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BETTER ON A CAMEL
Practical Action - helping the world's poorest people to help themselves
Image: camel kano
Better on a Camel is currently inactive and no longer open to new input. It is still however available to read!
Because of changed.personal circumstances I am now resident in Australia and not in a position to add new material from my ex colleagues. Hence no changes or updates will happen although the current website is still available to all as a historical resource.
Thanks to all readers for your continued interest and of course to all contributors for your input.
Peter Jones,
Sydney, 2000, Australia,
April 2023.
BETTER ON A CAMEL
The website's title "Better on a Camel" was a popular and gently teasing nickname, as well as an acronym for BOAC - British Overseas Airways Corporation.
BOAC was the main long haul predecessor of British Airways, and joined with British European Airways (BEA) to form British Airways in 1975.
This is a collection of nearly a hundred stories (96 at last count) recording memories of events over the past 60 years or more, contributed by over 40 former (mainly overseas, but some flying) staff of BOAC, BSAA (British South American Airways), BEA and British Airways.
There is no single theme, only that of memory of a tale worth the telling.
There are recollections of events which have passed into history over the past half century. Stories both funny and serious, some with distinct elements of farce. Not only camels, but other unpredictable creatures feature from time to time.
The website is free of charge to all readers. The original plan was to publish it as a book, and any revenue from it was to go to the charity 'Practical Action', who help the poorest people on earth to take steps to improve their lives with appropriate "Intermediate Technology." This is a term coined by Dr.E F Schumacher in his iconic book "Small is Beautiful", first published in 1975,which was the basis for many of the principles followed by Practical Action in their charitable work.
However, in the end the book became a website - giving me the advantage of keeping the collection alive to add further tales over the years.
If you particularly enjoyed the stories, you may well want to follow the link (at the bottom of the page) to www.practicalaction.org to find out more about the excellent work they do worldwide, and, if you can, make a donation. Any amount, however small, will be gratefully received, and will be put to good use to relieve the effects of extreme poverty. If you do donate to Practical Action, it would be most helpful if you would mention that you have learned about them from this website.
If any overseas staff, past or present, of the British Airways family (and this includes airlines like British Caledonian, Cambrian and BMI which became part of the BA group over the years) would like to contribute any experiences which they particularly remember, I'd be happy to have them contact me by e-mail at www.betteronacamel@hotmail.co.uk (link at top of page)
Any stories I am able to use will be fully credited, although I may need to make small editorial adjustments. Illustrations would also be welcome where they support the text.
If any readers would like to make comments - or indeed corrections - on the material or website, they may use the same e-mail address.
My grateful thanks are due to a number of people for their help and encouragement in producing this website:
Sir Ross Stainton, who was the Chairman of BOAC when it merged with BEA, has very kindly written a Foreword.
Ba Thompson gave me generous help with the proof reading and provided invaluable professional advice in the editorial process.
Annette Hedges kindly allowed me to reproduce the frontispiece picture; apparently the Emir of Kano's camelborne envoy used to blow his horn before the daily BOAC Argonaut arrived - to warn camel trains of its presence - or was it simply as a greeting to the flight - I've heard both explanations put forward!
Mike Springate tells me the trumpeter blew for every international arrival; whereupon the baby camel by its side invariably vented!
Ian Beckett was able to recall in detail one of the tales of our Lagos days; various other colleagues and friends have offered help, advice and support as this website has taken shape.
I also owe a debt of thanks to the kind folk at the British Airways Archive and Museum Collection, who have allowed me to reproduce some of their collection of old aircraft prints to decorate the website, as well as sharing their own knowledge of the period. There is more information about the archive on their website www.bamuseum.com.
And of course, my especial thanks to the willing contributors who have generously shared their stories with me, and who made this website possible in the first place. I am most grateful to them all.
They are:
John Anderson
Brian Burgess
Roy Burnham
Brian Cannadine
Gerry Catling
John Cogger
Ron Colnbrook
Alan Douglas
Anthony Farnfield MBE
Peter Fieldhouse
Maurice Flanagan CBE
Don Ford OBE
Bruce Fry
Bernard Garvie
Ralph Glazer
Larry Gorton OBE
Howell Green
Alan Hillman
David Hogg
Taff Lark
Mike Lewin
Peter Liver
David McCormack
Mike McDonald
Anthony McLaughlan
Jim Mackison
Jonathan Martin
David Meyrick
Graham Moss
Nick Robertson
Pat Noujaim
Peter Richards
Tony Russell
C I 'Charlie Item' Smith
Dr William E (Bill) Smith
Steve Sturton-Davies
Doug Tester
Jamil Wafa
Simon Watts
Jack Wesson
Mike Wickings
James Wilson
Roddy Wilson
Peter Woodrow
Enjoy!
