Escorts For Duke’s Flight

Press, Volume C, Issue 29682, 28 November 1961, Page 17

Escorts For Duke ’s Flight

(N.Z. Press Association— Copyright)

LONDON, November 27. The Queen’s adviser* have insisted that the Duke of Edinburgh take an escort of planes on his "do-it-yourself” flight across Africa in a Heron of the Queen's Flight, the “Daily Mail” reported. So when he flew off from Gambia to Dar-es-Salaam, Tanganyika, on Wednesday week another Royal Heron would be 70 miles in front of his and a third 70 miles behind. The newspaper said radio contact would be maintained between the three pilots, the leading one feeding back weather news to the Duke's pla ie.

Each plane would carry a Royal Air Force engineer and the Duke had cut his staff and luggage requirements to a minimum to give weight priority to petrol and spares. Food would not be eaten at any of the refuelling points at small, scantilystaffed jungle and desert airfields for health reasons. The Queen and the Duke will fly from Freetown today to the booming “diamond rush” town of 80, which has more than tripled its population in the last 10 years. Bo has long been the capita] of Sierra Leone’s provinces and was formerly the seat of the Protectorate As-

sembly—an advisory body of chiefs. The Queen will make Bo her headquarters on a thireeday trip covering 400 mile® of the interior to see Sierra Leone's diamond wealth. Tomorrow the Royal couple with fly to Kenema and Hangha where they will visit mining sites and meet chiefs On Wednesday they will fly to the iron ore workings at Marampa. They will return to Freetown that night. During the three days at Bo the Queen and the Duke will stay in the former residence of the British Colonial Governor during hi* upcountry visits.