|
The Hon. Mrs Victor Bruce (10th
November 1895 – 21st May 1990) was a British record-breaking
racing motorist, speedboat racer, aviator in the 1920s and 1930s,
and later, successful businesswoman. She is less-commonly referred
to as Mary Petre Bruce, Mildred Bruce, Mildred Mary Bruce, or
Mary Victor Bruce, in contemporary references.On the 7th of August
1934, she founded Commercial Air Hire Ltd., that immediately
started newspaper delivery flights between Croydon and Paris,
using two DH.84 Dragons. In 1935, Air Dispatch Ltd., that she
had founded on 9 July 1934, started operating weekend freight
(later also passenger) services from its base at Croydon Airport
to Le Touquet and Le Bourget, Paris. In April 1935, Commercial
Air Hire started passenger shuttle services between Croydon and
Heston airports, under the name Inner Circle Air Lines, using
GAL Monospar ST-4s. In 1935, Commercial Air Hire purchased an
Avro 642 Eighteen 16-seat airliner (G-ACFV) for newspaper delivery
contracts, and Air Dispatch shared its use for bullion-carrying,
excursions, joy-riding flights and scheduled passenger services,
until mid-1936. She was co-managing director, with Eric E. Noddings,
of both closely linked companies, that were merged in 1936 as
Air Dispatch Ltd. During this period, the combined fleets of
Air Dispatch and Commercial Air Hire, plus those of associated
companies International Air Freight Ltd. and Anglo European Airways,
included GAL Monospar ST-4s, DH.84 Dragons, DH.89 Dragon Rapides,
DH.90 Dragonflies, Airspeed AS.6 Envoys, plus other aircraft
on lease, such as an Avro 618 Ten. In late 1936, she sold two
of the DH.84 Dragons for a large amount of cash to a mystery
man, and they were covertly exported for use in the Spanish Civil
War. From 1936, Commercial Air Hire operated many of its DH.84
Dragons on Territorial Army co-operation exercises under contract
to the British Army, involving night flying and searchlights.
Commercial Air Hire started passenger shuttle services between
Croydon and Heston airports, under the name Inner Circle Air
Lines, using GAL Monospar ST4's. In 1934. The fleet was dispersed
from Croydon in September 1939 by the Government to several northern
aerodrome's. |
