Plane Crash 1936

London, 22nd August 1936, eight passengers and four crew members boarded the Imperial Airways [I.A.] air liner, Horsa, bound for Australia via Brindisi, Basra, Bahrein, India, plus other stops along the way.

The eight passengers would have had their choice of seats on the twenty-four seat Horsa. Mrs Jane Wallace Smith, wife of a Melbourne stockbroker (Mr Hugh Wallace Smith) and a niece of a former Lord Mayor of Melbourne (Sir Stephen Morrell) would have sunk back into her seat with a sense of relief. For Jane had urgently left London at two days’ notice; she had been on her way to Brisbane for family reasons.[2]

Did the passengers show any concern for their safety? Were the passengers aware of the Imperial Airways flying boat, Scipio, which on that same day, 22nd August, had crashed and sank when making a forced landing at Mirebella Bay, Crete? Two passengers were killed and nine occupants injured. [3] Or did they think further back to 31st December, 1935, when an Imperial Airways flying boat, City of Khartoum, whilst flying from Brindisi to Alexandria “crashed in the dark a mile and a half outside the breakwater at Alexandria? The only survivor was the pilot Mr. V. Wilson”.[4] The passengers may have dismissed any thoughts of a disaster, as the Horsa was not a flying boat but a four-engined biplane.

Friday, 28th August and Saturday, 29th August 1936

At one of the stopovers, Brindisi, the Horsa was delayed owing to the disaster, which had overtaken the flying boat, Scipio.[5] On Friday, 28th August, “the Horsa, trying to make up time, left Basra at 22.30 aimed for Barhein” (Muharraq Aerodrome), a distance of some 350 miles.[6] Its cruising speed being 130 miles an hour, the Horsa could expect to reach Bahrein in approximately two and a half hours.[7]

The captain of the Horsa, Capt. L.V. Massenger, may have informed his passengers that arriving at Bahrein, at night, would not be a problem for he could navigate by the lights turned on especially for their landing. The landing lights at Bahrein never appeared, therefore the Captain of the Horsa had to advise his passengers and crew that they would be cruising around until it was light enough to find a safe spot for landing.  Higham, in Britain's Imperial Air Routes 1918-1939, states that Bahrein “never received word of his coming and so failed to light up”.[8] Capt. Massenger may have omitted to inform the passengers that he was hoping that there would be enough light to land before the petrol ran out.[9]

Capt. Massenger had managed to radio that it was landing in the desert, but that was the last communication heard from the crew.[11] An official announced to The Times that at 05.20 a.m. (Persian Gulf time) the Captain spotted an ideal place to land in the desert, though whilst taxing to a stop the undercarriage was slightly damaged.[10]

The Horsa, having to land in darkness, suggests it no longer had the fuel to cruise around until daylight,            

    “It was deduced… her emergency wireless was unable to function further, because the transmitter generates from the             engine of the plane, and could not work if as probable her petrol  was exhausted.”[13]       

The Captain of the Horsa, though, would have felt confident that immediate alerts were being broadcast and a search undertaken. Mr Rudder, for Imperial Airways, “…stated the country between Basra and Bahrein was flat and practically a desert and a machine could easily make a safe forced landing.”[13] 

(Troubling comment considering the site of the crash was unknown, and situated south of Bahrein.)

Stranded in a wild and inaccessible region of the Persian Gulf; what hopes though did they have of being rescued?

If only the stranded occupants could have known that members of the Royal Air Force 84 Squadron, in six aircraft, had flown to Bahrein on Saturday 29th August to begin the search for the I. A. aircraft G-AAUC Horsa (as reported by 84 Squadron).[14] With fears of a crash at sea British warships were also called upon to help. I.A. ordered the immediate despatch from Karachi of a monoplane of the Atlanta type. The Times reported that the Imperial Airways aeroplane, Lancia, was also involved in the search, as well as the I.A. Atlanta.[15]

Meanwhile the occupants of the plane, all safe after the crash landing, had set about rationing the meagre supplies on board the Horsa,

