KARACHI AIRPORT: The Civil and Military Gazette of Lahore writes that modifications to Karachi Airport to enable it to handle the world’s first jet-liner, the De-Havilland Comet, are exacted to be the subject of talks during Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle’s visit to Karachi to discuss jet propulsion problems with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Department’s officials.Karachi is likely to be one of the Comet’s most important refuelling points, and the aircraft, with its average cruising speed of 483 miles an hour would cut the London-Karachi flying time to 13 hours. Karachi airport has been consistently developing to keep up with the latest improvements in air transport, and recently the new lighting system was installed to facilitate night landings.LikeComment
Andrew the Apostle, also known as Saint Andrew, was the first disciple of Jesus. He was crucified on 30 November 60 AD.A church was built in Karachi in 1868 by the Church of Scotland for the Scottish presbyterian mission in British India and named after him. Its architect was T G Newnham who was a resident engineer of the Sindh Railway. The foundation stone was laid in February 1867 by Robert Napier, Commander-in-Chief of the Army at Bombay. The building was completed the following year at a cost of Rs. 56,300 of which Rs. 25,000 were contributed by the Government. The church is built in gothic with a blend of Romanesque style with arches. The entrance of the church, by means of the octagonal porch, is unusual in its design. The lighting effect is created by the large rose window, which is eighteen feet in diameter. The nave of St Andrew’s is over one hundred feet long and provides seating for 400 people. The Church is located opposite Jehangir Park (Regal Chowk) in Saddar area and its plot measures 13,723 square yards .It was stated in this property document that land of the church would not be sold in any kind of shape even by congregation or government and that it is totally and finally for Christian prayer services. A letter written by Lamhert Major, the then collector to Karachi to the then assistant chaplain W. Middleton vouches for the mentioned fact, ‘That they will bind themselves forever not to erect any building on the ground except the Church alone, no parsonage or dwelling house of any sort except, if necessary, a gatehouse, and not the latter until after the plan has been approved by the Managing Committee (of Karachi Municipality)’.There is a marble cenotaph in the grounds which commemorates the dead of the Highland Light Infantry stationed in Karachi from 1898 to 1899. Pews in the church commemorate tours of duty of the Royal Scots Fusiliers in the 19th and 20th centuries.Brass plaques, on the back wall of the church, list the names of prominent Scots who died here. Lieutenant Colonel John Stewart Cooper of the Sindh Volunteer Rifle Corps in 1909, James David Wilson in 1919 and Agnes Drummond Carstairs in 1935.The following was a report from 1920:
A special service was held in St. Andrew’s Church of Scotland, on Sunday in commemoration of St. Andrew and those Scotchmen who gave their lives in the war. Masons of the local Lodges under the Scottish constitution attended with regalia in a procession. The service was conducted by Rev. C. C. Pitcairn Hill, who preached an eloquent sermon. The band of the Border Regiment assisted in the service. A large collection was taken in aid of the Orphanage for Scottish children at Bombay, and the Lady Dufferin Hospital at Karachi.Generations were also christened at St Andrew’s. The last name in the cradle roll is a David Malcolm Reed who was born or christened on December 20, 1965.It ceased to be their responsibility in 1970 when Pakistan’s protestant churches united to form the Church of Pakistan. However the Scottish church, as it is locally known, is a monument to its former congregation.
29Wamique Yusuf, Wajiha Karatela and 27 others4 CommentsLikeComment
Army barracks constructed in 1865 got occupied by Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre in 1959. There arose a need for another medical college in Karachi. The search for someone to convert the idea into reality led to Dr Khawaja Muin Ahmed. He was appointed as the head hunted Project Director and the first Principal of Sindh Medical College. SMC started functioning on 7th April 1973 in those army barracks in an old building of paediatric ward. He became a driving force in developing various dimensions of student life in SMC: education, social activities, political activism and students union.Born in Panipat, India, on 26 October 1929, Prof Khawaja Muin obtained MBBS in 1952 from Dow Medical College, securing third position. He proceeded to UK in 1959, completed MRCP in two years and returned to join DMC in 1961 as Assistant Professor of Medicine. In 1965, he served Pakistan Navy as Lt. Commander at PNS Shifa. He was transferred to Liaquat Medical College, Jamshoro, in 1969, before leading the new medical college. Later, he returned back to Dow Medical College and Civil Hospital Karachi where he served as Professor of Medicine. He had a heart attack and whilst awaiting to proceed for a by pass surgery, he passed away on 23th November 1981.The Auditorium of DMC was named and dedicated to him.
Tony CastellinoThank you for sharing this.He was travelling in a railway carriage with his head sticking out of the window and hit an electric pole on a railway platform. He died on the spot. This is not written any whereI heard this from my dad.
His grandfather was Charles Napier’s agent who came to Karachi from Surat. Had basic education at Karachi High School. Karachiites will remember him for his donation of Jehangir Kothari Parade. He was a noted philanthropist.This is how the press reported about him:He devotes his life largely to the welfare of the British Empire. During the war he maintained a large staff at his own expense to conduct patriotic work and contributed £175,000 to the British World War Loan. He has also made large gifts to his native city, Karachi. He has presented the citizens of Karachi with a fine parade, pier, school for the blind, and sanatorium. He is well known in society circles in England, and is an intimate friend of the King and Queen.Sir Jehangir Kothari, the greater portion of whose estate of £150,000, it was disclosed the other day, has been left for the benefit of orphans and the poor and suffering throughout the world, died with every appearance of poverty at Trieste on November 1, 1934.
