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elisabeth · Post by **elisabeth** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 5:10 pm

Thanks, Susan. I've been using the Ancestry immigration search for ages and never noticed Prestwick coming up in the results, so I fear none of mine are there. Still, it's always useful to know it's included. I can remember seeing great-aunties and cousins off on the plane to America from Prestwick(all the adults in floods of tears), but that was probably in the sixties.
Elisabeth

SuMacd · Post by **SuMacd** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 5:16 pm

Hi Elisabeth
Unfortunately don't have any going from Prestwick,but, it just came up by chance & for those that don't know they maybe didn't realise it was an airport rather than a port.
Happy hunting
Susan

Post by **Ina** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:06 am

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Regards,

Ina

Post by **Tracey** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 2:24 pm

SuMacd wrote:Hi Elisabeth
Unfortunately don't have any going from Prestwick,but, it just came up by chance & for those that don't know they maybe didn't realise it was an airport rather than a port.
Happy hunting
Susan

There is a wonderful programme on the BBC called Coast presented by a nice Scottish man (whos name escapes me) but they had a bit about Prestwick Airport on it and i was suprised to learn how important it was as an Airport during the war, one reason (they said) was because it is the least foggy part of the U.K.

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 3:11 pm

See http://www.gpia.co.uk/AirportInfo/history.asp

In addition, there was a Royal Naval Air Service base in WWI, - HMS Wagtail, - on the current SE corner of the airport, close to Heathfield, which is the origin of the current secondary runway 03/21.

Currently, Prestwick is still home to the RAF 44 Group transport, and the Search and Rescue RN station HMS Gannet.

In addition to being the major base used in WWII for the Lend Lease "Air Bridge", Prestwick remained a major USAF base for MATS, - Military Air Transport Service, - up until 1966, a refuelling stop for the transport of US personnel to and from Europe - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Pr ... al_Airport , - this was a typical US overseas base, almost completely self contained with every possible facility, including a bowling alley (which I've used!)

After the loss of its status as the sole point of entry to Scotland for transatlanctic flights, the civilian airport went into a major decline, losing out in major terms to Glasgow's own much closer airport.

Even then, however, and the probable reason why Prestwick was kept open by British Airports Authority, you would still occasionally see the tarmac packed tight with 747s from all over the world, when other major UK and European airports were closed but Prestwick was still open, as it is for an average of 364 out of 365 days a year.

It then became a major BA training base, - the local folk probably saw Concorde more often than anyone else, and it then won substantial air cargo business, and, latterly, has become a major holiday charter airport, and, just a few years ago, the Scottish base of operations for RyanAir with flights to destinations all over Europe.

And, if you can work out the exact location to look, there's still around £100,000 worth of diamonds (1954 value) to be found somewhere ...........

Early on Christmas Day 1954, at 0330 hours, a BOAC Boeing 377 Stratocruiser crashed on landing at Prestwick, killing 28 of the 36 passengers and crew onboard. The aircraft had been en route from London to New York, when, on approach to Prestwick, entered a steep descent before levelling out too late and too severely, hitting the ground short of the runway. A number of factors have been attributed to the cause of the crash, including pilot fatigue (the captain was well over his duty limit due to the aircraft being delayed), the landing lights at Prestwick being out of action due to repair and the First Officer either not hearing a command from the Captain for landing lights (which may have helped judge the low cloud base) or mistakenly hitting the flaps, causing the aircraft to stall.

The Stratocruiser had been carrying uncut diamonds in registered mail, then valued at over £1m, though it would be several days after the accident that investigators had any hint of the cargo being carried. An extensive search was carried out in the area surrounding the crash for several weeks, resulting in over 90% of the diamonds being recovered. The KLM Constellation that crashed near Prestwick 6 years earlier had also been carrying diamonds, then valued at over £5000.

And I nearly forgot, - together with Shannon, Prestwick is the location of the air traffic control system for part of the Eastern half of the North Atlantic, - see http://www.nats.co.uk/text/82/scottish_ ... ntres.html, with the biggest bit in the middle handled by Iceland if the route is far enough north, otherwise then comes Gander, and I'm not sure who's next !

David

Post by **Tracey** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 3:33 pm

And I nearly forgot, - together with Shannon, Prestwick is the location of the air traffic control system for the Eastern half of the North Atlantic, - see http://www.nats.co.uk/text/82/scottish_ ... ntres.html .

Yes that was mentioned too..............Its a very unasuming airport upon arriving to say the least but with the friendliest staff (although i did at first think our plane on landing was going to drop straight into the sea

)

rye470 · Post by **rye470** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 7:20 pm

Prestwick Airport - 3rd March 1960.

The only time Elvis Presley set foot on British soil. And that was for a whole 2 hours.

Christine.

Muriel · Post by **Muriel** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 5:02 pm

Can someone tell me if I am right in thinking that there is a gap in the records for arrivals at the Atlantic ports of the US - i.e other than Boston, NY & Baltimore. I've been searching in vain for my gggrandparents Thomas & Isabella Ross who were in Scotland in 1861 (census) & in Massachusetts in 1880 (also census). I can't find them in the 1871 Scottish census, so I think they may have gone during the 1860s. I also can't find their widowed daughter Agnes May, who emigrated in 1884/85 with at least one child, David.

Thought I had managed to demolish at least part of my

when I found they had emigrated (why, when he was 56 in 1861???) but now the information should be there & I can't find it

Muriel

Post by **SarahND** » Sat Dec 09, 2006 8:43 pm

Hello Muriel,
The passenger lists are unfortunately far from complete. I have several relatives who I know sailed from Scotland or Ireland to New York during the years that are supposed to be covered, and they are not there. I don't know whether the records simply didn't survive, or whether (I hope!) they just haven't added the relevant lists yet.

I'm sure you've thought that if Thomas & Isabella left in late 1870... they would miss both the 1871 census in Scotland AND the 1870 in the U.S.

All the best,
Sarah

Muriel · Post by **Muriel** » Sun Dec 10, 2006 10:42 am

Hi Sarah

Yes, the 1870/71 bit had struck me and seems quite likely as daughter Isabella (Gay) & granddaughter Flora arrive in the 1874 and are in the records.

It's really maddening that Agnes (May) - what is it with the Ross's and these short name partners! - isn't there. In the 1900 and 1910 censuses she is living with her youngest child, David, but in 1900 she says she's had 8 children of whom 3 are living and in 1910 she say 8, of whom only 1 is living. I'd dearly like to know what happened to the other 2 (who I think are Neil & William) but I can't find them & I don't know if they went with their mother to the US.

but the search contines.

Muriel