” … a few sandwiches, a small amount of bottled water, chocolates, mineral water and whisky”.[16]

As the day advanced and the heat grew, any metal parts of the plane (which was most of the plane!), became too hot to touch. Would the crew’s thoughts have turned to Imperial Airways’ normal flight routes? They definitely did not cover that wild and inaccessible region of the Persian Gulf, inhabited by Arab nomads prone to raiding and fighting.[17]

“The nearest habitation was a native village 20 miles distant. Black scorpions were the only living things seen until the rescuers arrived”, stated the Sydney Morning Herald.[18]

Captain T. Hickinbotham, I.A., Officiating Political Agent, Bahrain and Squadron Leader F. J. Fogarty, D.F.C., A.F.C., Officer Commanding 84 Squadron Royal Air Force arrived at Sharjah  Airport on the Saturday 29th August. As soon as Capt. Hickinbotham, had been advised of the crash and subsequent lack of communication with the plane he set about mobilising more search parties. The Shaikh of Qatar and the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi were contacted by wire, launch and messages via planes, and were asked to send out search parties. Capt. Hickinbotham with Sqd. Ldr. Fogarty,  had requested that accommodation be provided by Imperial Airways in their Atlanta. They left Sharjah Airport at day break Sunday, 30th August to search the coast from “Yas Island westward for such a distance as the petrol supply of the machine would allow”.[19]

As the heat of the sun baked the Horsa, the occupants of the plane,“…exhausted by the day’s heat, rested on the lower plane, taking turns to role to the edge to receive coolness from the dew falling from the upper plane”.[20] 

In order to eke out their water rations they collected dew from the plane, collected with sponges and squeezed into their water bottles.[20] The crew vainly trying to make contact by radio, suffered intensely from the heat, the pilot fainted and the second officer collapsed as the result of a heart attack.[21] As the evening of Saturday 29th August drew to a close the occupants of the Horsa must have feared the onset of another day in the punishing heat of the Persian Gulf.

Sunday, 30th August 1936

During Capt. Hickinbotham’s (Officiating Political Agent ) aerial search a message was intercepted stating that, the Horsa had been located 40 miles south of Salwa Wells (100 miles south of Bahrein).[22] [see further reading]

Mrs Jane Wallace Smith describes rather differently how they had felt before their rescue, “I am a bit upset by the journey. Had another day passed, I doubt whether any of  us would have been found alive”.[27]

“The passengers paid a tribute to Mrs Hugh [Jane] Wallace-Smith who stood the ordeal splendidly”.[28] Jane must surely have been able to hide her fears from her fellow passengers. The ordeal for the passengers and crew did not end when F. Lt. Barden arrived with the supplies, as they then had to walk two miles across the desert to their rescue craft. The captain and steward of the Horsa had the dubious pleasure of staying with the plane until the following day

Capt. Hickinbotham reported that the “Assistant Political Agent, Mr. J.B. Howes had made adequate arrangements for every sort of emergency”. On arrival at Bahrein the passengers were met by Group Captain W.B. Callaway AFC, who was in charge of operations, Royal Air Force Medical Officer Wing Commander A. Briscoe, the Agency Assistant Surgeon Dr C.E. Hynes and the Assistant Political Agent Captain Hickinbotham. The passengers spoke highly of

“…Capt Massenger and the crew, who worked strenuously in an attempt to operate the emergency wireless set, and also of the Air Force men, who worked themselves to the point of exhaustion.”[29]

The passengers were given soft drinks and taken to Manama, Bahrein where the local British residents looked after them and accommodated them in their houses. Dr Hynes visited all the passengers after dinner and in most cases administered sleeping drafts. The captain and steward of the Horsa were brought in on the following day Monday, 31st August by the Royal Air Force, “along with a part of the passengers’ baggage and some of the mail”.[30] Capt Hickinbotham received, 31st August, a letter from Shaikh ‘Abdullah bin ‘Im addressed to the Al Hurrah tribe at [? Indecipherable] near Salam Wells - and via a servant by fast launch - asked that a guard be arranged for the stranded plane.[31]

 Flight Global reported that back in England, at the international rally at Lympne, as the news of the rescue was announced a resounding cheer went up from the crowd.

