Happy Birthday - Henry Gaze

Born on 5th April 1825 in London, Henry Gaze moved to Southampton at an early age. His main business is shown as a bootmaker, but he seems to have been willing to turn a hand to any new venture and his interests eventually included insurance and, of course, travel.

He is arguably earlier into the commercial travel business than Thomas Cook and certainly took parties to Paris and Waterloo battlefield before Cook's earliest ventures into Europe. His business took a major turn in the mid-1860s when he gained the ticket agency for the London and North Western Railway - something that brought about a move from Southampton to London.

He continued to prosper and became the major rival to Thomas Cook and his son through the 1870s and beyond until his death in 1894. By this time there were offices in several UK cities and also in Paris and New York with agents in several other overseas locations. The business passed on to the Gaze's three sons but did not continue with the same success enjoyed under their father.

After at least two changes of ownership the Gaze business sadly fell into severe financial difficulties in 1903 and was declared bankrupt - perhaps the first major travel bankruptcy.

For most people Henry Gaze is a name of little meaning but in the late 19th century he was as well known as Thomas Cook.

60th Anniversary of BEA's first Scheduled Viscount flight

18th April 2013 marks the 60th anniversary of the first scheduled flight by one of the World's most iconic aircraft - the Vickers Viscount.

On Saturday 18th April 1963 a British European Airways Viscount (G-AMNY) left Heathrow for Nicosia, calling at Rome and Athens en route on the first scheduled flight by a turbo-prop gas-turbine powered aircraft. Passengers on board included the aircraft's designer, Sir George Edwards (1908-2003) and Sir Peter Masefield, then Chairman of British European Airways (BEA).

The Viscount had been on the design board as early as 1946 and it had a distinctive appearance with its oval windows and generous leg room for passengers. In addition its quieter, pressurised cabin and smoother flight delivered a hugely improved flight experience to its passengers. In all over four hundred and forty Viscounts were produced - the last batch of six going to the Chinese state carrier in 1964.

BEA Viscount at Heathrow ca.1964

They will be remembered as a work horse of the 1950s BEA operations (BEA had seventy in its fleet), but the Viscount even broke into the North American market with airlines such as Continental, Capital and United. The Viscount remained in service well into the British Airways era, the last operations being in the Scottish islands in the early 1980s.

A detailed history of the aircraft can be found at  http://www.vickersviscount.net/ 

Sir George Edwards was also a lifelong cricket fan and was President of Surrey County Cricket Club in 1979.