24 - Gordon Pirie. Air Empire: British Imperial Civil Aviation 1919–1939

Summary

With the end of the First World War in November 1918, thousands of airmen and aircraft were suddenly redundant. This, and the fact that the war had revealed possibilities for the use of aircraft far beyond those envisaged by most people in 1914, prompted much talk of a new age of air travel. In the British case, the air seemed to offer a new way of linking the various parts of the empire more closely at a time when it had grown even larger than in pre-war days as mandated territories in Africa, the Middle East, and the Pacific were added to India and the dominions and colonies strewn across the oceans. 1919 and 1920 witnessed an outburst of air shows and daring exploits as the small machines that had been developed for use over the Western Front were recycled for more peaceful uses. Air enthusiasm spread far and wide, and by 1921 successful flights had taken place to Canada, India, South Africa, and Australia. Societies such as the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Central Asian Society, the forerunner of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs, held meetings at which flying was hailed as the future of exploration. The possibilities seemed endless. Mail would be whisked around the world, allowing the most distant empire builder to feel in instant touch with home, while ‘home’ itself would be much more easily visited in the comfort of an airship or an aeroplane. This proved to be far from the case. Derring-do by ex-military pilots in exmilitary aircraft proved difficult to turn into passengers on seats or, in the case of airships, the cruiser-type lounges that were to be provided in the sky. Funding was difficult in the hard times which followed the end of the war. The high hopes disappeared as company after company went bankrupt. Aviation continued to make its mark, but, as far as official Britain was concerned, it was the Royal Air Force which mattered, not the civilian companies. Yet, much concern was expressed as foreign airlines, including even Lufthansa, the flag carrier of the recently defeated Germany, picked up the passengers to Europe that it was felt by right should be flying British, and the empire routes were pioneered by the Dutch and the French.