Robert S Grant reveals how an example of the Canadian-built Bristol Blenheim – the Bolingbroke – was temporarily converted for waterborne trials
It’s strange how a British newspaper proprietor could affect seaplane operations in a faraway country such as Canada. This is exactly what happened when Daily Mail owner Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere, decided to acquire a personal transport in 1934. The Bristol Aeroplane Company’s Type 142, constructed to his specifications, drew RAF interest and eventually led to the newly designated Type 149 Blenheim Mk.I’s maiden flight on June 25, 1936, at Filton, near Bristol. T