description
Object description
whole: the image is positioned in the upper four-fifths, held within a narrow black border. The title and text are
separate and positioned along the top edge and in the lower fifth, in black. All set against a white background.
image: a depiction of a busy airport. Several aircraft are positioned around a docking area, being loaded or unloaded with freight and
passengers, as well as being refuelled. Various buildings are also visible, such as hangars, the control tower and repair
shops.
text: [Hebrew text]
JAMES GARDNER 45.
[Hebrew text]
[Life in Britain today. Painted by James Gardner. A British post-war civil airport. The first British air transport service was inaugurated
in 1911. From that time onwards Britain has become more and more 'air-minded,' and the hard-won experiences of two wars have put her in the
forefront of aircraft design. In 1938 her civil aviation led the world in total air-route mileage, with over 89,000 miles. British and
associated Empire companies operate the longest civil air route in the world - 14,000 miles from Britain to New Zealand. Many thousands of
miles of new air routes have been surveyed and opened up, and even under the difficult war conditions of 1944 Britain's civil airplanes
flew a daily average of over 51,000 miles. Remarkable advances have been made in Britain in operating facilities as well as in aircraft
design. Above is an artist's impression of a British civil airport as it may appear in the near future. From the central control tower, the
'nerve-centre' of the airfield, operators give instructions by wireless to incoming and outgoing planes. In the buildings beneath the
control tower are offices, map rooms, charting and briefing rooms, meteorological offices, and living and sleeping quarters for the staff
and relief crews attached to the airport. The airfield lies just outside the city it serves; there is hotel accommodation, with a terrace
lounge and a restaurant, for passengers, and garages for their cars. Huge air liners of various types and nationalities are lined up round
the semi-circular 'dock.' Each is loading or discharging its cargo of passengers and freight, or is being refuelled and inspected before
being towed on to the runway to take off on the next stage of its journey. Lined up at the loading 'dock,' in the centre of the picture, is
one of the latest jet-propelled air liners. To the left of the picture are seen a part of the huge repair shops and storage tanks, while in
the foreground are the road and railway lines serving the underground station beneath the control tower. The hangars can be seen beyond the
runways. British aircraft were the first to fly the North Atlantic both ways in winter and all the year round, and have proved that this
can be a safe and regular service. Britain, by her geographical situation, stands in a key position on the world's air routes, and her
foresight, pioneer background, and experience in civil aviation not only benefit the country itself but all other countries served by its
splendid system of airways.]
Physical description
English language (PST 16326), Arabic language (PST 16327) and Persian language (PST 16329) versions were also
produced.
This poster was printed in Great Britain, presumably for distribution abroad.
Part of the Life in Britain Today poster series (see PST 16291 to 16325, and PST 16330 to PST 16332).