T.E.A.L. Captain Wins British Flying Trophy

Press, Volume C, Issue 29434, 9 February 1961, Page 15

T.E.A.L. Captain Wins British Flying Trophy

(from th* London Correspondent of “The Press")

feE LONDON February 3. Brackley Memorial has been awarded by Guild of Air Pilots and Air to Captain J. S. who, until the scrended last September, for six years senior route on T-E.A.L.’s Fiji-flying-boat run. Shephard was based Suva and pioneered the He has been command-flying-boats for 20 years Mid logged more than 12,000 of flying time. Popularly as “Captain Joe” he well known and liked in ■e South Pacific. Brackley Memorial was dedicated 12 years Ko to the improvement in the of flying-boats in the but as these have been vanishing Boni the world s air routes— MEAL.: service was the last any consequence—its terms award have been broadened “the operational developof air transport or transaircraft or of new in air transport The trophy itself is handsome. It is in silver to show a

tern with outspread wings poised on the curl of a large, scalloped sea shell Silver sea horses support the shell It is a memorial to one of Britain’s air pioneers. Air Commodore H. G. Brackley, who was an authority on fly-ing-boats. He was drowned while bathing at Rio de Janeiro in 1948. As Air Superintendent of Imperial - Airways he pioneered surveys of now regular Commonwealth air routes.

Captain Shephard, A.F.C., is 45. He was bom in Dunedin and went to Otago Boys’ High School. He joined the R.N.Z.A.F. in 1939 and until 1945 served in 228 Squadron, RAF. and 490 Squadron, R.N.Z.A.F. He has been invited to London for the presentation of the trophy by the Duke of Edinburgh, the guild’s Grand Master, at a Guildhall banqueton April 11.