78 THE AVIATION HISTORIAN Issue No 21
report for Flight was published with the title Cars
Go as Cargo in the May 4, 1950, issue, and led
off with a characteristically stylish introduction
from the intrepid journalist:
“There are several accepted methods of
crossing from the English to the French coast
— by ordinary airliner, rail-ferry, mail steamer
or even by swimming — but quite the most
pleasurable and certainly the speediest way is
to make the 20min flight from Lympne to Le
Touquet, on which one may travel complete
with car, family and as much luggage as one is
likely to need on a Continental tour”. It was a
recommendation tens of thousands of travellers
made good on over the next 12 years, Silver
City becoming a household name in the UK
until the company was taken over by British
United Airways in 1962, the air ferry operations
continuing under the ægis of British United
Air Ferries/British Air Ferries until 1970.took the opportunity to explore the nearby
town, which still very much bore the scars of its
wartime years, and remained a far cry from its
glory years of less than two decades before. After
a spot of lunch in town and a wander among the
dunes, he then returned to the airfield, taking
photographs of the spartan accommodation and
a de Havilland Gipsy Major-engined Potez 584
parked beside the hangar.
Back to Blighty
After a brief wait, the Darracq and Austin A70
were reversed up the ramp into G-AIFV, after
which the passengers were embarked and the
Freighter departed, John noting the take-off time
in his logbook as 1820hr. A mere 22min later, the
Freighter settled back on to the grass at Lympne
and rolled to a halt for the unloading process to
begin, the vehicles this time enjoying a simple
forward drive down the ramp and off. John’s
ABOVE The 1951 Alvis TA21 is offloaded at Le Touquet, bound for the Amsterdam Motor Show (thanks to Hilton
Holloway at automotive technology magazine 5054 for identifying the car!). Silver City expressed an interest in
acquiring the eight-car, 40-passenger-carrying Blackburn Universal Freighter, but the plan ultimately fell through.
An example of the exotica to be found at Le Touquet, Potez 584 F-AOQT (c/n 4147) was
photographed by John with the Austin A70 which had travelled over on the same day in
the background, along with another Silver City Freighter, probably G-AGVB.TAH