The Box is a major cultural and heritage attraction and archive, which opened in Plymouth’s city centre in September 2020. Its collection, formally the South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA), is the regional film archive for the South West of England, comprising the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and Television South West (TSW). It also includes a significant number of donated film collections dating back to the early 1890s.
This film is part of Free
Royal Opening of Plymouth Airport
The sky's the limit for Plymothians as the city's airport gets the seal of approval from His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.
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Overview
The royal opening of Plymouth Airport on 15 July 1931 heralded a new age of discovery for the inhabitants of this pioneering port. Re-live the excitement of the occasion and observe His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, meeting local dignatories and watching the first planes taking off.
Plymouth's Airport, Roborough Aerodrome had already been in use for some time before its official opening by HRH the Prince of Wales on 15 July 1931. The Prince arrived in Plymouth by train as he was unable to fly in his own Puss Moth due to bad weather conditions. The Air display did eventually go ahead with a demonstration flight for Councillors in the Handley-Page 'Hannibal'. The Prince received a souvenir in the shape of a silver model of a Puss Moth before returning to London in a Westland 'Wessex' piloted by Flight Lieutenant E.H. Fielden.
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