Cultures and caricatures of British imperial aviation: Passengers, pilots, publicity

259 Pages·2012·17.157 MB·English

by  Gordon Pirie

Cultures & caricatures artwork 16/4/12 14:47 Page 1
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General editor:John M.MacKenzie
Cultures and caricatures of British imperial aviation assembles an
unprecedented mass of scattered evidence to examine the social
exclusivity of people who used private and commercial aircraft to
circulate through the empire in the 1930s.While airline publicity stressed Passengers, pilots, publicity
flying patriotically and in style, flying was not always slick, romantic or
modern.It did not end danger or delay,nor was it necessarily progressive.
Imperial flying was mobility laced with imperious assumptions and
prejudices. It reinforced social rank and continued to depend on the G O R D O N P I R I E
subservience and muscle of colonised people for regular and emergency
travel assistance.
Complementary biographical material,illustration and narrative illuminate
the atmosphere,meaning and significance of imperial civil flying.Imperial
cultures and caricatures were tenacious in the face of new technology,and
Pirie shows that imperial attitudes and values framed the experiences and
interactions of the (mostly) male British metropolitan and expatriate
elites who flew,whether for adventure,prizes or leisure,or for colonial
administration,business or research.The book also reveals the imperial
sensations,sights and sensibilities experienced by those in less-privileged
roles that served aviation.Drawing upon contemporary airline publicity
and flying travelogues, he highlights the reproduction and (dubious)
‘elevation’ of imperialism in new spaces, which survives today as
iconography in nostalgic re-enactments and sanitised commemoration of
late British empire.
Engagingly written by an established expert in the field, this book will
be of particular interest to scholars of imperial, cultural and transport
history.
P
Gordon Pirie is Deputy Director of the African Centre for Cities at the University
of Cape Town I
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Cover image:Poster produced for Imperial Airways with artwork by Albert Brenet,showing
passengers alighting from a Short L17 ‘Scylla’ biplane.(Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)
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www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk
general editor John M. MacKenzie
When the ‘Studies in Imperialism’ series was founded by
Professor John M. MacKenzie more than thirty years ago,
emphasis was laid upon the conviction that ‘imperialism as
a cultural phenomenon had as significant an effect on the
dominant as on the subordinate societies’. With well over a
hundred titles now published, this remains the prime
concern of the series. Cross-disciplinary work has indeed
appeared covering the full spectrum of cultural
phenomena, as well as examining aspects of gender and
sex, frontiers and law, science and the environment,
language and literature, migration and patriotic societies,
and much else. Moreover, the series has always wished to
present comparative work on European and American
imperialism, and particularly welcomes the submission of
books in these areas. The fascination with imperialism, in
all its aspects, shows no sign of abating, and this series will
continue to lead the way in encouraging the widest
possible range of studies in the field. Studies in
Imperialism is fully organic in its development, always
seeking to be at the cutting edge, responding to the latest
interests of scholars and the needs of this ever-expanding
area of scholarship.
Cultures and caricatures of
British imperial aviation
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SELECTED TITLES AVAILABLE IN THE SERIES
AIR EMPIRE
British imperial civil aviation, 1919–39
Gordon Pirie
THE COLONISATION OF TIME
Ritual, routine and resistance in the British Empire
Giordano Nanni
OCEANIA UNDER STEAM
Sea transport and the cultures of colonialism, c.1870–1914
Frances Steel
FLAGSHIPS OF IMPERIALISM
The P&O company and the politics of empire from its origins to 1867
Freda Harcourt
FROM JACK TAR TO UNION JACK
Representing naval manhood in the British empire, 1870–1918
Mary A. Conley
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Cultures and caricatures
of British imperial
aviation
, ,
PASSENGERS PILOTS PUBLICITY
Gordon Pirie
MANCHESTER
UNIVERSITY PRESS
Manchester
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Copyright © Gordon Pirie 2012
The right of Gordon Pirie to be identifi ed as the author of this work has been asserted by
him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Published by MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY PRESS
ALTRINCHAM STREET, MANCHESTER, M1 7JA, UK
www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data applied for
ISBN 978 0 7190 86823 hardback
First published 2012
The publisher has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for any
external or third-party internet websites referred to in this book, and does not
guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
Typeset in Trump Medieval
by Servis Filmsetting Ltd, Stockport, Cheshire
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgements—vi
List of illustrations—vii
General editor’s introduction—ix
1 Introduction 1
Part I Private fl ying
2 Aerial adventure 9
3 Seeking supremacy 37
4 Imperial encounters 60
Part II Commercial fl ying
5 ‘PAX’ Britannica 83
6 Imperial journeys 116
7 Personifying Empire 147
Part III Virtual fl ying
8 Imperial plumage 173
9 Imperial passages 200
10 Re- fl ying Empire 224
11 Conclusion 238
Index—243
[ v ]
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The material and intellectual debts incurred in researching and writing
this book are substantially the same as those acknowledged in an
earlier companion volume, Air Empire (2009), in the same ‘Studies in
Imperialism’ series (Manchester University Press). The research done
for the two books overlapped for many years. Once again, therefore,
it is a pleasure to thank the archivists and librarians whose work and
collections made the inquiry possible, and to acknowledge the organi-
sations which support record keeping and knowledge making. Those I
have used most recently are the British Library, Cambridge University
Library, the National Archives at Kew, the Post Offi ce Museum
and Archive, the Royal Aeronautical Society Library and the British
Airways Archive and Museum.
Gratitude is again due the series editor, Professor John MacKenzie,
