Joey

Although flying boats or sea planes to Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney are a thing of the past and you can now fly with the larger low cost airline Flybe to Guernsey and Jersey, there’s nothing like flying in one of the Aurigny Trilanders, either between Southampton and the islands or as an interisland hop.

If you are taking a flight between islands it is a trip of full pleasure as you are likely to enjoy the sights of the  smaller islands of Herm, Sark, Jethou and Brecqhou beneath you during your short fifteen minute hop.

Guernsey and Jersey have lovely new airports now, unlike the one described by the novelist of The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie Literacy Society on her visit there several years back. They are spacious with pleasant facilities and there is an air of calm which you’d be hard pressed to find at Gatwick, Heathrow or even Luton. Southampton is similar. On reaching the Check in at Southampton airport I cannot help but grin with anticipation, especially if it is a bright day. I will soon be on my way and I can relax in their departures lounge and wait patiently for the flight. (Of course if fog descends it can be a different story)

My excitement is tenfold if I am flying with Aurigny to Alderney. Joey, as the Trilander is affectionately called waits outside the Gate,  yellow and welcoming, overshadowed by the larger Flybe aeroplane by its side; a friendly puffin decorating its wing.

You are personally directed to your seat and once settled the pilot turns round to welcome you and to remind you to fasten your seat belts. You often fly across Southampton Water, watching cruise liners leave the port below and passing over what remains of The Royal Victoria Hospital, the largest in the world in its heyday, then Calshot Castle and Calshot Spit, after which the familiar shape of The Isle of Wight and the Needles fill your horizon. Then twenty minutes fly quickly by (sorry about that!) until you catch sight of Alderney, when my husband invariably gets nudged in the ribs in my excitement.

There is a proper runway now. The first time I flew to Alderney in a little Islander there was only grass and a small shed to welcome you. In those days you had to be weighed in order for the plane to be balanced and I even sat next to the pilot on one occasion.

The airport building today is still only a small hut, in comparison to Alderney’s sister islands, but there is a friendly cafe, welcoming staff and plenty of room to sit. In fact, Aurigny has a service, I know of in no other place that, if there happens to be a sea fog and your flight is delayed, they will ring you at your hotel or guest house and ask you to stay put for a while.  When it’s clear they will give you another call and, since the island is so small, the journey to and from the airport only takes a few minutes and you arrive in plenty of time for the plane.

In fact, I consider a flight with Aurigny part of the holiday rather than just psrt of the journey to my destination.

Steamers to Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney left from docks just across the Itchen Ferry from Woolston for over a century and previously by sail. In fact before that, in the 18^th century, Jersey was the fourth largest shipbuilder in the UK.

I’ve just found a wonderful new website which tells the history of Steamers to Alderney Click on the link to read more details.

With the advent of flight around the beginning of the 20th century, especially flying boats, it was not long before successful attempts were made to reach the islands by air.

The end of the First World War, of course, was a turning point. What to do with all those redundant aircraft and aircraft factories, let alone capable pilots at a loose end, those who remained intact anyway?  

Many of the factories could revert to making cars and various motor vehicles, which they had produced before the war, but what of the others? To many entrepreneurs, the Richard Branstons of their day, commercial flight was the most obvious solution and by autumn 1919 Supermarine were flying passengers from Woolston, Southampton to Bournemouth, The Channel Islands and to France. 

Following this Imperial Airways continued an international service using amphibians from Woolston between 1924 and 1929, whilst using Croydon for their land based aircraft.

Where does my interest stem?

With a Great Grandfather born on Guernsey and a Great Grandmother born on Alderney and parents brought up in Woolston, this history seeps into my soul and makes my heart sing!

With a Great Grandfather born on Guernsey and a Great Grandmother born on Alderney and parents brought up in Woolston, this history seeps into my soul and makes my heart sing!

It was not a coinicidence that the many early flights to The Channel Islands were made from the Woolston area and that

                 From Sea Eagle to Flamingo – Channel Island Airlines 1923 – 1939

                                           by Neville Doyle

You can buy this through stockists via Amazon  or Brian Cook’s Aviation Bookhouse

Here’s the story paraphrased for your enjoyment:

The pilot Henri Biard explains that one passenger could sit in a cockpit in the bow of the plane and two more seated behind this. The pilot was sat just in front of the wings and engine.

It was a stormy day at the end of September1919; extremely cold with gale force winds and hail to contend with. Apparently back in Woolston Hubert Scott Paine ran out just before they set out and thrust a bottle of rum into the hand of one of the passengers, a Swedish millionnaire, to help to keep out the cold.

