1874 |
|
BELGIUM: 1936 to Victoria with Albert 1fr50c, 1fr75c & 5fr tied 'VERVIERS/21/VIII/1936', Brussells transit & Melbourne '10SE36' arrival b/s, minor blemishes. Carried on Imperial Airways flight
IE473 ('Horsa') which on 29.8.1936 overshot Bahrain Aerodrome by 100kms at night as a consequence of the airfield lights not having been switched on!: Sanford #360809. The pilots made a forced-landing in the desert at Salwa Wells, Qatar. The
Horsa was found 40 hours later, and mail and passengers were flown out by RAF Squadron 84 to connect with Imperial Airways service IE474/75; Squadron 84 was presented by Miss Jane Newman, an Australian debutante & one of
those rescued, with a pair of pink frilly knickers to this day known as 'Jane's Panties'! A previously unrecorded survivor from the famous 'Desert incident'.
Grade A- (Image1)
|