2008 Meeting

THE ADEN DINNER CLUB LUNCH 13th SEPTEMBER, 2008 THE ROYAL OVER-SEAS LEAGUE, LONDON The Aden Dinner Club lunch was alive this year with reunions and happy new friendships formed across the spectrum of the membership. There was a good attendance, and a high quality meal was served by the Royal Over-Seas League.

Our speaker was Dacre Watson who has recently written a book about Aden Airways. Dacre showed us a series of interesting slides depicting various aspects of the airline, as well as shots of Aden and Yemen, as he explained Aden Airways’ history – from its inception in 1949 until its inevitable closure just before Independence in 1967.

Dacre explained that the airline had been brought about under the aegis of BOAC. It was initially set up in Asmara in Ethiopia, but eventually moved to Aden in 1956. Its first Managing Director was Richard de Graaff Hunter – a charismatic and highly educated, if somewhat mercurial, man.

His aircraft became the workhorses that transported locals around the region – even including on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Local tribesmen took surprisingly well to this modern mode of transport (ferrying livestock and their ubiquitous rifles along with them in the cabin). Hence the title of Dacre’s book: ‘Red Sea Caravan’.

Many Aden Dinner Club members have fond memories of trips they made up country from Aden with the airline; and several members are ex-Aden Airways staff themselves.

As well as for the movement of people and goods, the airline meant prompt medical attention could be available outside Aden if required. And oil exploration companies, drilling deep in the interior of the Eastern Protectorate, provided good revenue as they used the Aden Airways aircraft to transport much of their requirements.

The company’s equipment was modernized in 1960, and again in 1963, and the airline began to prosper.

But Arab nationalism was starting to sweep the region as chaos and violence reigned. Added to that, an unfortunate incident in November 1966, when the son of a local sheikh chose to blow up a DC3 en route from Mayfa’ah to Aden in order to assassinate his father and so assure his own succession, meant that the travelling public lost total confidence in flying, and load factors fell dramatically. Faced with mounting and unending losses, BOAC decided to close down its subsidiary airline.

Aden Airways ceased to exist on June 30th, 1967. Its last flight had been to Mukeiras the previous day. It was an airline which had operated in one of the harshest environments in the world. Probably its greatest contribution was to open the Aden Protectorates to the advantages of aviation to the benefit of the people living there and whose lives were changed by it.

After lunch several members stayed on to take tea and chat together in the downstairs bar of the Royal Over- Seas League.

We are planning an extra special reunion in 2009 to celebrate the club’s Diamond anniversary (the Aden Dinner Club was formed in September 1949 in London – coincidentally the same year as the formation of Aden Airways!) Details of this special event will be published in the club’s June newsletter, and on-line at www.adenairways.com (Aden Dinner Club link).

[‘Red Sea Caravan’ has recently been published by Air-Britain].

THOSE WHO ATTENDED THE ADEN DINNER CLUB LUNCH, SATURDAY, 13th SEPTEMBER, 2008 

ABSENT ON THE DAY:  Dennis Gimes, Jenny Hateley, Michael Murden