After about half an hour into the flight the temperature was deathly and the Swedish passenger took a swip from the bottle of rum, after which he tried to pass it back to the pilot. Unfortunately, all the rum poured out and was blown in the slip stream right back into the face of the pilot Henri, making him blinded for a few moments.

Not content with this, the passenger pulled out a gold handled umbrella, which he attempted to open above him. Quick thinking on the part of Henri, who could imagine disaster if the umbrella got caught in the propeller, he grabbed the umbrella and bashed the passenger on the head, knocking him out for the duration of the flight, another five hours!

• The first woman pilot in 1909.
• The first man to drop missiles in June 1910. He was dropping dummy guns on the shape of a battleship shown by marker buoys.
• The first mail carried in flight in August 1910.
• The first aeroplane to land on a ship in November 1910.

………………………………………………….. There are so many more. Fascinating!

If you have any frivolous facts about flying then please let me know.

My email id dianariduna@yahoo.com

My last frivolous fact in this series is a bit of a funny story, coming up next Monday.

The History of Aviation – A personal journey of discovery

 He was already dipping and diving, not only impressing a crowd but stretching his flimsy aircraft to the limit, when he took off one day in a bowler hat; not the most sensible headwear for an open cockpit. Realising this, too late, he flew back over his little hanger at Brooklands and tossed the hat out, to the delight of the crowd watching him from below, pulling immediately into a steep climb. I found this wonderful little story, which I have paraphrased for your delight, in the authorised biography of Sir Thomas Sopwith by Alan Bramston. I am sure you all know that Tommy Sopwith went on to be famous, well known for many great aircraft which bear his name and I will write a more serious account of his accomplishments at a later date.

Meanwhile, I will finish with a short video of a 1916 Sopwith Triplane, of only five years later, also witnessed regularly flying at Old Walden as part of the Shuttlworth Collection.

DIXIE

I do apologize if the links are not working correctly. I’m having technical problems downloading videos, but i’ll try again tomorrow!

Here are some photos instead. One of a 1916 Sopwith Pup. The Dixie is hiding behind it.

Did you know that the first man to gain a Pilot’s licence in Britain took a pig up in his bi plane as far back as 1909?

I read this in a book I borrowed from The Shuttleworth Archives but if you want to know more, then visit this amusing blog where you can find a link to Lord Brabazon whose most unusual passenger was a pig:

PORKOPOLIS

Porcoplolis is an excellent site to make you smile, where you will find a plethora of quotes, facts and fantacy clips regarding flying pigs! Enjoy!

Have you any amusing flights of fancy to share? If you have then it would be great if you could post them in a comment or drop me an email and I’ll put it on a blog?

 dianariduna@yahoo.com

The first was a James Bond, ‘Licence to Kill’ and the second was ‘Mamma Mia’!

I’ll tell you why at the end of the post. Anyway they both certainly got me thinking.

A New Year brings new thinking and planning and since we had visitors into last week and were also coping with after Christmas illness, yesterday was the first time I really thought of my blog. It was beneficial to have a break from all this Social Media and recharge the batteries but it is also good to spend some time reflecting on what I am trying to achieve and think of the way forward.

Questions I asked myself:

1. Am I happy with the look of my blog?

Yes although I intend to change the picture in the spring to reflect my current writing projects.

2. Do I need to update my ‘About Diana Jackson Page’

Yes

3. Am I happy with the content of the posts?

I have been writing posts in themes and this has worked quite well, reflected in the clouds of tabs at the side. My topics range from book reviews, book shop reviews, family history, background to writing Riduna, Writing tips and posts about the Channel Islands. I would like a more consistent approach for the first couple of months in the year. I have likened it to the way I garden; a little haphazard, allowing surprises to flourish rather than have regimented, well organised flower beds. This approach may not be to everyone’s taste or be the most effective, but those who have visited and commented on posts have enjoyed them.

4. Do I need to do any more careful planning?

A big yes!

4. How effective do I think I am in reaching my target audience?

I’m not sure here. I am reaching an appropriate audience but am I reaching my potential. Probably not.

5. Having thought honestly about the above what am I going to do about it?

• Be more consistent in my blog themes.
• Plan more carefully.
• Yes, have one off posts occasionally to reflect the moment but otherwise stick to the plan.
• Start with a theme running through January and February.
• Review at the end of February.