Peter Jones
Image:
Other pages:
BETTER ON A CAMEL
BOAC and BEA reminiscences, memorabilia and history
Dedication
About the charity 'Practical Action'
Foreword
Foreword by Sir Ross Stainton, former Chairman of BOAC
Introduction
Review of background to airline experiences and recollections
CHAPTER ONE - THE FAR EAST AND INDIAN OCEAN
airport and airline memoirs about the far east - from India and the Seychelles to Japan
Bangladesh - All Together Now! by John Anderson (1973)
john anderson
Bangladesh - Memories of Dhaka, by Simon Watts (1981-1985)
Life and Work in Bangladesh
Bangladesh - Days in the life of a new Station Manager, by Jim Mackison (1976 - 1980)
Turbulent times in a challenging environment
Burma - Lighting Up Time, by Gerry Catling (1954)
an airport story - cigars as insect repellent
Burma - The Day of the Dear Departed (1954), by Gerry Catling
memories of a delicate diplomatic exercise with BOAC in Burma
Burma, etc. - Britannias, by Alan Douglas
recollections of the Bristol Britannia in service with BOAC
Burma -The Sound Barrier, by Tony Russell (1972)
Dealings with the civil aviation authorities in Rangoon
Burma - The Fertiliser Factory, by David McCormack (1972)
memoirs of an airline manager - going the extra mile in customer service...
Burma - Cigars, Religion and Superstition, by Peter Jones (1975)
Meeting the Burmese People
Burma - Special Adviser to the Manager, by Peter Jones (1975)
attending a funeral in Rangoon
Burma - Burmese Days, by Peter Jones (1975)
a visit to Mandalay and the temples of Pagan
China - Learning Chinese by Ralph Glazer (1983)
Meeting CAAC
China - Scotland the Brave by Ralph Glazer (1985)
burns night
India - Holy Cow, by Ralph Glazer (1964)
Obstruction on the runway...
India - Delhi (Not) Singing in the Rain, by Ralph Glazer (1964)
Monsoon (and its Cargo) Close airport
India - The Morning Commuter, by Peter Fieldhouse (1970)
Getting to the office in Calcutta
Japan - The Mount Fuji Disaster, by James Wilson (1966)
a retrospective view of the management of the aftermath of a major air crash
Pakistan - Yaqoob and Musaleem, by Peter Liver (1987)
fond memories of two aged retainers
Philippines - Cutting it Fine, by David Hogg (1970)
memoir of the chaos to civil aviation caused by a typhoon in Manila
Philippines - Being British, by David Hogg (1969)
reactions to an earthquake
Sri Lanka (Ceylon) - The Day my Number (almost) Came up, by Gerry Catling (1960)
memories of a BOAC Comet 4 landing on a wet runway..
Seychelles Days, by Mike McDonald (1974-1977)
An island idyll..civil aviation (and British Airways) arrive in the Seychelles
CHAPTER TWO - THE MIDDLE EAST
airport and airline reminiscences and memorabilia in the Middle East
Abu Dhabi - Ice Cold in Abu Dhabi, by Graham Moss (1970)
keeping VC-10 passengers cool on the ground
Abu Dhabi - Sand Trap, by David Hogg (1972)
hazards of driving in the desert
Dubai - a Training Posting, by Peter Liver (1970)
Bahrain - The Traffic Manual Expert, by David Meyrick (1962)
an air cargo problem - loading a BOAC DC7F
Bahrain - The Thunderstorm, by Ron Colnbrook (1968)
a scary flying story
Iran - The Nosewheel Incident, by Alan Hillman (1965)
a problem on the runway in Tehran
Iran - Hold Five, by Brian Cannadine (1972)
Teheran Airport - animal alert!
