Southend Airport Photographs
I have scanned in two photos the first an aerial view of the airport taken around 1958 and the second a proof sheet of which I have the prints.
From the aerial shot you can make out dozens of Prentices just purchased from the ministry and being converted to civilian use. Also visible is Hughie Green’s Catalina, 6 Vikings, 1 early Viscount, 1 DC4/Argonaut (?), 4 Doves, 1 Airspeed Oxford, 1 Ambassador, 1 Harvard and 8 Bristol Freighters of various marks.
In the proof shot we have a Channel Airways DC4 and Viscount, ATL-90, British United Freighter and the first flight of John Taylor’s Taylor Titch G-ATYO. John was later sadly killed when this aircraft crashed in 1967.
It would be impossible for me to scan the whole lot as there are over 100. I am a bit reluctant to scan any more as I do not know the situation regarding copyright. While I was working in the control tower I heard of a chap called Ken Woolcott (I believe) who had been the official council photographer for the airport. I visited his photographic shop on the London Road and asked if he still had any Southend Airport photographs. He then produced about 30 boxes of glass plate negatives which he told me he was just about to destroy! On my limited salary I had him make me prints of as many as I could afford at the time. I had less than a third of the collection and would love to know what happened to them after that.
Graham
Two more photographs
Two more photographs from the Southend area. Both taken by my Grandfather who was a photographer for the Southend Standard. Can anyone tell me what year these were taken and who might the three chaps be?
Graham
And Finally….
Couldn’t resist these last two gems. Courtesy of Mr Ken Woolcott.
G-ALDC 9th October 1960. The Hermes returned from a charter flight to Spain when it landed at Southend and overran the runway. The plane struck an earth bank adjacent to the airport boundary. Contact with this bank broke the nose wheel strut from its upper attachment. The plane came to rest on an adjoining railway track. The accident was due to the aircraft aquaplaning during part of the landing run. The low frictional values during this condition prevented the captain from obtaining effective braking.
Graham
The best photographs however….
go to Mr Ken Woolcott.
Viscount G-AVHK (see it in sadder times at http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1027193/)
Dakota G-AHCU
Channel Airways Mishap
The Hermes and the Dakota mentioned previously weren’t the only aircraft to suffer from a runway that ended in a WWII pillbox and a railway line!
G-APPU 1st May 1968. Photograph by Ken Woolcott.
Graham
Last for today
Line up of the Channel jet fleet (minus the comet)
The bottom photo I believe to be the cockpit of the ATL-90 (no visible registration plate) but have never had it confirmed…over to you!
PS. Sorry about the quality of these photos but I have to scan in at a low DPI due to a space issue on my server.
Graham
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