary Spiers (see Mills) R. Spiers Mr. Stacey John L. Stanford-Smith Steve Stephens Sir John Stephenson J. L. Stephenson Mr. E. F. Stevens Jimmy Stevens Tessa Stevens G. S. Stewart P. Stockdale Basil J. 'Johnny' Stone R. Stoneham William G. Stonehouse Captain Gordon Store Jaime E. Storey Helen Storey (née Fowler) Don Stott C. W. Storm-Clark Bill Strange John Stretton D. Targett-Adams Captain Frank Taylor G. Taylor Margaret Taylor Squadron Leader Robert Henry Cunningham Taylor Tom H. Taylor W. G. Taylor Squadron Leader G. Thomas Gordon Thomas Mrs. Joan C. Thompson (see Forbes) Henry R. Thompson (Harry) Stanley C. Thorpe George Tilley G. Tomlin Marjory Tong (see Neville) Sybil Tortensee L. J. Townsend Chris Trainer Miss Gwyneth Traylor W. J. Treharne Mr. Trendell Alan Trimmer Robert ‘Bob’ Tuck Roy Tunnicliffe George Turner J. R. Tyas R. L. Upton Paul Vaillant Mr. Velow Captain Des Verteuil Priscilla Vinyals (see Fieldson) M. G. Wade Captain Derek M. Walbourn A. J. Wales Johnny Walker R. Walker S. W. Walker Mr. Wallace E. M. Wallinger Captain Frank Walton Patrick Wann Tony Wardle Mike J. Warner W. W. Warner Jimmy Warwick J. Watson R. Watts Wing Commander Trevor G. Waymouth Captain Walter Wellwood Hilary Watson J. Watson Lennie Watson (née Will) Richard H. Waugh R. Weatherby Mrs. R. L. Weatherley G. Webb Howard Webb H.W. Weightman 'Dennis' Wheatley Captain Johnny Wheatley W. Whichello Terry White (née Barzilay) R. C. Whitehead Peter Whitfield C. L. Whitnell 'Dick' Whittington Fred Whitworth N. J. Wickert R. W. F. 'Dick' Wightman Peter Wilby Raymond E. Wilby Doug Wilkins Mr. Wilkinson Lennie Will (see Watson) E. S. Willey Tony Willey L. F. Willis Paul H. M. Wingate-Dane Miss M. C. Witt Captain Geoffrey H. Womersley Dulcie Wood Jean Wood S. Wood J. Woodhouse Jimmy Woodill Arthur Woodman 'Timber' Woods J. M. Woodward Alfred H. Woolcott Frank Woolley Pete Worrall Miss Wright Captain John Wright 'Wilbur' Wright Jean A. Young (née Mortleman) Jim Zealey


On September 25th 1949 members of the BSAA Cricket Club and their wives had an outing to Brighton. The photo below was taken that day.


My father, Reg Ottaway, is second from right with my mother Muriel alongside him. As far as we know, the man on the extreme right is Mr Kilpatrick and his wife Peggy is third from left. If anyone can put names to other faces in this photo, please contact us - info@flywiththestars.co.uk



The photograph above was taken in 1948 during a visit by BSAA staff to the KBB factory in Basingstoke. The visit was arranged by the S.L.A.E. and consisted mainly of instrument technicians.



From left to right, Ron Forrester, Richard 'Dick' Beddoes and Stan Allen in front of Tudor IV 'Star Leopard'.



Ron Forrester (left) and an unknown colleague in front of Tudor IVB G-AGRF 'Elizabeth of England', with the BSAA Avro IX G-AIKM 'Star Visitant' in the background.



A group of BSAA Instrument Engineers in front of Tudor IV 'Star Panther' at Heathrow in 1949. Dick Beddoes is in the white coat on the left of the group at the front, Colin Ross is the left of the two men in the doorway and Ted Snare, the Instrument Shop Chargehand is in the centre of the front row. No other names are known.
Many thanks to Colin Ross for the information.

		A copy of a newspaper cutting from either The Eastbourne Herald or The Eastbourne Chronicle in 1944, sent to me by Barry McAleenan, describing the award of a Bar to Hugh Grant-Dalton's DFC. Having joined the RAFVR in 1939, Hugh Grant-Dalton served as a pilot with 100 squadron before joining BSAA (as either a First or Second Officer) on August 30th 1948, aged just 27. It is not known how his career progressed subsequently. Many thanks to Barry McAleenan for the cutting and the additional information




Jean Brennan (née Macfarlane) and her husband John Brennan. Jean was a Stargirl and John was a Radio Engineer. He spent some time working in Buenos Aires, and was at Ministro Pistarini Airport, now named 'Ezeiza', when the first airliner landed there (Avro York G-AHFF on November 7th 1949).


		Another photo of Jean Macfarlane, this time from a publicity brochure dating from 1949. Many thanks to John Brennan for this photo and the two above


I was fortunate to be sent some photographs recently of BSAA crews posing formally by their Lancastrian and then letting their hair down! If you can tell me any of their names, I'd be very pleased to hear from you (info@flywiththestars.co.uk).




		Pauline Copeland (neé Larkin) sent me this newspaper cutting from the Buenos Aires Herald, dated 12th June 1946, showing her arrival in Buenos Aires with her mother. Her father, Sid Larkin was BSAA Station Engineer at Morón Airport from 1946 to 1948 after which he joined BOAC and took part in the Berlin Airlift. In 1949 Sid was posted to Nassau by BOAC and later joined Bahamas Airways. He died in Nassau in 1983. Many thanks to Pauline Copeland for all the scanned photos and the information.

Below are some wonderfully atmospheric photos sent to me by Pauline of her father Sid and his colleagues, taken in Buenos Aires.