Israel - Cultural Differences, Mike McDonald (1972)
airline tales from Tel Aviv
Kuwait in the Fifties by Jamil Wafa (1955)
Kuwait
Kuwait - a 'Fifth Pod' Operation, by Jack Wesson (1965)
a BOAC flight planner's nightmare
Kuwait - the Oil Drillers, by John Cogger (1970)
a BOAC Sales Manager at work - life in the fast lane
Kuwait - Out of the Fog, by Peter Richards (1991)
Return to Kuwait after the Gulf War
Yemen - Sana'a Memories, by David Hogg (1973)
a testimony of everyday life in the Yemen
Saudi Arabia - Abdul and the Bacon, by David Hogg (1973)
a treat goes missing
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia - Rats! An Unwelcome Customer, by John Anderson (1978)
An Unwelcome Passenger
CHAPTER THREE - AFRICA
recollections and tales of life with BOAC and British Airways in Africa
Ghana - the Watchman, by Anthony Farnfield (1966)
a letter in the files
Kano, Nigeria - Willie on the Rampage, by Pat Noujaim (1959)
The randiest dachshund in Northern Nigeria nearly causes a delay
Nigeria - Bush Telegraph, by David Hogg (1965)
bad news travels fast in West Africa
Nigeria - Things Other than the World Cup, by Don Ford (1966)
BOAC involved in events in Lagos before the Biafran War
Nigeria - Boom Times, by Peter Jones (1975-1979)
the oil boom in Nigeria in the seventies
Nigeria - an Attempted Coup, by Peter Jones (1976)
violent regime change in Nigeria
Nigeria - Living and Working in Lagos, by Peter Jones (1975-1979)
stories of expatriate life in Nigeria
Nigeria and Concorde, by Peter Jones (1976-1979)
How Nigerians took to Concorde
Nigeria - Never Knowingly Undersold, by Peter Jones (1979)
Travails with the Lagos Telephone Company
Nigeria - Student Travel, by Peter Jones (1981)
a student goes to the wrong destination
Nigeria - Lagos Airport Again! by Nick Robertson (1989-90)
Wild West (Africa)
Ethiopia - Petrol Rationing, by Doug Tester (1975)
Michael to the rescue
Uganda - The Road to Kampala, by Peter Liver (1972)
a moment in history - BOAC in Uganda in the days of Idi Amin
Uganda - Exodus of the Ugandan Asians, by Mike Wickings (1972)
Organising the departure of Asians from Uganda
Uganda - Kenneth's Mortars, by John Anderson (1972)
Diplomatic Incident in East Africa
Zambia - Jottings from the Copperbelt, by Peter Jones (1969-1972)
Ndola
Malawi - The President's Plane, by Peter Woodrow (1977)
VIP Travel to the Commonwealth Conference...
Kenya - Nairobi 1956 etc., By Maurice Flanagan
early memories of BOAC in Nairobi
Kenya - The Frustrations of the Comet 4, by Don Ford (circa 1962)
recollections of ingenious improvisation to make best use of space in the BOAC Comet 4
Kenya - Customer Recovery, Kenya Style, By Simon Watts (1988)
Going the extra mile...
Kenya - Concorde and other big beasts, by Simon Watts (1986-90)
Concorde and other big beasts
Kenya - Nanyuki Wedding, by Steve Sturton-Davies (1992)
a wedding in the bush
Egypt - The Six Day War, By Ron Colnbrook (1967)
memories of a war zone
Libya, Sudan and Iraq - The Personal and Confidential File, by Roddy Wilson (1955-1960)
more camel stories...
Libya - Monkeys in a Hangar, by Ralph Glazer (1954)
Wildlife in Tripoli
Libya - The spirit of Christmas Past, by Gerry Catling (1958)
hijinks in the Tripoli transit lounge
Libya (and Ceylon) Unaccompanied Minors by Gerry Catling (1959)
The difficulties that younger passengers sometime cause...
