Memories make a flying return

It was half a century ago exactly, in spring 1952, that the airline began operating to and from Southampton and the French town of Cherbourg using Bristol 170 Superfreighters which could carry three cars and 15 passengers on the 40-minute flight.

For many who attended the reunion celebrations it was the first time they had met since Silver City Airways pulled out of the Southampton service in 1967.

With just two Superfreighters thought to be left in existence, one in Canada and the other in New Zealand, the famous name of Bristol was represented at the reunion, held at Southampton International Airport, by a convoy of the company's hand-built cars.

Silver City Airways came into being, operating cross-Channel car ferry flights, in July 1948, exploiting the lack of steamers crossing to France.

An exploratory flight between Southampton and Cherbourg took off in December 1951 and full scheduled services began the following year.

In 1959 the company transferred its operations to Bournemouth's Hurn airport, due to waterlogging on Southampton's grass strip, returning in 1961 after the concrete runway had been laid.

The reunion was masterminded by Peter Sedgley from Rownhams, of the Southampton Hall of Aviation.

"My father worked the 1958 season as a flight attendant with Silver City Airways,'' said Mr Sedgley.

"Dad looked after the passengers on the trip but had to load and unload the cars in Cherbourg. Sometimes he would do up to five trips a day to France and back.''

After a reception at Southampton International Airport attended by Southampton mayor, Councillor Christine Kelly, and her Eastleigh counterpart, Councillor Maureen Sollitt, the former employees, with the Bristol cars left for Portsmouth for the crossing to Cherbourg.

There, the group met French aviation and motoring enthusiasts and visited Cherbourg's airport.

Letters of goodwill from the Southampton and Eastleigh councils were presented to the mayor of the French town.