This film is part of Free
Arabia Rickards
The landscapes of the southern regions of the Arabian peninsula observed via land, sea and air by British flying officer, Aubrey Robert Maxwell Rickards.
Overview
Aubrey Robert Maxwell Rickards was a keen aviator who covered large swathes of the desert landscapes of the Arabian peninsula by plane during his interwar service with the R.A.F.. The film, his own amateur footage, includes stunning aerial views of the ancient towns and villages of the Hadhramaut Province, Southern Yemen, intimate shots of peoples and markets and even life on-board a Dhow sailing the Gulf of Aden.
Aubrey Robert Maxwell Rickards (1898-1937) enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. His plane was shot down in France, and he spent most of WWI as a prisoner in Germany. Still with the Royal Air Force, after the war he spent seven years in Aden, and three years in Iraq and the Gulf. In October 1937 tragedy stuck, when with Pilot Officer McClatchey and Aircraftman O’Leary, their RAF Vincent crashed at Khor Gharim, Southern Oman. A keen explorer, he worked to create an air defence for Aden and maintain an air link between Aden and Iraq.