For years he had been travelling about the globe, and had been round the world nine times. He returned only for the briefest periods to Karachi, where lay the bulk of his property (says the Karachi correspondent of the ‘Daily Mail’), Sir Jehangir was a soured man. Following the death of his only son, and later that of his wife, he developed a dislike for India and Indians, adopting European ways.His eccentricities included the lavish entertainment of friends at famous hotels in London, while he lived in some mean, backstreet boarding-house. First charges on his estate are £30,000 to his son’s widow, annuities totalling about £300 and other family allowances.
This building has been mentioned before.The family of a boyhood friend of mine lived in an apartment in this building for nearly 40 years – till 1985.On the roof at the seaward corner of the building was a bunker – the remains of which can be seen. Till 1947 it housed a cannon which was supposed to shell any ships attacking Keamari harbour.During WWII, the building functioned as a hospital and therefore was built in such a way that the apartments on both floors were interconnected and if they opened their doors one could walk from one end to the other.The building was named after Charles Mules, the 4th Chairman of the Karachi Port Trust (1902).In July 1947 Yousuf Haroon arranged to rent apartments in this building for 7 Dawn reporters who had migrated to Karachi. My friend’s father was one of them. He later became the founding editor of the Sun newspaper which inaugurated a new era in print journalism in Pakistan.
Let me add to the list of other lumanaries of this building since 1947: Mohammad Ashir (I think he was associate editor of Dawn), Sultan Ahmed (Editor of Daily News and Morning News and a regular contributor to Dawn), M.A. Zuberi (started with Dawn, later founder of Business Recorder), I H Burney (Dawn and Outlook),Minai family who lived there (Ishaq, Suleiman). Pirzada Qasim (the VC of Univ of Karachi and poet) and many more.
The ‘Largest Airship’ Destined for Karachi Crashed in France The Air Disaster which Shook the British Aviation Karachi was Ready to Welcome the World’s Largest Airship Mooring Mast for R101 was already build to Receive ( Docking) at Karachi Airport
Lord Thomson were among the unfortunate passengers who killed in crash Today is the 90th Anniversary of crash of R101.
It was a major set back to British aviation when the airship R101 crashed and burned in France on October 5th, 1930, on its maiden overseas voyage. R101 was headed to Karachi, the Gateway to South Asia, then part of the British Empire as part of a project to serve long-distance imperial routes. Two rigid airships were authorized in this programme, both publicly funded, and effectively in competition with each other. This airship ( R01 ) was designed and built by an air ministry-appointed team under Lord Thomson, the Labour Secretary of State for Air. I am going to present some excerpts of an investigation report by ADAM SMITH INSTITUTE.
“”The R101’s trials had not met expectations. Its lift was nearly 3.5 tons lighter than anticipated, and its weight was over 8.5 tons heavier. Moreover, because of much heavier than expected tail surfaces, the ship was nose heavy. The ship was modified as a result, lengthened by 45 ft to add another gasbag, making it the world’s largest aircraft at 731 ft in length. The modifications caused new problems. The hydrogen-filled gasbags could rub against the frame, with risk of tearing, and there were problems with the covering skin.
The ministerial team had made bad decisions in introducing new and untried technology. The diesel engines and the frame were too heavy, and the servo motors that steered the rudder were excessively complicated.. There were too many untested features, and to meet political pressures, the ship was making VIP joyrides before it had been properly tested, and before it had gained an airworthiness certificate. The R101’s tragic crash in France killed 48 of the 54 people it carried, including many VIPs. Lord Thomson, the Air Minister, died along with senior government officials and most of the Air Ministry’s design team.
The subsequent Enquiry concluded that one or more of the forward gasbags had probably torn, leaking hydrogen and making the ship too nose-heavy for its elevators to correct. On impact the escaping hydrogen had ignited, possibly from a spark, or perhaps from a fire in one of the engine cars that carried petrol for the starter engines. The death toll exceeded that of the later Hindenburg disaster of 1937, and was among the highest of the decade.
It effectively ended Britain’s airship programme. The R100 was grounded and retired, and work was stopped on the planned R102. The Air Ministry concluded, somewhat belatedly, that hydrogen was just too dangerous a material for airships, and stopped all subsequent development, just as the Germans later did after the Hindenburg disaster.It was an unhappy episode, costly in lives, but it ultimately led to safer and less weather-vulnerable passenger aircraft. Airships may make a comeback, probably as heavy lifters for such things as transformers within city construction. They may carry passengers across oceans for luxury flights with bedrooms, restaurants and glittering ballrooms, as zeppelins once did, and just as the Orient Express takes passengers on nostalgic train journeys across Europe. If this happens, it is to be hoped that they will be designed and constructed by private firms rather than by government committees.”” Photos: R101 Docked at Mooring Mast, Flying over Cardington, Bedfordshire , Hanger at Cardington Airfield and Wreckage.
Good Old Karachi 