Bebb's Contribution to the Spanish Civil War

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Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,606

Just watching the 1983 Granada documentary on the Spanish Civil War. Franco was posted to the Canaries by the Republic so was out of harms way. For the uprising he was to go to Morocco and lead from there. For this a Captain Bebb was contracted from Croydon Airport. Is this the same Bebb? Do we know anything more about the man and aeroplane?

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Member for

15 years 7 months

Posts: 1,707

The pilot was Cecil William Bebb and the plane was an Olley Air Services Dragon Rapide from Croydon hired by a Spanish right wing journalist in London . A British Intelligence officer with right wing sympathies and two young women travelled down to the Canaries in the Rapide as a front for the flight but returned to Britain separately when Franco was flown to Spanish Morocco

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20 years 6 months

Posts: 8,195

The Rapide was later presented to that nasty little pustule - sorry General Franco - by Olly Air Services. It is now on show at the Spanish Air Force Museum; one of the few aircraft surviving that definitely started a war.

There are multiple references on the interweb.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 658

The book 'The Flyers' by Brian Bridgeman gives the name as Bebb rather than Begg, otherwise details as per Longshot.

A chapter in the book devoted to the events in question, aircraft was G-ACYR.

Chumpy.

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 658

Further info..yes Cunliffe-Owen etc.

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16 years 6 months

Posts: 2,322

I have this photo of the Madrid museum, it was posted on a forum, but i cannot remember the owner, or whwere it came from, so dredit is due to whomever ? Keith.

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii58/keithnewsome/G-ACYR.jpg