NOTED AIRCRAFT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 28 November 1945, Page 4

NOTED AIRCRAFT

LINK WITH N.Z. The York aircraft which brought the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Field-Marshal Lord Alanbrooke to New Zealand, belongs to a squadron commanded by an Aucklander Wing Commander S. W. R. Hughes’ R.A.F. Wing Commander Hughes is the son of Mrs H. R. Hughes, of St Heliers, and the late Captain Hughes’ and after distinguished service as an operational pilot during the war he now commands No. 511 Squadron R.A.F.

A special flight of Wing Commander Hughes’ squadron is devoted to ferrying distinguished personages and it has provided the aircraft and crew for Lord Alanbrooke’s journey Tha aircraft is the famous York LV633, originally desgined for Use bv Mr Winston Churchill and used to carry him, as well as other distinguished people, to various parts of Europe.

?" e the first Yorks used by RA F. Transport Command, LV633 has flown about 157,000 miles without mishap. In November, 1944 it took Mr Churchill and Lord Alanbrooke (then Sir Alan Brooke) to Moscow and is reputed to have been the first aircraft of the R.A,F. inspected bv Marshal Stalin, at Mr Churchill’s invitation. It later took Mr Chtnchi’l to Greece during the Greek civil war and carried Mr Anthony Eden and Sir Alexander Cadogan to Yalta, still later, th e York took Mr Attlee to the last Big Three Conference in Berlin. Three ruling monarehs have been carried by the aircraft. In 1943 jt took the King on his tour of North Africa, and it has also been used bv Queen Wilhelmi.na and King Peter of Yugoslavia. Other notable passengers have been the Greek Foreign