A commemorative postcard awarded to passengers on the occasion of the first scheduled maritime airliner flight from the UK to the newly established Dominion of the East Indies.
With the growing involvement of Germany in Dutch politics, and the forced exile of the Royal family, the Dutch administration in Batavia invited Britain into the colony, securing it from envious Japanese and American eyes.
Combined into a Dominion with British Malaya, and overseen by a single Governor General, in reality the two realms were managed completely separately, with the institutions of the Dutch colonial government remaining broadly unchanged.
The British Government let a concession to the newly established Anglo-Dutch Airways(ADA) for twice weekly flights from Southampton to the newest imperial possession. ADA were the launch customer for the Saunders Roe Duchess, purchasing 12 for their needs. Each flying boat had a wingspan of 129ft, a range of 2,600miles fully laden and could reach 550mph.
RAF Coastal Command trialed 2 Duchess’s in the maritime patrol role, succeeding piston engine powered aircraft. However, the significant design changes necessary to allow them to deploy a full range of weapons meant that a variant of the Vickers Victory strategic bomber was preferred, which was
known as the ‘Trafalgar’ in Coastal Command’s colours.