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Coll 5/39 ‘Flights of RAF aeroplanes to Gilgit; flights of foreign aircraft over Gilgit and Chitral’ [140r] (279/409)
The record is made up of 1 file (204 folios). It was created in 28 Dec 1932-9 Jun 1938. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
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OILG--LT FLIGHT BY jdKCRriFi' OF ImO. 39 ( b)
b^UADHOw ~ NOV: 1934.
HSCOiviiyiiiJML^.TIOiNib FOR FUIURS FLIGHTS*
VI It is suggested triat on a future flight or flights
J?Nf- I ' atU i! e ttle fli « 1:lt should return to Kisalpur,weather
permitting, by w a y of chitral. The flight would follow the
' lglt 01111 ® llzar R lv er Valleys KOute to chitral and then, If
necessary, land at Lrosh for refuelling, it is considered
r u l 3 Aj 1 , 8 wo ' aid » in audition to giving pilots an Opportunity
t x studying country rarely flown *ver, be of considerable
thf ^a? 1 / 01 ? 6 through showing aircraft to the inhabitants of
tnose districts.
It is suggested that the flight should land at
Chiiss and inspect the landing ground. In addition to serving
this purpose.* the visit ^f aircraft would help to relieve the
mono ony of life ol the assistant
political Agent
A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency.
, the one
Hritisn Resident at cdifas,
5. Possible landing ground sites have been located by
, ® ^ 1 ^ : !: cal ^ uthoriti es at fa^in (42 HiM.H.93* 19), Pasu (42,L,
i*N. 37.90) and Rhaibar ( 42.P. T. F, 74.4S), it is not known
whether there is any desire for landing grounds in thes.e dis
tricts but the info nnation. i s suppliedtin case it may be of
value at any time.
It is not known why a stipulation was made by
Headquarters, R« A. F. India, that the airmen proceeding on this
.b ight should, if possible, be air gunners. It is submitted
that these annuel Flights to Gilgit might be made the occasion
or rewarding fitters and riggers wnose work has been particular
ly good by giving, them .an opportunity of flying over unioue '
and most interacting country.
3* In view of tne fact tnat the sole means of trans
port at Gilgit is by horseback and that the landing ground is
n etween - three and four miles from Gilgit it is suggested that
airmen selected to proceed on future flights should be given
some elementary instruction in * horsemanship. It is thought that a
short course in Irritation nighi be arranged with the
British Cavalry regiment stationed at Risalpur.
u _ mentioned in part I, paragraph 11, it was found
. ; impossible to use screw pickets at Gilgit. It is there-
suggested that the question of whether they should be taken
on 1 lre fli^nts should be reviewed. . s^vin^ of 20 lbs. wei&ut
'.a. . jPcift would be effected Dy not taking them.
oleo pump was Carried on this Flight hut it is
considered tnat if aircraft are properly maintained they should
not require the use of an oleo pump during such a short absence
from tneir home station. It is therefore thought that this
item can be dispensed with, thus effecting a saving of weight
of 60 lbs.
7. 1 . Ik® R dort wave w/l set wnich was taken with the
Flight proved to De of great value. 0 Ol ^m uni cation with
Ri salpur vvas simple and rapid an*d suen messages as weather
Reports, requests for. spares, etc*., were passed with the minimum
delayo The use of lana line is slow and if ’’clear line” is
used it becomes expensive; also tn e Telegraph Qxfites are
normally only open for traffic during certain fixed hours of
the day wnereas tue possession of short wave w/T render^
oemmunication possible at any hour of the day or night. It is
therefore recommended that a shopt wave w/f set /ghouid be taken
with all future flights.
About this item
- Content
The file is concerned with aviation in Gilgit, Hunza, Mir, and the surrounding area. It primarily covers three topics.
The first topic is the matter of annual Royal Air Force (RAF) flights to Gilgit over the Himalayas in 1932, 1934, 1935, and 1936. It includes a report on the 1934 flight (see folios 132-141), a report on the 1935 flight (see folios 114-129), and a memorandum on proposals for the 1936 flight (see folios 106-107). A couple of sketch maps have been included to accompany these reports: see folios 104 and 117. Forty-five aerial photographic prints from the flight in November 1934 have also been included: see folios 159-203. Press excerpts of coverage of the first flight over the Himalayas in November 1932 can be found towards the back of the file: cuttings from The Times, 28 December 1932 (folios 151-154); The Times of India Mail Edition, 1932 (folio 146); The Near East and India, 19 January 1932 (folio 145); and the Birmingham Post, 18 January 1933 (folio 144). It also includes a report of the visit by Air Marshall Sir Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt to Gilgit between 21 and 24 October 1936: see folios 98-99.
The second topic is reports of violations of the northern frontier of British India by foreign – mainly German and Russian – aircraft. Correspondence in the file documents investigations into these reports and subsequent action taken.
The third topic is a reconnaissance of the Hunza Valley in 1937 to identify a site for a landing ground, the selection of Pasu, and the postponement of the project by the Government of India.
The main correspondents are as follows: officials of the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India (External Affairs Department from 1937), the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. at Kashmir, the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Gilgit, HM Consul General at Kashgar, and HM Minister at Kabul. Only occasional reference is made to the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. in London.
The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (204 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file. An envelope containing photographic prints has been filed at the rear of the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 205; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Folio 158 was a conservation box, which was removed when the photographic prints (ff 159-203) were rehoused in polyester sheets. Folio number 158 is therefore no longer used.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Coll 5/39 ‘Flights of RAF aeroplanes to Gilgit; flights of foreign aircraft over Gilgit and Chitral’ [140r] (279/409), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/1993, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100036540748.0x000052> [accessed 23 April 2024]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/1993
- Title
- Coll 5/39 ‘Flights of RAF aeroplanes to Gilgit; flights of foreign aircraft over Gilgit and Chitral’
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:103v, 105r:116v, 118r:143v, 147r:150v, 155r:157v, 204r:205v, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence