Between 1939 and 1946 BOAC (the British Overseas Airways Corporation) was the nationalised airline of Great Britain - and between 1946 and 1974 as such it exclusively operated all long-haul British flights. With its iconic 'Speedbird' logo and its central role in the glamorous 'jet age' of the 1950s and 1960s, BOAC achieved a near cult-status with admirers around the globe. Yet, to date there has been no comprehensive history of the organisation, covering its structure, fleet and the role it played in the critical events of the age - from World War II to the end of empire, a period when BOAC played a pivotal part in projecting British political power, even as that power was waning. During World War II, BOAC operated a limited wartime service and prepared for the return of commercial flight in the postwar era. But it was in the service of Britain's colonies - and latterly the process of decolonisation - that BOAC achieved its most pivotal role.
The development of flight technology enabled much faster connections between Britain and her imperial possessions - as the colonies prepared for independence BOAC ferried diplomats, politicians and colonial administrators between London and the far-flung corners of Africa and Asia in much faster times than had previously been possible. In this book, acclaimed historian Robin Higham presents a unique comprehensive study of BOAC from the early jet travel of the de Havilland Comet and the Vickers VC10 to the dawn of supersonic passenger aviation. Highly illustrated and meticulously researched using previously unseen sources, this book will be essential reading for all aviation enthusiasts and anyone interested in the history of modern Britain.

Auteur

ROBIN HIGHAM taught military history at Kansas State University from 1963 to 1998. He is the author of more than 140 articles, 14 monographs and the editor of numerous bibliographical volumes. He was the editor of Military Affairs from 1968 to 1988 and Aerospace Historian from 1970 to 1988, and has been editor of The Journal of the West since 1977.

Contenu

List of Boxes, Charts, and Illustrations
Author's Note (1976)
Author's Note (2012)
Preface

Part 1: Airline in Wartime, 1939-1945
Chapter 1. The Corporation at War
Chapter 2. Wartime Routes and Services
Chapter 3. Planning the Return to Commercial Operation

Part 2: Highs and Lows, 1946-1964
Chapter 4. Re-Establishing a Commercial Airline
Chapter 5. Postwar Operations, 1945-1949
Chapter 6. Apex and Aftermath: The Miles Thomas Era, 1949-1956
Chapter 7. Organization and Operations, 1949-1956
Chapter 8. The d'Erlanger Regime, 1956-1960
Chapter 9. Aircraft Procurement?Turbo-Prop and Big Jet
Chapter 10. The Slattery Regime and the Crisis

Part 3: 'Magna Carta' to Dissolution, 1964-1974
Chapter 11. Beginning the Last Decade
Chapter 12. Edwards and the Second Force
Chapter 13. Challenges and Responses in the Final Decade, 1964-1974
Chapter 14. Further Challenges and Responses, 1964-1974
Chapter 15. Concluding the BOAC Story

Appendices
British Governments by Prime Minister
Ministers Responsible for Air and Aviation, 1939-1974
Chairmen of BOAC
Members of the Board of BOAC
Salaries According to Whitaker's Almanac
BOAC Companies
Comprehensive BOAC Fleet List

Abbreviations
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author