Jersey Airways

Jersey Airways was an airline that operated air services to and from the Channel Islands from 1933 until 1947, when it became part of British European Airways.

History

Jersey Airways Limited was formed by W L Thurgood on 9 December 1933. The first commercial service took place on 18 December, with a passenger service from Jersey to Portsmouth. In the absence of a proper airport, the aircraft used St. Aubin's beach at West Park, St. Helier, and the airline had its maintenance base at Portsmouth Airport, (moving to Southampton Airport in 1935). The first flights from Heston (with a special bus connection from London) to Jersey began on Sunday, 28 January 1934, flights from Southampton began in March, and a service to Paris operated during Summer 1934. In its first full year, Jersey Airways carried 20,000 passengers, using a fleet of eight DH.84 Dragons, each capable of carrying eight passengers.^[1]

On 1 December 1934, Channel Islands Airways was registered as a holding company for Jersey Airways Ltd. and its subsidiary Guernsey Airways Ltd. which had been formed a week earlier. Shares were bought by the Great Western Railway and the Southern Railway. This allowed expansion, and six four-engined DH.86s and two DH.89 Dragon Rapides were introduced in 1935 to replace the Dragons. A service to Rennes, in France, began on 8 January 1935, though ceasing on 29 March. A Plymouth-Jersey service began in April 1936, and to Exeter, Dinard and Shoreham in 1938.

Jersey Airport opened on 10 March 1937, and Jersey Airways was able to operate a fixed timetable that no longer depended on the state of the tides. This also meant the company obtained the mail-carrying contract, freight traffic increased, and night flights could begin.

Meanwhile, in Guernsey, things were at a less advanced stage, and most air services were those by flying boats and amphibians. Guernsey Airways was very much smaller than its sister company in Jersey. Two Saro flying boats were used: Windhover G-ABJP and Saro Cloud G-ABXW, named "Cloud of Iona". Guernsey's new airport was opened in May 1939, and Guernsey Airways began a service to Southampton on 8 May. DH.86A G-ADVK and DH.86B G-AENR were used, later joined by DH.95 Flamingo G-AFUF. The prototype Flamingo, G-AFUE had earlier been evaluated by Jersey Airways, but further orders for the type were frustrated by world events.^[1]

At the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939, flights to the Channel Islands ceased. In November 1939, services resumed from Shoreham, under the direction of National Air Communications. Finally, on 13 June 1940, all scheduled air services between the United Kingdom and the Channel Islands were suspended. The following day, Jersey Airways began flying its staff and equipment to the United Kingdom mainland, and on 18–19 June 1940, the DH.86 fleet was used to evacuate 320 islanders to the mainland, before German forces occupied the islands on 1 July. One DH.86 (G-ADVK) was on overhaul at Jersey at the time, and was lost to the enemy; the rest of the fleet was impressed into RAF service.

Following the liberation of the islands in 1945, Channel Islands Airways resumed scheduled services in June using ex-RAF Dragon Rapides. Jersey Airways and Guernsey Airways flights then terminated at Southampton and at Croydon. Bristol 170 Wayfarer G-AGVB was loaned to Channel Islands Airways in May 1946.

In 1947, the Labour government nationalised the UK airlines, including Jersey Airways, to form British European Airways (BEA). The Channel Islands authorities resisted this move, feeling that it was unacceptable to be dictated to by the British Government, who had no legal jurisdiction over the islands. However it was made plain that flights from the Channel Islands would not otherwise be allowed to land in England, so they bowed to the inevitable, and the airline staff, the eight Dragon Rapides and their routes all became a part of BEA on 1 April 1947.

Jersey Airways fleet 1933-1940

Type	Registration	Name
DH.84	G-ACMC	St. Brelade's Bay
DH.84	G-ACMJ	St. Aubin's Bay
DH.84	G-ACMO	St. Ouen's Bay
DH.84	G-ACMP	St. Clement's Bay
DH.84	G-ACNG	Portelet Bay
DH.84	G-ACNH	Bouley Bay
DH.84	G-ACNI	Bonne Nuit Bay
DH.84	G-ACNJ	Rozel Bay
DH.86	G-ACYF	Giffard Bay
DH.86	G-ACYG	Grouville Bay
DH.86	G-ACZN	St. Catherine's Bay
DH.86	G-ACZO	Ouainé Bay
DH.86	G-ACZP	Belcroute Bay
DH.86	G-ACZR	La Saline Bay
DH.89	G-ADBV	St. Ouen's Bay II
DH.89	G-ADBW	(unnamed)

Accidents

• 29 June 1936: de Havilland DH.84 Dragon Rozel Bay overshot Alderney Airport. It was landing with six passengers on board and the pilot, Mr Martin, a pilot new to the airline, ran out of runway breaking the starboard propellor and damaging the undercarriage as he hit a bank. He had to choice of hitting 6 cows or the bank, so he chose the later. There were no fatalities and the aircraft flew soon after.

• 31 July 1936: Saro A.19 Cloud amphibian G-ABXW "Cloud of Iona" went missing on a flight from Guernsey to Jersey on a stormy evening. All eight occupants died. The investigation concluded that the aircraft was forced to land in the sea due to loss of engine power, and was then swamped by the waves.

• 4 November 1938: DH.86 G-ACZN "St. Catherine's Bay" crashed at St. Peter's shortly after take-off from Jersey airport, en route to Southampton. All 13 occupants were killed in addition to one person on the ground.

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Doyle (1991)

References

• Doyle, Neville. 1991. From Sea-Eagle to Flamingo: Channel Islands Airlines 1923-1939. ISBN 185421103X
• Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Vol 2. Putnam. ISBN 0370100107
• Scott-Hill, I & Behrend, G. Channel Silver Wings. Jersey Artists, 1972
• Sherwood, Tim. 1999. Coming in to Land: A Short History of Hounslow, Hanworth and Heston Aerodromes 1911-1946. Heritage Publications ISBN 1899144307