The Christening by H.R..H. The Princess Elizabeth of the R.M.A. Elizabeth of England : Avro-Tudor I fleet : BOAC : London Airport : 21 January 1947 : title page
An interesting item of aviation ephemera; the brochure and programme for the 'christening' by H.R.H. Princess Elizabeth of the first of the intended fleet of Avro-Tudor I aircraft for the British Overseas Airways Corporation at London Airport on 21 January 1947. As well as the events of the day it lists the intended names for the additional 19 aircraft BOAC were originally to operate and that had been ordered in 1945. This aircraft, proudly named by the Princess Elizabeth as "Elizabeth of England" after Queen Elizabeth I, was intended to be the Flagship of the fleet named after other Tudor notables.
As it was in April 1947 BOAC rejected the fleet due to problems around both aircraft handling and capacity on the trans-Atlantic crossings the Avro-Tudor's had been intended for. In fact the whole Avro-Tudor saga appears to have been one of failure.
The brochure also includes a number of autographs so this copy seems to have been present on the day and have been kept as a momento. The title page includes the location "The London Airport", now London Heathrow, and the BOAC Speedbird that was a memory of the pre-war Imperial Airways that BOAC and British European Airways were decended from.
The Christening by H.R..H. The Princess Elizabeth of the R.M.A. Elizabeth of England : Avro-Tudor I fleet : BOAC : London Airport : 21 January 1947 : title page
An interesting item of aviation ephemera; the brochure and programme for the 'christening' by H.R.H. Princess Elizabeth of the first of the intended fleet of Avro-Tudor I aircraft for the British Overseas Airways Corporation at London Airport on 21 January 1947. As well as the events of the day it lists the intended names for the additional 19 aircraft BOAC were originally to operate and that had been ordered in 1945. This aircraft, proudly named by the Princess Elizabeth as "Elizabeth of England" after Queen Elizabeth I, was intended to be the Flagship of the fleet named after other Tudor notables.
As it was in April 1947 BOAC rejected the fleet due to problems around both aircraft handling and capacity on the trans-Atlantic crossings the Avro-Tudor's had been intended for. In fact the whole Avro-Tudor saga appears to have been one of failure.
The brochure also includes a number of autographs so this copy seems to have been present on the day and have been kept as a momento. The title page includes the location "The London Airport", now London Heathrow, and the BOAC Speedbird that was a memory of the pre-war Imperial Airways that BOAC and British European Airways were decended from.