FLYING BOATS TO FUNCHAL

David Williams


Region:
East of England
Notice Period:
Short (maybe less than one month's notice)
Type:
Professional
Fee:
Paid
Category:
Travel
Updated:
2nd May 2023

The island of Madeira is also known as the garden island of the Atlantic. Although an autonomous region of Portugal, it has been attracting European visitors who appreciate the winter warmth off the coast of West Africa. The early travellers came by flying boat from Southampton to the main town of Funchal and they were joined by some of the wealthy aristocrats from other parts of Europe who liked to drink, gamble and socialise on this small yet spectacular island. Today it is a three-hour jet flight from Northern Europe and ticks most of the boxes for any tourist looking for a safe and welcoming holiday destination. The PowerPoint presentation to accompany this talk is also a delight of carnival colour and fun.

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About David Williams

I am a registered City of London guide-lecturer, historian and Freeman of the City. My early career was working on local newspapers as a Sports Journalist before progressing to become a freelance sportswriter, specialising in football reporting for the Sunday Mirror.

Then I went into the film and TV industry joining Pathe Pictorial as an scriptwriter. Following on from there I became a documentary film producer working on films for the BBC, the Armed Forces, private industry and Government departments. This involved travelling extensively from Australia to the Arctic , to several European countries, the Middle and Far East and the Falkland Islands. I finally retired after 35 years with a lot of experiences - good, bad, frustrating and funny.

I have a BA (Hons) in History (Birkbeck, London) and went on to get Masters' degrees at De Montfort University (Sport History and Culture) and a second Masters (Heritage Studies) at the University of East London.

I have been a speaker on Cruise Ships, edited magazines and lecture regularly to History Groups, Genealogy Societies, U3As, Probus Clubs as well as leading guided tours around London.


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