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Added
20 July 2004
Recently
I went to visit Keith and Faith Knowler to do some work on
their computer and I got talking to them about Facts About
Durban. It emerged that Keith's sister Blanche had married
Durbanite Eric Turk in 1943 and that Eric had been a purser
on Imperial Airways and BOAC flying boats. Eric had apparently
been educated at Glenwood High School and had worked for Union
Flour Mills before getting a job with Imperial Airways.
He worked
as a Purser on the flying boat routes from Alexandria in Egypt
to Durban and from Alexandria to Karachi and from Karachi
to Sydney. For a time, during WWII, he was seconded from his
duties with the airline to serve as Brtish Vice Consul in
Beira. After the war, he joined the Automobile Association
and became its South African Director General. Keith was kind
enough to phone Eric's daughter, Barbara le Grange, who immediately
lent me a packet of pictures and papers which had belonged
to her father. And what a teasure trove it turned out to be...
Picture
courtesy Keith Knowler
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The
wedding of of Eric Turk and Blanche Doreen Knowler took
place in St Paul's Church, Durban, on 5 June 1943. Flanking
them are Shirley Constance Knowler and M. Wheatley,
also of BOAC. The picture shows off the BOAC uniforms
worn by Eric and his bestman.
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Click pic to view enlargement. |
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Click pics to view enlargements. |
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Pictures
courtesy Barbara le Grange
In
the packet of papers belonging to Eric Turk were three
Imperial Airways souvenir route map booklets which would
have been given to the passengers. The maps were for
the the Alexandria-Durban, Alexandria-Karachi and Karachi-Sydney
routes. I have put up the cover of the Alexandria-Durban
booklet, left, the page which shows the termination
of the route in Durban, centre, and a wallpaper-sized
(1024x768px) image of the double-page advert for Short
Brothers, makers of the Empire Class flying boats. |
Picture
courtesy Barbara le Grange
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This
picture shows the flying boat Canopus ashore on the
slipway at Durban. In it, Canopus seems to be receing
attention to her nose.
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Click pic to view A wallpaper-sized (1024x768) enlargement. |
Picture
courtesy Barbara le Grange
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Here
is Canopus again but there is some doubt whether the
picture was taken in Durban or not. I showed it to a
meeting of the World Ship Society and a majority seemed
to think that it isn't Durban.
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Click pic to view A wallpaper-sized (1024x768) enlargement. |
Added
16 January 2011
Fred Wilkinson sent in this picture of the flying boat Capella. I don't know that the picture was taken in Durban, but the aircraft is certain to visited here.
Picture
courtesy Fred Wilkinson
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Click pic to view enlargement. |
Picture
courtesy Nicole White
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I have added a page of excellent pictures and a few newspaper articles which belonged to Captain Roger Mollard. |
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