Felixstowe: Man's quest to uncover secret of flying boats

Lieutenant Commander Philip Boak, 35, has made it his mission to trace the history of what happened to the flying boats following the end of the Second World War.  

RNAS Felixstowe (or Seaplane Experimental Station, as it became known) was commissioned in 1913, soon after the outbreak of the First World War. The unit designed flying boats and seaplanes – which, as the name suggests, were aircrafts that could land and sail on water. 

The Felixstowe F2A is one the flying boats whose history Mr Boak is particularly keen to trace. Picture: Philip Boak (Image: Philip Boak)

The Felixstowe F2A. Picture: Philip Boak (Image: Philip Boak)

The site at was used as an experimental station during the interwar period and was in operation during the Second World War.  

Mr Boak is determined to find out what happened to the vessels after WWII ended, particularly those repurposed as houseboats. 

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Since he asked the community for help in February, more than 20 people came forward to share their memories. 

“Many either had relatives who served at RAF Felixstowe, or remembered seeing the flying boats as children,” said Mr Boak.  

Philip Boak remembers spending many a happy summer in Felixstowe with his grandparents, who used to own the chocolate shop and café on Hamilton Road, Bonnets. Picture: Philip Boak (Image: Philip Boak)

The Fairey Atalanta, with the Littleships Hotel visible to the right. Picture: Philip Boak (Image: Philip Boak)

The Fairey Atalanta at Felixstowe. Philip Boak (Image: Philip Boak)

However, there are still missing pieces of the jigsaw.  

One of these is the fate of the Felixstowe F2A Houseboat, which he knows from an Evening Star article dated 1993 belonged to a Mr Ernest Arnott. 

He believes the nose of another boat was used as a changing room by Hadleigh Tennis Club.  

The Felixstowe F5 nose, being used as a potting shed in Seaton Road. Picture: Philip Boak (Image: Philip Boak)

The Felixstowe F5 nose restored at Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum. Picture: Philip Boak (Image: Philip Boak)

The most famous of these houseboats was the Fairey Atalanta. While he knows it once resided at Felixstowe Ferry, its hull was not preserved and he is unsure as to what became of it. 

Finally, Mr Boak was keen to find out how the flying boats came to be at Felixstowe Ferry and who purchased them. 

If you think you can help Mr Boak uncover the secrets of the flying boats, contact him at: swordfish200@aol.com