BOAC sold this aircraft to Aviation Traders in 1948 and it was scrapped two years later. Photo from: Imperial War Museums

The CW-20 prototype, originally flown with twin fins as the CW-20T - it appears in photo 367081 although the tail is not visible. Tail redesigned and airframe rebuilt as the CW-20A. USAAF took delivery of it as a C-55 (not C-46) but soon returned it to Curtiss-Wright so it could be sold to BOAC. Operated between Gibraltar and Malta. Scrapped in October 1943. Photo from: Imperial War Museum

Ex PAA, Sold to General Phoenix Corporation, Baltimore as N18608 in 1948 Photo from: Imperial War Museum

BOAC operated this aircraft until May 1946 when it was sold to Skyways. Withdrawn from use in September 1947. Photo from: Imperial War Museums

Used on transatlantic routes. Returned to the RAF as AM259 in July 1944. Photo from: Imperial War Museums

Author not known. This aircraft was sold to Nigeria Airways in 1969 and then registered 5N-ABD.

Owned by the Air Ministry but provided to BOAC initially for use on the South Africa route. Scrapped at Poole in 1956. Photo from: Imperial War Museums

Official BOAC photo 25433. Original caption reads "B.O.A.C.'s NEW SILHOUETTE IN THE SKY. B.O.A.C.'s VC-10, the latest in high-speed jetliners, provides a new silhouette in the sky with its "clean" aerodynamic design, rear mounted engines and space age tail unit..." First flew 8 November 1962, delivered 8 December 1964. Nigeria Airways 29 September 1969, crashed 20 November 1969 on approach to Lagos.

Date in the mid-seventies, no idea, faded on slide mount. Aircraft taxiing for departure. Taken from the much favoured carpark now replaced with Cargo Warehouses.

In interim BOAC/British Airways colours following the amalgamation of BEA and BOAC as British Airways on 31st March 1974. Taken out of service around a month or so after this picture was taken in October 1974 and stored at Heathrow. Never acquired full British Airways colours. Broken up at Heathrow in September 1976.

In interim BOAC/British Airways colours following the amalgamation of BEA and BOAC as British Airways on 31st March 1974. Last commercial flight on 22nd October 1979 from Amsterdam to Heathrow, where it was stored pending its delivery to Duxford. Made last flight on 15th April 1980 to Duxford to join the Duxford Aviation Society's British Airliner collection.

In interim BOAC/British Airways colours following the amalgamation of BEA and BOAC as British Airways on 31st March 1974. Operated last flight Tehran- Beirut- London just over a month after this photo was taken on 23rd October 1974. Accumulated a total of 36254.13 hours and 13460 landings. Taken out of service and stored at Heathrow. Never acquired full British Airways colours. Broken up at Heathrow in September 1976.

Seen preserved at the National Museum of Flight in East Fortune near Edinburgh, Scotland. To BOAC new as G-APFJ on 22 Sep 1960. Leased to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines, later Malaysian Airlines from 04 Nov 1971 to Apr 1975. Returned to British Airways. To British Airtours on 03 Feb 1977. PWFU 30 May 1984. Preserved at Cosford. Broken up in Spring 2006. The cockpit section coming to the museum.

Flying near the Isle of Wight. The Hermes 4 looked good but it was tail-heavy and the rear end of the cabin could barely be loaded. Photo from: BOAC / Northwestern University Libraries, Illinois

Possibly photographed at Kano. Aircraft sold to Lancashire Aircraft Corporation in 1951. Withdrawn at Stansted in 1960. Photo by: Edward Duckworth / Northwestern University Libraries, Illinois

Built in 1945. TS792 not taken up. Seen at some early postwar event apparenty. The aircraft wears wartime BOAC markings and the Speedbird logo. Name Manton not yet applied. This York was used for training at RAF Ossington in 1945 and 1946.

Another rare photograph of a BOAC Hermes in Lagos. In the background is a Bristol Freighter of West African Airways Corporation. Photo by: Edward Duckworth / Northwestern University Libraries, Illinois

Ex 42-23546, FD862. To BOAC as G-AGHP in August 1943. Reported ferried to Tripoli, Libya on 11 October 1943. Listed as based at Bristol - Whitchurch at the end of 1945. The logo with the word Speedbird is thought to be postwar. Dakotas carried out the UK - Lagos route, via Lisbon and Bathurst, until July 1947. G-AGHP was seriously damaged at Croydon in August 1947, which thwarted a transfer to Hong Kong Airways - VR-HDO not taken up. To BEA in December 1948. Converted to Leopard class freighter in 1953. Crashed in France in 1958 carrying a Formula 1 car engine for the Vanwall team to Nice for the Monaco Grand Prix. Photo by: Edward Duckworth / Northwestern University Libraries, Illinois

The Hermes 4 entered BOAC service in 1950 and proving flights on the West Africa route to Kano, Lagos and Accra began in June. The type was already replaced two years later by the Canadair C-4 Argonaut, although it made a brief comeback with BOAC in 1954 after the grounding of the DH Comet. We made a different crop of the same original photo for the West African Airways Corporation Dove, VR-NIB. Photo by: Edward Duckworth / Northwestern University Libraries, Illinois