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1948 to 1968
 

News from the Archives

Archivist
Eagle Group of Companies
Archivist Eric Tarrant

The official Eagle Group of Companies Archive is well established and covers all aspects of the airline. This includes the history of the airline and its staff, the various departments and its operation from 1948-1968. The archive over the past few years has been able to assist both ex staff and ex passengers with their enquiries.

As a result of establishing an archive we have been able to assist in the pastoral concerns of families who lost loved ones who travelled on our aircraft. We assisted in the G-APSA project in 2008. Located ex Eagle aircraft that still exist and in three cases are still flying. We have conducted searches for people and Eagle items that have been requested by individuals.

The result of the website and the archive has brought together people from all over the world with a common interest in the Eagle Group. Our photo collection is large and is constantly being added to along with continuing stories from staff and passengers.

Whilst it is fully appreciated that items people own have a sentimental value and would not be released
to an archive there are items that could be copied, including photographs, which would be useful
addition for the archive. Many people from around the world have already donated material for the archive.
If you have items that you would be willing to donate to the archive project or have items that
you would be willing to have copied then please

Email:- archive@britisheagle.net

The final resting place of the archive would be decided at a later date.

The archive will cover all aspects of the Eagle group of companies.

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Latest News


Christmas 2014 Letter from the Archivist

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EAGLE GROUP OF COMPANIES HISTORY
DEDICATED TO BILL MANNING

There is now in the archives a very exhaustive historical coverage of the Eagle operation over
twenty years, taken from aviation magazines. It reveals things of interest to the Eagle operation that have
long been forgotten.  Some of these item are and will be put on the
Home of Eagle website in the forum section.
An example is the Eagle King Flights Carnival for passengers and staff at the Royal Albert Hall.
See the reference to it in the Home of Eagle website forum.
This project is made up of five volumes at present and continues to be added to has been made
possible by a generous gift to cover the cost of retrieving old aviation magazines.
From time to time sections of the archives are dedicated to particular members of staff.
This section is dedicated to Bill Manning an Airframe and Engine ground engineer at Blackbushe Airport,
later he transferred to Bermuda for the Eagle Operation. Returned to Heathrow and remained
with the company until the end.
Bill was a very respected engineer with a great sense of humour.


Bill Manning

BILL MANNING  SITTING ON THE STEPS (CENTER)

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We are always grateful to those of you who have supported the Eagle Group archives over the years and just when we think we have covered all aspects of the company something else comes up.
During September we have had various items of paperwork donated which are always an asset
to us particularly in trying to carry out correct research.
There are also two other things that are now tucked away in the archives that arrived this month.
At the reunion we were presented (for safe keeping) with the M.B.E. medal that was awarded
to Mrs Marjorie Taylor our Cabin Staff Manager, for Services to Aviation. An award that she deserved.
 On hearing of the award, back in 1966, Marjorie said that

"she was greatly honoured and very proud to associate it with the cabin staff with whom she had
worked over the years
"

MBE

Our thanks go to Eileen Tierney for presenting it to the Eagle archives. Along with the medal came a
number of Eagle staff magazines, ‘Eagle News’, many of these have filled the gaps that we had in the archives.
If you should have any of these news sheets and no longer want to keep them then we would love to
have them for the archives.


The second item came as a real surprise via an email from the Emirates. The son of an
Eagle Airways engineer who had worked at Blackbushe Airport had an item that once flew on the
front bulkhead of one of our BAC 1-11’s G-ATPL.

Crest

The item is the Eagle logo finished in gold. See the picture. I wonder how many thousands of miles
this has flown. We are again very grateful to Garry Hansford for donating it to us.
We shall record it to the memory of Gary’s dad Ken Hansford and also to all the engineers that have
passed on and have not seen what we seek to do in keeping the memory of Eagle alive.

As has been mentioned elsewhere we are seeking to assist a Polish researcher in his work trying to
locate ex Eagle Polish Aircrew. If you know the name of any of our Ex Polish aircrew then please
let us know .We may already have it but the real possibility is that we do not have the name
that you might have.
We get a lot of help from people all over the world, perhaps this is a small way in which we can help
in return for the help we get.

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One of the things that make the archives and website come alive are the personal recollections
that arrive in the office.Terry Nicolson was a member of the cabin staff during the sixties and
worked on both Viscount and Britannia's.
The following are his recollections of those many years ago.

Terry Nicolson

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