Courier service and and low temperature tests
Title
Courier service and and low temperature tests
Description
Describing Squadron Leader Douglas 'Hank' Iveson's work with the Royal Air Force Courier Service including attendance at a meeting of foreign ministers and time spent at the winter experimental station.
Spatial Coverage
Coverage
Language
Format
Two newspaper cuttings
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
SIvesonD19171121v10010
Transcription
[blank page]
[page break]
1947
[underlined] NOW IN MOSCOW [/underlined]
SQDN.-LDR. DOUGLAS Iveson. DSO, DSC and bar, of 68, Strathmore-ave., Hull, has gone to Moscow to take charge of the RAF courier service which has been established for the duration of the Foreign Secretaries’ Big Four Conference.
Sqdn.-Ldr. Iveson recently returned to Britain from Canada where he was engaged on extremely important work with York aircraft of the RAF Coastal Command in very low temperature tests at the RCAF winter experimental station at Namao, Edmonton, Alberta.
He went to Moscow in the first Lancaster flying on the courier service.
[break]
[underlined] COLD WORK [/underlined]
A FEW DAYS before the air courier service between this country and Moscow was started for the Moscow conference a York aircraft of No. 24 Squadron, Transport Command, carried out a proving flight to Moscow, taking with it a small party to form the nucleus of a staging post there.
The staging post party were provided with full winter equipment, including fur lined hats, padded jackets and trousers, felt overshoes, flying boots and snow glasses.
The officer in charge, Squadron-leader D. Iveson, of Hull, was specially chosen for the task by AOC-in C, Transport Command, in view of the fact that he had just returned from commanding the RAF party carrying out winterisation trials at Nomes [sic], Alberta.
[underlined] ALL IN A DAY [/underlined]
WHEN THE courier service came to an end on April 26 the Lancaster aircraft which operated it had flown 98,790 miles and carried 159 passengers, 20,511lb. of freight and 27,523lb. of mail.
Every day except Sunday a Lancaster left in the small hours of the morning, taking with it Foreign Office memoranda and newspapers. The aircraft reached Moscow by direct flight and delivered its load and couriers about lunchtime. It then left again with the memoranda arising as the result of the day’s conference, and landed at Bassingbourn at dawn, its load reaching the Foreign Office before the working day began.
[page break]
1947
[underlined] NOW IN MOSCOW [/underlined]
SQDN.-LDR. DOUGLAS Iveson. DSO, DSC and bar, of 68, Strathmore-ave., Hull, has gone to Moscow to take charge of the RAF courier service which has been established for the duration of the Foreign Secretaries’ Big Four Conference.
Sqdn.-Ldr. Iveson recently returned to Britain from Canada where he was engaged on extremely important work with York aircraft of the RAF Coastal Command in very low temperature tests at the RCAF winter experimental station at Namao, Edmonton, Alberta.
He went to Moscow in the first Lancaster flying on the courier service.
[break]
[underlined] COLD WORK [/underlined]
A FEW DAYS before the air courier service between this country and Moscow was started for the Moscow conference a York aircraft of No. 24 Squadron, Transport Command, carried out a proving flight to Moscow, taking with it a small party to form the nucleus of a staging post there.
The staging post party were provided with full winter equipment, including fur lined hats, padded jackets and trousers, felt overshoes, flying boots and snow glasses.
The officer in charge, Squadron-leader D. Iveson, of Hull, was specially chosen for the task by AOC-in C, Transport Command, in view of the fact that he had just returned from commanding the RAF party carrying out winterisation trials at Nomes [sic], Alberta.
[underlined] ALL IN A DAY [/underlined]
WHEN THE courier service came to an end on April 26 the Lancaster aircraft which operated it had flown 98,790 miles and carried 159 passengers, 20,511lb. of freight and 27,523lb. of mail.
Every day except Sunday a Lancaster left in the small hours of the morning, taking with it Foreign Office memoranda and newspapers. The aircraft reached Moscow by direct flight and delivered its load and couriers about lunchtime. It then left again with the memoranda arising as the result of the day’s conference, and landed at Bassingbourn at dawn, its load reaching the Foreign Office before the working day began.
Collection
Citation
“Courier service and and low temperature tests,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed October 7, 2026, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/collections/document/44788.