So back to those two films. I loved being lost in the sheer indulgence of unadulterated entertainment for entertainment’s sake. Pure fantasy! In ‘Mamma Mia’ what struck me most was how much the actors enjoyed themselves. Yes, it was corny and hats off to Pierce Brosnan for singing his own songs. (Yes James Bond in musical) But it left me with that ‘feel good’ factor. I want people to enjoy reading my work but I also want to enjoy writing the posts.

 In ‘Licence to Kill’ I was glued to the scene where James Bond fights with a sea plane pilot in mid air, (One day I’ll fly in one myself, maybe not so daredevil though!)  but the scene focussed my mind on the content for my next couple of months of blogs.

A tough act to follow but watch this space!

Switch off Twitter and turn off feeds to your phone

I know it’s really tempting but leave your blog alone.

Meet your friends in person and to facebook turn your back

Give your famly in Australia a call. Now who had thought of that?

Click save on your documents making back ups on your cloud

Leave your imagination in your mind; your family will be proud.

Turn back to the real world and put writing away

Be mother, sister, brother, spouse if only for a day.

I could not resist just one more blog before the festive season but I thought it would be good for us writer’s to bear a thought for all those who put up with us all through the year!!!!!!!

Have a great Christmas!

best wishes

Diana

(PS When I bought the tree home my husband laughed.

‘We’ll have years to grow out of it,’ he said.)

My earliest recollections of writing creatively for pleasure must have been in my mid teens when I started writing poetry and short stories. I still have some of them in my memories box!

What inspired you to write Riduna?

Well, I wrote a whole blog about this, but after several family holidays on Alderney I was fascinated to hear my Dad talk about my Great Grandmother Harriet who was born on Alderney in the mid nineteenth century. I started my research for Riduna at the same time as my parents began their family history research. Riduna is certainly fiction, but its inspiration came from thinking about what Harriet’s life must have been like. Her true story is quite a tale too!

Why Riduna? It’s not a name many people will understand.

Some people have said that the title is too obscure for people to remember and others have said that they were drawn to read the novel because the title sounded mysterious. I’ve always loved the name ‘Riduna’, the Roman name for Alderney. I can see the argument from both sides but the story has been ‘Riduna’ in my head for years. I couldn’t imagine changing it.

What have you enjoyed most about getting a book published?

Meeting people and talking to them about my writing. I’ve now done five talks, the most successful being to audiences in Bedfordshire libraries. The people have been brilliant. Book signings have been good fun too but they’ve tailed off now.

Did you receive any publicity in the press?

Yes I did as a matter of fact. I had two articles in The Luton News and three on the Channel Islands, one in The Journal (Alderney) one in The Alderney Press and another in The Guernsey Press. I never did find out if it reached The Echo in Southampton. They certainly said they’d consider doing a book review. Did anyone see it? It would be great to know.

What about reviews. Did you have any interesting ones?

I was so proud of the positive comments from The Historical Novel Society’s online reviews. This link will take you to it if you missed it back in August 2010.

You have mentioned on Twitter hoping to get the sequel out for Christmas. What happened?

I really had hoped to get my next novel out by now, but these things take time and sometimes these decisions are out of our control. I do apologise for this, but instead of feeling downhearted by the delay, I see it now that the novel will come out at the right time. (I must admit that I was less cheerful a month ago but in the end you have to be philosophical about it.) Spring 2011 is the hopeful horizon I’m looking towards at present. Many thanks for being patient.

Can you tell me something about your new novel?

In a word no. I have given a few hints along the way. You’ll just have to wait and see!

This will be my last post before the festive season and so Happy Christmas to all who celebrate Christmas and happy holidays to everyone else!

What did I like about it?

I felt instant empathy for the main characters, especially Elizabeth and Juliet. Their quirky way of looking at life and their sense of humour shone through the good times and bad. In fact the characterisation was lovely, albeit a little quaint. I’m not sure what islanders who went through the trauma of the occupation (including my Great Grandfather as it happens) and serious historians thought of the way in which the suffering experienced was taken in such a tongue in cheek, light hearted manner, but I’m sure, in reality, people’s sense of humour often saw them through the most traumatic times.

I liked the communication by letter. This meant that I could instantly feel drawn to several characters in different locations. A powerful tool to keep the story thread alive.

If I had any criticism it is that there was little description of the island and places I have come to know and love on Guernsey itself. Apart from that I can certainly say that it was a good read and I look forward to the film.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society