AVRO - A PILOT'S STORY

I grew up in a pub in the East End, its back door opened on to the tow path of the River Lea The Lea Marshes were on the other side of the river and about half a mile upstream a railway crossed the river. Circa 1909 young man named Alliott Verdun Roe used the railway arches as a work shop and here designed, built and flew the first all British aircraft to fly off British soil. The local council, Leyton, thought he was a crank and asked him to leave. He returned to Manchester and there built the first factory designed for aircraft construction, AVRO's This was in 1912. I was born ten years later in 1922. Circa 1932 a Flying Circus arrived on the Marshes. It was owned by Alan Cobham and here I saw my first AVRO. Another 10 years on to 1942 and I got my Wings as a Pilot in the RAF. The aircraft I qualified on was an AVRO Anson. In 2002 I was asked to give a talk on the Berlin Airlift. During research I discovered Sir Alan Cobham's company was on contract to fly AVRO Lancastrians. I was flying Dakotas when the lift started but 'converted' to Yorks for the lift. Yet another AVRO aircraft.