Airlines at War: British Civil Aviation 1939-1944

The brave efforts of the pilots and crew of the RAF during the Second World War are well—known but there was another body of aviators that played a significant role in the conflict – the men and women of the civilian airlines.

The British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was formed shortly after the outbreak of war in November 1939 by the amalgamation of Imperial Airways and British Airways. During the war BOAC operated as directed by the Secretary of State for Air, initially as the trans...