“… and that was how everyone must have felt, for the duration of the search – some 27 hours – along the desolate Arabian coast of the Persian Gulf was becoming ominously long.”[32]

The Sydney Morning Herald, reporting from Basra, feared that the Horsa had been involved in an air-disaster.[33]

Capt. Hickinbotham, in his report paid a glowing tribute to the crew of the two Imperial Airways’ Valentia machines; Hickinbotham added in his report that he would not go into too much detail as no doubt the Royal Air Force would record their own report,  

“They made continuous flights to the stranded plane, dealt with the passengers, who were suffering from two days exposure and were therefore not as normal as usual, and man-handled a very considerable quantity of baggage and mail across two miles of sandy desert in the heat of the day at the worst period of the Persian Gulf summer. Even after all their efforts they had not the strength to finish the transfer of the heavy mail bags two miles across the desert, therefore on the 1st September it was decided to fly coolies [unskilled native labourer] out and the remainder of the mail was bought in without mishap.”[34]

 The passengers continued their journey to India and beyond on Monday, 31st August.[35] 

THE HORSA

“The Horsa is a four-engined biplane, capable of carrying about 24 passengers and mail and freight. It has a wing span of 130 feet, an overall length of 36 ½ feet and stands 27 feet high. It weighs about 13 tons and cruises at a speed of 130 miles per hour.”[36]

Horsa - Handley Page Hannibal Class G-AAUC first went into service 11th  September, 1931.

Impressed into No 271 Squadron Royal Air Force as AS981. 

Moresby Park, Cumberland: made a forced landing in the Dissington Moor after an engine fire which spread to the airframe causing the ammunition to explode and burned out,  7th August, 1940.[37]

[1a] Ben Lovegrove, 55bomber.wordpress.com., Handley Page HP42 G-AAUC “Horsa”, (11Jul2018), [21Aug2018].  

[1] The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies (CAIS), cais-soas.com., THE PERSIAN GULF (The Sea of Persia), (1998-2015), [29Aug2018]. link 

[2] The Sydney Morning Herald, Monday, August 31, 1936; p. 9.

[3]  ibid.

[4]  Labour Daily, Monday, August 31, 1936, p. 1.

[5] The Sydney Morning Herald, Monday, August 31, 1936; p. 9.

[6] Robin Higham , Britain's Imperial Air Routes 1918-1939, (Fonthill Media Ltd., 2016), [first published 1960.] link

[7]  Labour Daily, Monday, August 31, 1936, p. 1.

[8]  Robin Higham , op. cit.

[9] Flight Global/Archive, flightglobal.com, Aviation History, 1936 -2402.pdf, ) September, 3, 1936; p 249. [09Aug2018] link

[10] The Times, Sunday, Sunday, 31Aug1936, p. 12.

[11] ibid.

[12] The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday, September, 3, 1936. p. 9.

[13] Labour Daily, Monday, August 31, 1936, p. 1.

[14] TNA, Air Ministry and Successors: Operations Record Books, Squadrons; Squadron Number 84, Summary of Events, AIR 27/694.

[15] The Times, Sunday, Sunday, 31Aug1936, p. 12; The Sydney Morning Herald, Monday, August 31, 1936; p. 9.

[16] The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday, September, 3, 1936. p. 9.

[17] The Sydney Morning Herald, Monday, August 31, 1936; p. 9.

[18] The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday, September, 3, 1936. p. 9.

[19] File 21/25 Imperial Airways, Bahrain: Muharraq Aerodrome' [?32v] (64/78), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/1678, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100026447240.0x000041> [accessed 4 August 2018].

[20] The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday, September, 3, 1936. p. 9.

[21] ibid.

[22] File 21/25 Imperial Airways, Bahrain, op. cit.

[23] The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday, September, 3, 1936. p. 9.

[24] ibid.

[25] The Times, Sunday, Sunday, 31Aug1936, p. 12.

