Vickers Viking at Brooklands

This Viking (G-AGRU) was manufactured by Vickers at Brooklands and sold to British European Airways (BEA) in 1946 an given the name Vagrant as shown here in the post-War BEA livery.

It was then sold in 1946 to British South American Airways (BSAA) for use by its subsidiary British West Indian Airways (BWIA). It was named Barbados and flew around the West Indian islands.

BSAA and so BWIA were taken over by BOAC in 1949. In 1961 the Government of soon to be independent Trinidad and Tobago acquired BWIA, which continued flying to 2006.

G-AGRU returned to the UK in 1954, then went to Kuwait and after flying round the Middle East ended up us a roadside cafe in Holland! It was purchased by BA for preservation and ended up with the Vickers collection at Brooklands Museum.

Not a great photo but an interesting history connected with the BSAA aircraft at Bermuda picture I blipped in August.