PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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Starting at North Road Station, the passenger first travelled by car to Roborough Aerodrome in readiness for the 8.50am departure. The service caled at Haldon at 9.15am before proceeding to Cardiff Airport, where it was due to arrive at 9.55am. The plane left again at 10am and called at Castle Bromwich at 11am, departing 15 minutes later for Speke Aerodrome, where it was due to arrive at 12 Noon. Connections were provided at Cardiff on to the 10.05am Western Airways flight to Bristol Whitchurch and Bounremouth; and at Liverpool on to a Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) flight to Hull and Amsterdam. The return fares from Plymouth were: to Teignmouth, £1 5 shillings; to Cardiff, £3 5s; to Birmingham, £4 10s; and to Liverpool, £6. For that, hand luggage of 35 lbs could be carried, with a charge of sixpence per lb thereafter. Children under three years of age travelled free as long as they did not occupy a seat, and half-fare was charged for those between 3 and 7 years of age. Tickets could be obtained form the Railway Air Services office at North Road Station, or Messrs Thomas Cook & Son Ltd, 17 George Street; Messrs Pickford's Ltd, 10 Whimple Street; Messrs Travellers Ltd, Drake Circus; of the Western National Omnibus Company, 18 Whimple Street. The return journey left Liverpool Lime Street Station at 3.05pm to catch the 3.30pm flight from Speke Aerodrome. At Cardiff it met the Western Airlways connection from Bristol only (depart 5pm): passenegers could not return from Bournemouth byair in a day as the connecting flight did not arrive at Cardiff until 8pm. Departure from Cardiff Airport was at 5.35pm and after stopping off at Haldon, the flight was due to arrive at Roborough at 6.40pm, where a car would take the passenger back to North Road Station at 7pm. As usual the service closed in September but was re-started again on Monday May 27th 1935. The range of destinations was increased by means of connections into other services and, thus, by leaving Roborough at 9am and Denbury Airfield at 9.15am, it was possible to fly to Cardiff (arrive 10.05am); Bristol Whitchurch (10.25am); Southampton (11.10am); Birmingham Castle Bromwich (11.20am); Cowes Somerton (11.35am); Sandown and Shanklin (11.50am); Portsmouth & Southsea (11.25am); Brighton, Hove & Worthing Airport (11.50am); Nottingham Tollerton (11.55am); and Liverpool Speke (12 Noon). From May 31st it was also possible to fly to Blackpool Squire's Gate (12.45pm) and Ronaldsway on the Isle of Man (1.35pm). At each landing site special motor cars ran to and from the local railway station. Obviously the Isle of Man was the most expensive of the destinations, the return fare being £8 5s. Bristol was £3 17s 6d and Torquay, Teignmouth and Newton Abbot, via Denbury, cost £1 5s return. In 1935 a Dragon II aircraft G-ADDJ was purchased and named "City of Plymouth" to provide a service from Plymouth to Nottingham. It was sold to the de Havilland Aircraft Company in 1937. From May 1939 until the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, services were operated by the Great Western & Southern Air Service.
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