I was just chatting online to an ex-RAF pal in NZ, whom I'll be visiting in October. (I'm ex-army but he's long since forgiven me for that). He mentioned that there's a Short Solent in Auckland's TOTAT Museum, which will be a must for me to visit. I've flown many times in float planes - mostly Beavers, single and twin Otters - since arriving in Canada in 1968, but to my lasting regretnever in a passenger-carrying flying boat.
In 1981, however, I did manage to talk myself into a flip in one of Forest Industry Flying Tankers' Martin Mars boats, then operating out of Sproat lake on Vancouver Island. That was a memorable experience. At that time, FIFT had four Mars, deployed on fighting forest fires. I think they're now down to one and even its future seems uncertain. My brother, however, was a steward on BOAC's boats operating out of Poole Harbour in and around 1947/48. The closest I ever got to one of these beautiful aircraft was when the troopship that had brought me from Southampton to Singapore in December/January 1953 was beaten up by a Sunderland in Keppel Harbour. I'm not sure what my late brother Gordon flew on for BOAC - I always assumed they were Princess or Empire class. Now I learn that BOAC also operated Solents. In any event my interest in aviation of all kinds stayed with me and from 1973 to 1980 I was a senior public affairs manager for Air Canada, both in Vancouver and in Montreal.

I've no doubt all the flying boat experts on this site have already twigged this - but just in case, there's a Martin Mars website at

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What used to be Forest Industry Flying Tankers is now owned by Coulson Flying Tankers, still operating out of Sproat Lake, near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island.

There's nothing so lonesome
Nor morbid nor drear,
Than to post on a board when there's nobody here.

Hi Barrie,
The Martin Mars looks fabulous but the thought of suddenly picking up tons of water for fire fighting must be scary!

Poole Flying Boats Celebration would be very interested in any information that your family may have about BOAC and Poole. We can also check our extensive archives for references to your brother.

Nick

Thanks Nick and Aimee. G. S. Wall would certainly be my brother. Hythe class, eh? I never knew that. Any idea how long a hop Karichi-Poole would be - and how many station stops in between?

Is there any chance those four A4 pages could be scanned and emailed or faxed to me? I rarely saw my brother after that. I joined the army (also Royal Sigs) in 1951, served in Germany, Malaya and Middle East at time of 1956 Suez crisis and then we sort of drifted out of one another's lives. I finally heard in the '70s that he'd died in Dubai (nine years after his death), at which time I believe he held a senior engineering position with Hawker Siddeley. Let me know if faxing's a possibility and I'll PM with the number. Perhaps email would be simpler. Thanks