Sid Larkin is seen here working on 'Star Leader' (G-AHEW), the first Avro York in service with BSAA, at Morón Airport on June 28th 1946. This aircraft was written off less than three months later, on September 7th 1946 in an accident at Bathurst.

	Sid and a colleague on the steps of a Lancastrian at Morón Airport, Buenos Aires



Some officials standing near the rear door of a BSAA Lancastrian, but who are they?



This is a curious photo as it appears that the tail of the Avro York is jacked up. If anyone can tell me the identities of the people in this group, please get in touch.




I was recently contacted by Patrick Lemmon, who very kindly sent me these superb photographs of ex-BSAA Stargirl June Knight (née Maddock). June flew on Yorks and Lancastrians, including the trans-Andean routes into Santiago and had many interesting stories to tell about her time with the airline.



If anyone knows the identity of the Stargirl with June above, please let me know ( info@flywithstars.co.uk ).

The group photograph below is a puzzle. The cards the girls are holding say "The Air Ball" and the collecting tins appear to be labelled "The Air League of the British Empire" but does anyone know anything about this event, such as where and when it was held and the reason for the different insignia on the hats? Could it have been a joint BSAA/BOAC/BEA event? If anyone can put names to the faces I would love to hear from you and will update the caption accordingly.





A more recent photo of June Knight, standing with her friend Patrick Lemmon in front of a Jaguar at RAF Coltishall in the summer of 2005.




In June 1986, a reunion was held for all former BSAA Stargirls. It was well attended and here are a few photos from the event. If you recognise any of the ladies in either photo, please let me know! (Photos courtesy of John Brennan) (Thanks to Patrick Lemmon, Tim Palmer and Nicholas George for the caption information)

		The lady on the left of the photo above is Peggy Palmer and on the right is June Knight.

In the photo below, June Knight is seated third from the left in the back row, Peggy Palmer is standing in the centre at the back and Joy Hickey is second from right in the front row wearing the tartan blouse. The lady on the right of the bottom row is believed to be Sybil Tortensee.



The following set of photographs were very kindly sent to me by David Milner on behalf of his mother Joan. Those of you who have read 'Fly With the Stars' will remember the serious accident which occurred to Avro York 'Star Venture' on January 5th 1949 at Caravelas, Brazil. Joan's husband Arthur (David's father) was the Radio Officer on that fateful flight and fortunately escaped the accident unscathed. As you can see, there was very little left of the aircraft after the accident and ensuing fire which sadly claimed the lives of three passengers. When Arthur realised the aircraft was about to hit the trees, he laid down flat on the cockpit floor. He was momentarily knocked unconscious in the impact and when he came round he found his seat had a tree branch through it! He realised then that he was lucky to be alive.

In the photos below, Radio Officer Arthur Milner is on the left and it is believed the gentleman with him is the First Officer, William Robertson. Robertson, assisted by Milner and Captain Graham, managed to save the lives of many passengers by helping them out of the burning wreckage. The remains of the tail of the York can be seen in the left-hand photo and one of the Merlin engines in the right-hand photo.


		Here the crew are seen relaxing in their hotel a day or two after the accident. From left to right - Stargirl Margaret Owens, Radio Officer Arthur Milner, Captain Albert Graham, First Officer William Robertson, Stargirl Jean Mortleman.

Stargirl Jean Mortleman types up the individual statements from each of the crew members regarding the details of the accident.


			Posing with the local wildlife!

Below is the telegram Joan Milner received from British South American Airways bringing her the news of the accident.


Brian Mortleman kindly sent me the photos below of his cousin Jean in her BSAA Stargirl uniform. He has posted an account of the Caravelas accident on the Mortleman family website after being told about 'Fly With the Stars' by Jean's husband Cyril, who is now 90 years old. Sadly Jean died in 2001.


This is how the 'Daily Graphic' reported the accident on January 6th 1949 :



Ian Cairns sent me this photo of his parent's wedding reception, held at Elliman Drill Hall in Slough. His father, Thomas Arthur 'Tommy' Cairns married Olive Celia Blackwell on July 7th 1951. Tommy worked for Hawker Aircraft as an airframe engineer and then served in the Fleet Air Arm during the war, before joining BSAA at Langley in 1948, moving on to BOAC in the merger and eventually retiring from British Airways in 1981. Sadly he passed away in 2000. The best man on his wedding day (on the left of the photo below) was Pete Lane, another BSAA employee. Click here for an image of Tommy's British South American Airways (Langley) security pass.



The wonderful photo below was sent to me by Colin Lewis. Colin's father Bob Lewis was an apprentice at the Lagonda car factory in Staines before the war. In 1939 he joined the RAF, eventually serving in North Africa and Italy before returning home at the end of the war as a qualified aircraft engineer. He joined BSAA in 1947, working on all the Avro types BSAA operated. He then moved on to BOAC, initially working on Boeing Stratocruisers and Lockheed Constellations before being sent to Seattle to learn all about the 'new' Boeing 707. He later returned to Seattle to convert to the Boeing 747, an aircraft in which he specialised until his retirement from British Airways in 1981. Bob is fourth from the left in this photo showing a group of BSAA engineers standing in front of a Tudor V, almost certainly taken at Langley. Sadly he died in 2010. He left no record of the names of his colleagues in the photo, even though, his son tells me, he could still name most of them up until the time he died. If anyone recognises any of these men, please let me know and I'll add their names to the caption.



If any visitors to this site have any old photographs of BSAA staff and wouldn't mind lending them to me, or scanning them for me, I would be delighted to hear from you at ian@flywiththestars.co.uk so they can be included here. Ian Ottaway