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aircraft and, when it was written off at Baragwanath in 1930, the Company went into
liquidation.

Handley Page South African Transport Ltd. at Young’s Field Aerodrome

(from de Vries 1991; Cape Times.)

Soon after Cape Town’s “Flying Fortnight”, back in February 1912, flying had moved

from Kenilworth Racecourse to the nearby field owned by Mr. E. Young, on the south
side of Wetton Road, and this was used for many years. It was here that the Handley

Page Aerodrome was officially opened, on 14 February 1920, by the Administrator of
the Cape, Sir Frederick de Waal. (Fig. 3.37). The Handley Page Co. in the UK had

adapted their two-engined bombers for commercial aviation, hoping to capture a

considerable share of the market in many countries. On 2 September 1919 they had
started running regular services between London and Paris.

The Company’s presence at Young’s Field was for the purpose of carrying mails and
passengers within the Union. Their two ex-RAF HP 0/400 machines were large aircraft

with a wing span of 100 ft. (31 ft. when folded), a fuselage length of 63 ft. and a height
of 23 ft. (Figs. 3.38 & 3.39). They had a useful payload of two tons and a cruising speed

of 85 – 95 mph. They were expected to do the Cape Town – Johannesburg run in a little
over eight hours, which was considerably better than the usual three to four days by car.

In the cabin passengers would be seated in two single rows of wicker seats on either

side of a central aisle and alongside windows that had been cut into the fuselage.

Prior to the opening, passenger flights were offered over the Peninsula at three guineas
per person, and a longer one to Saldanha Bay, to popularise the idea of flying. The

opening was performed in the presence of a large gathering and with the inevitable
south-easter blowing strongly. Also present were “Hermes” and “Hercules” which had

been flown in by the Solomon brothers “to do honour to the occasion”. They executed a

“graceful landing” and were drawn up “near to the giant, compared with which they are
mere pigmies”. After the speeches eleven distinguished guests were given a short ten