[26] TNA, Air Ministry and Successors, op. cit.

[26A] John Clarke, Wonders of World Aviation, wondersofworldaviation.com, Dramas of Air Rescues, (2015-2017). 

[27] The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday, September, 3, 1936. p. 9.

[28] ibid.

[29] ibid.

[30] File 21/25 Imperial Airways, Bahrain, op. cit.

[31] File 21/25 Imperial Airways, Bahrain, op. cit 

[32] Flight Global/Archive, op. cit.

[33]  The Sydney Morning Herald, Monday, August 31, 1936; p. 9.

[34] File 21/25 Imperial Airways, Bahrain, op. cit.

[35] File 21/25 Imperial Airways, Bahrain, op. cit.

[36] Labour Daily, Monday, August 31, 1936, p. 1.

[37] Aviation Safety Network, aviation-safety.net, Accident Description, (1996-2018), [11Aug2018]  

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Acknowledgements

With grateful thanks to John Clarke for permission to use his image of the Horsa at the crash site, Wonders of World Aviation.

With grateful thanks to Ben Lovegrove for permission to use his image of the Horsa, 55Bomber.wordpress and Ben Lovegrove.com

The National Archives:

Air Ministry and Successors: Operations Record Books, Squadrons; Squadron Number 84, Summary of Events, AIR 27/694.

British Library:

File 21/25 Imperial Airways, Bahrain: Muharraq Aerodrome' [?32v] (64/78), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/1678, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100026447240.0x000041> [accessed 4 August 2018].

Websites:

Aviation Safety Network, aviation-safety.net, Accident Description, (1996-2018), [11Aug2018] link

The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies (CAIS), cais-soas.com., THE PERSIAN GULF (The Sea of Persia), (1998-2015), [29Aug2018]. link 

John Clarke, Wonders of World Aviation, wondersofworldaviation.com, Dramas of Air Rescues, (2015-2017). [From Part 8, published 26 April 1938]. [11Aug2018 link [image]

Flight Global/Archive, flightglobal.com, Aviation History, 1936 -2402.pdf, ) September, 3, 1936; p 249. [09Aug2018] link

Grace’s Guide to British Industrial History, graceguide.co.uk., General Aircraft, (19Nov2017), [17Aug2018]. link

Robin Higham , Britain's Imperial Air Routes 1918-1939, (Fonthill Media Ltd., 2016), [first published 1960.] link

Ben Lovegrove, 55bomber.wordpress.com., Handley Page HP42 G-AAUC “Horsa”, (11Jul2018), [21Aug2018]. link [image] [also see further reading below]

Newspapers:

The Sydney Morning Herald, Monday, August 31, 1936; p. 9. [04Aug2018].

The Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday, September, 3, 1936. p. 9.

The Times, Sunday, Sunday, 31Aug1936, p. 12.

Trove, trove.nla.gov.au, Labour Daily, Monday, August 31, 1936, p. 1. [04Aug2018] link

Further reading:

The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies (CAIS), www.cais-soas.com, Persian_Gulf, SundayTimesMap1913.jpg. [04Aug2018] link [image]

Fiddlersgreen.net., Hotspur.html., (1994-2018), [20Aug2018]. Link [Information on Mr Crocombe of General Aircarft]

Ben Lovegrove, link

Margaret Makepeace, blogs.bl.uk., Untold Live Blog, Circumnavigating Warbah and Rollicking Riproars, or how to cure the boredom of Empire, (27Nov2014), [14aug2018]. link

Qatar Digital Library, www.qdl.qa/en, THE POLITICAL AGENCY, BAHRAIN: INSIDE THE ORGANISATION THAT RAN BRITAIN'S INTERESTS IN BAHRAIN, [nd], [21Aug2018]. link

Qatar Museum,qm.org.qa, Wells of Qatar, (2016), [29Aug2018]. link 

Secret Projects.co.uk, Secret Projects Forum, General Aircraft from ST.1 to GAL.65 — THE DEFINITIVE INDEX link [Information on Mr Crocombe of General Aircraft]