for wise counsel. Anonymous readers gave generous, careful, construc-
tive and encouraging comments on the book proposal and fi nal draft.
William Kentridge graciously allowed me use of his superb poster
sketch. Henrik Larsen and Daniel Kusrow kindly answered queries.
John Illsley let me reproduce a rare photograph he fi rst unearthed.
Philip Stickler helped locate sources. Kevin Winge gave me two writing
tips.
Funds from the National Research Foundation in South Africa
covered the costs of photographic reproduction and licensing. Study
leave from the University of the Western Cape created a chunk of time
to acquire additional evidence and to re-s tructure, trim, focus, reinforce
and polish draft chapters. Most research and writing, however, was
intermittent. Yet years of unpressured time were crucial for sniffi ng out
and digging in likely sources, and for stumbling on others. Researching
without deadlines, and without circumscribed scope and approach, has
been an enormous and rare privilege; I wish the same ‘blue sky’ liberty
for scholars whose inquiries will supersede mine.
[ vi ]
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
1 Mrs Cleaver and Mr Drew with family, friends and Moth at
Croydon before fl ying to India, 1929 (Source: Topfoto
#0886088. Under licence). 14
2 Lady Bailey and British offi cers attending to her Moth in
the Sudan (probably Khartoum), March / April 1928 (Source:
Durham University Library, Sudan Archive Depot. 17/2/4.
Under licence). 24
3 Two- speed Empire: Royal visit to Houston Everest team,
Lalbalu, 1933 (Source: Getty Images #79657038. Under
licence). 45
4 Alex Henshaw about to set off ‘to fi nd some white people’
after a forced landing in Niger, 1938 (Source: RAF Museum
#X002- 9256/011/240. Under licence). 72
5 Dapper Sir Philip Sassoon, Under-S ecretary of State for Air,
boarding at Croydon for Africa, 28 September 1936 (Source:
Getty Images #3247936. Under licence). 93
6 Imperial Airways passengers and Shilluk men at Malakal
(Sudan), 1936 (Source: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph
Collection, Prints & Photographs Division, Library of
Congress, Washington D.C.: LC-D IG-m atpc-17386). 105
7 Pamela Cross, her mother and Imperial’s fl ying offi cers
disembarking at Galilee (Palestine), October 1931 (Source:
G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection, Prints &
Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington
D.C.: LC- DIG-m atpc- 15806). 110
8 Little Englands: aircraft and rest stop at Entebbe (Uganda),
1936 (Source: author’s copy). 128
9 Rutbah Wells (Iraq), desert track to Baghdad and landing
ground, c. 1936 (Source: G. Eric and Edith Matson
Photograph Collection, Prints & Photographs Division,
Library of Congress, Washington D.C.: LC-D IG- matpc-
15938). 134
10 Authority and service: Imperial Airways stewards fl ank,
left to right, radio offi cer, captain and fi rst offi cer, 23 July
1937 (Source: Getty Images #3366830. Under licence). 152
[ vii ]
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
11 Different not uniform: Imperial Airways ground staff
handling a fl are buoy at fl ying boat base, Kisumu (Kenya),
1938 (Source: The National Archives, Kew, DR 9/69. Under
licence). 161
12 Speedbirds propelled by steam. Imperial Airways London–
Southampton train at the rear of Imperial Airways House,
Victoria, London, 6 June 1939 (Source: Getty Images
#57066785. Under licence). 183
13 Imperial periphery: Empire fl ying boat terminus, Durban
(South Africa), 1937 (Source: John Illsley. With permission). 193
14 Faustian fl ight. Artwork for poster advertising the 1995
play ‘Faustus in Africa’ (Source: William Kentridge. With
permission). 233
[ viii ]
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GENERAL EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION
There was an iconic moment in the patriotic career of the ‘Iron Lady’,
Margaret Thatcher, when she showed her displeasure with British
Airways. BA had decided to abandon (at least partially) its long-s tanding
tail- fi n design consisting of a stylised section of the Union fl ag. The
company felt that it would improve its image in two ways – fi rst by
making it seem more ‘modern’ and secondly by rendering it more
‘international’ – by commissioning colourful, abstract tail- fi n designs
in a variety of different forms. Thatcher, visiting a BA display stand,
spotted a model aircraft with one of the new designs. She promptly
opened up the celebrated handbag, extracted a handkerchief and draped
it over the offending tail fi n. Famous for her many ways of expressing
her displeasure, this one was eye catching and dramatic. BA eventually
abandoned its new approach and the section of the Union fl ag reap-
peared. I preferred the colourful abstract designs, even if, in commercial
terms, they were not particularly memorable in displaying the ‘brand’.
Needless to say, as Gordon Pirie amply shows in this book, Imperial
Airways was never behind-h and in its patriotic advertising and displays
in the 1930s – Margaret Thatcher would have had no complaints in that
decade. This is indeed the second of Pirie’s books on Empire fl ying. The
fi rst, the award-w inning Air Empire, looked at the pioneering days, the
time of air exploration and explorers (both men and women), of the
tentative fi rst steps in the establishment of Empire air routes, a time
when the rhetoric of fl ying read like that of African exploration in the
nineteenth century. Now he has turned his attention to the 1930s when
Imperial Airways was establishing itself as a worldwide airline, cross-
ing oceans and continents in networks that could be strikingly mapped,
rather like the maps of the sea routes of imperial shipping companies or
of telegraph connections. Shipping ‘lanes’, telegraph cables and now air
routes all represented not only the tentacles of technological progress
but also the very ideologies and practices of imperialism. After all, it
has been one of the fantasies of empires throughout history that they
produce freedom of travel, facilitated by the imposition of ‘peace’ as
in the ‘Pax Britannica’ and by aspects of global government, as well as
through the colonial distribution of airports and technical facilities.
But the book contains a great deal more than just the fantasy of
imperial fl ying. It deals with a period when it was still possible to
see the technology as somehow distinctively British, even if readily
emulated (and sometimes preceded and surpassed) by others across the
[ ix ]
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