CHAPTER FOUR - THE CARIBBEAN, AMERICAS AND ATLANTIC OCEAN
WESTERN HEMISPHERE
Jamaica - Dr No by Mike McDonald (1964/1974)
a James Bond memory
St. Lucia - Hurricane Allen, by Peter Jones (1980)
surviving a major hurricane
St.Lucia - The Wrong Taxiway, by Peter Jones (1983)
consequences of miscommunication
St. Lucia - The Red Lady, by Peter Jones (1983)
voodoo and the Boeing 747 - an unsolved mystery
St. Lucia - The Collector, by Peter Jones (1983)
An Illegal 'Collector' of Rare Species is seen off
St. Lucia - There's a Hole in the Runway, by Peter Jones (1984)
suspension of operations in St Lucia
Trinidad - Management Skills, by Bill Smith (1965)
learning the ropes, the hard way
Bahamas - Cabin bags and Elephants, by Tony Russell (1966)
squashed baggage
Canada - Gander, Crossroads of the World, by Gerry Catling (1956)
Transatlantic travel as it used to be
Mexico - A Day in Mexico City, by Ralph Glazer (1975)
Concorde, a Road Accident and the Mexican Police
Panama - Don't Stop! by David Hogg (1975-1980)
what about the snakes?
Panama - Flying Positive, by David Hogg (1975-1980)
BAC-111 pilots in Central America
Chile - Chile-Chile-Bang-Bang, by Howell Green (1994)
Frustrations in the queue for take-off
Uruguay - Jet Flight Arrives in South America, by Alan Douglas (1959)
introducing the Comet 4 in South America
USA - I Was There That Day, by Jonathan Martin (1963)
Dallas 1963, the day of President Kennedy's assassination
USA - The Cricket Team, by Peter Jones (1964)
cricket in New York with BOAC?
USA - The New World, by Don Ford (1967-1969)
An expatriate airport manager comes to Chicago
Ascension and Falkland Islands - Encounters of the Third Kind, by Bruce Fry (1985-1987)
a BOAC station engineer goes on secondment to the RAF in the Falklands
CHAPTER FIVE - EUROPE
EUROPE
UK - A Shetland Story, by Anthony McLauchlan (1972)
Bulgaria - Fog in London, by Mike Lewin (1976)
BEA schedules affected by fog in London
Cyprus - Suez and the Rocky path of True Love, by Gerry Catling (1956-57)
effect of Suez on BA schedules and social life..
Cyprus - the Hijack, by Bruce Fry (1970)
when a hijacked BOAC VC-10 diverted all flights to Nicosia
Cyprus - The Turkish Invasion, by Taff Lark (1974)
Evacuation of tourists when Cyprus invaded by Turkish forces
Germany - from BSAA to the Berlin Airlift, by C. I. (Charlie Item) Smith (1948-49)
Following the BSAA disasters, the Avro Tudor fleet is assigned to the Berlin Airlift as fuel tankers
Germany - Learning German, by Larry Gorton (1966)
recollections of a BEA manager having problems learning German
Italy - The Secret of Fiumicino, by Bill Smith (1967)
airport customer service staff get a morale boost and valuable lessons for motivation are learned
Romania - Heidi's Haggis, by Mike Lewin (1971)
a bit of BEA memorabilia - ingenuity in the kitchen saves Burns Night in Bucharest
Poland - The Stand-off, by Roy Burnham (1978)
an encounter with American presidential security guards
Russia (USSR) Trans Siberian Start-up, by Brian Burgess (1969-1972)
planning for an historic moment - BOAC's trans Siberian route to Japan
Russia(USSR) - The Omelette Factory, by Peter Richards (1970s)
Navigating over Siberia
Russia (USSR) - Red Faces in Red Square, By Bernard Garvie (1970)
Diplomatic Incident with Chandelier
Russia (USSR) The Security Guard, by Peter Richards (1976)
How to scare a Russian Security Officer
Russia (USSR) -The Stewardess, by Taff Lark (1980)
shades of 007
Russia (USSR) - the Golf Lesson, by Peter Richards (1976)
In a Moscow Hotel Room..
Russia (USSR) - Domodedovo Airport, 'the House of my Grandfather' by Mike McDonald (1989)
a memoir of early days at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport
Russia (USSR) - Moscow Anecdotes, by Jim Mackison (1970)
various memories of working and living in Moscow
Spain - Dictatorship and Honour, by Gerry Catling (1960)
a recollection of Franco's Spain - negotiating the 'personal honour' code at Madrid Airport
Spain - A Soft Touch, by Ralph Glazer (1971)
A Meeting with Franco
Switzerland - The Precision of the Swiss, by Gerry Catling (1968)
recollections of how we proved to the airport authority that the Super VC-10 was not a noisy aircraft
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Further reading and watching for addicts....
PICTORIAL APPENDIX
Some miscellaneous photos that don't have a story to go with them
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