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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 12, 2018 11:14:12 GMT 12
AUCKLAND STAR, 7 FEBRUARY 1934
DESERT MOTORS.
HUGE NEW CARS.
LARGEST IN THE WORLD.
NAIRN BROS.' ENTERPRISE.
The Bagdad correspondent of "The Times" describes the latest type of motor carriage put on to the Damascus-Bagdad service by the Nairn Bros., the New Zealanders who pioneered this route:
The conquest of the Syrian desert by the motor car is now complete. Since two young New Zealanders opened a regular passenger service between Damascus and Bagdad in 1923 the desert route has been more and more used by motor traffic, until to-day some 25,000 passengers and 10,000 tons of freight cross the desert annually. These figures, it is true, cover both air and camel transport, but they give some indication of the way in which the desert, formerly regarded as an almost impassable barrier, has been overcome.
The Nairn Transport Company still provides the most efficient and up-to-date equipment. They are just putting into the desert service a new type of passenger coach, said to be the largest in the world. It has been specially built to Mr. Nairn's design at Indianapolis, and embodies principles which were successfully tested in some of the pipe-carrying units employed in laying down the I.P.C. pipe-line. The coach is 66ft in length, with accommodation for 32 passengers, including buffet and lavatory, and room for a ton of luggage. It is hauled by a Diesel engine developing nearly 200 horse-power, and with a drive on all six wheels. The coach itself has only four wheels, placed right at the rear. It is attached to the tractor by a carefully sprung universal-joint coupling, so that the jolting of the coach is reduced to a minimum. This unit is expected to do a non-stop journey from Damascus to Bagdad in 18 hours. The journey cannot at present be done by car in less than 24.
The same company is also using a freight car carrying a 20-ton load hauled on the same principle. With these achievements in evidence it is interesting to speculate how the Palestinian and Mesopotamian campaigns against the Turks in the Great War might have turned out had the possibilities of motor transport, in the desert been realised at the time. The expeditionary force which landed at Basra was expected to have to rely entirely on river transport for its supplies. Accordingly, it was not equipped with cars. Had armoured cars and light lorries been used the Turkish flank might easily have been turned and Bagdad possibly taken in a few months. The same applies to the position at Gaza.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 12, 2018 11:14:58 GMT 12
So that will be the 'bus' design seen in the photo I found. Built in Indianapolis, which truck manufacturers were based there in 1934?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 12, 2018 11:16:07 GMT 12
From AUCKLAND STAR, 18 APRIL 1934
Mr. G. Nairn, of the Nairn Transport Company, Damascus and Bagdad, who has been a patient in St. George's Hospital, will leave Wellington by the Monowai for Sydney on April 20. From Sydney he will proceed to Port Said, and thence to Bagdad. His son will remain in Christchurch its a pupil at St. Andrew's College.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 12, 2018 11:24:50 GMT 12
PRESS, 8 APRIL 1935
THE NEARER EAST
A DESERT MOTOR-BUS
SUCCESS OF NEW 2EALANDERS' EXPERIMENT
Damascus to Bagdad by motor-coach instead of camel is the goal which two New Zealanders (former residents of Blenheim) have achieved by the establishment of a motor service between these two historic cities. Interest in their success was aroused by a cable from Sydney recently, and further details of the service, supplied by the Texas Company, are now published.
Through the efforts of two New Zealanders. Norman and Gerald Nairn, a dangerous and tiresome 600-mile journey across one of the driest deserts in the world has been transformed into a safe, comfortable, over-night trip that is being used with increasing frequency by business men as well as tourists. This modern motor-coach ride likewise replaces a long and arduous voyage around the Arabian Peninsula by way of the Suez Canal and the Red Sea.
In 1921, the Nairn Transport Company began operations in Syria, and until 1923 ran a daily motor service between Haifa, Palestine, and Beirut, Syria. In 1923, the British, liaison officer at Beirut suggested a service to Bagdad.
Protection Afforded
The experimental convoy arrived in Bagdad after a three-day trip. To prevent attacks by Bedouins, Sheik Mohammed Ibn Bassam accompanied the party. Two additional trips with guides were made before regular service was inaugurated in October, 1923. The sheik furnished guides during the first year, arranged for freedom from attacks, and in return participated in the revenue from the mails which are carried on the route.
The Druze rebellion in Syria in 1925 forced a change of route, and during that period motor-coaches followed the Southern Desert route between Amman and Rutbah by way of Jerusalem. The Damascus route was reopened early in 1927, and since that time increasingly efficient coaches have been added to the fleet.
The latest unit is probably the only vehicle of its kind operating anywhere in the world. Sixty-eight feet long, its chrome-nickel steel body is dust-tight and insulated against heat. It is fitted with spacious reclining chairs, has ample ventilation and cool drinking water. There are first and second-class passenger compartments, and storage space in front and rear for more than three tons of freight and baggage. Luggage shelves inside the first-class compartment accommodate another 3500 pounds, and the overflow can be carried on the roof if necessary.
Full Equipment
The coach is equipped with a buffet, lavatory, and a refrigerator which holds 500 pounds of ice, and ample food and drink for the journey. A tank under the second-class compartment holds 90 gallons of water. Ash trays, and serving and recreation tables are other conveniences. The crew consists of two drivers and a steward. Behind the driving cab seat is a berth, where one driver sleeps while the other is on duty. A telephone provides communication between the driver and the coach. The tractor portion of the bus has three driving axles, and is powered by a six-cylinder diesel engine of 185 horse-power at 1600 revolutions a minute. A fuel tank holds 250 gallons, enough for the round trip. The complete unit rides on nine sets of dual-pneumatic balloon tyres.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 12, 2018 11:30:15 GMT 12
 A trans-desert bus belonging to the Nairn Transport Company outside the offices of the Bagdad Airport. These buses are used on the Beirut-Damascus-Bagdad route. The service was pioneered by two young men from Blenheim, Gerald and Norman Nairn, sons of the late Dr. Nairn. EVENING POST, 4 FEBRUARY 1938 |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 12, 2018 11:31:48 GMT 12
The above coach is a different one from the previous photo I posted last night, the windows are a bit different.
By the way a lot of these articles are same-same in content but each one of them does offer another new snippet of info that builds up the big picture.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 12, 2018 11:38:29 GMT 12
PRESS, 13 JANUARY 1939 BUS SERVICE OVER DESERTSUCCESS OF TWO NEW ZEALANDERS COMPETITION FROM AIR COUNTERED “America is two years ahead of England in transportation, both by motor and commercial aviation,” said Mr G. Nairn, of the Nairn Transport Company, operating between Bagdad and Damascus, in an interview yesterday. The company was founded by two New Zealanders, Mr Nairn and his brother. It has English capital, and an international business, conducted in three countries — Palestine, Iraq, and Syria. Mr Nairn travelled America on his way to New Zealand and his brother visits New York annually to attend the Motor Show. “The Americans have the scope for development,” said Mr Nairn. His company would have entered the air service in the Near East before now if the Governments had provided subsidies. It had been able to maintain its bus services in the face of the aerial competition only by providing airconditioned vehicles. Across the desert, the temperature was between 118 and 120 degrees, yet, in the buses, the temperature was kept evenly at 76 degrees. Not a particle of dust entered the buses, although they passed through columns of dust. The air was taken, he explained, through three sets of filters and across freezing coils and then distributed through the buses. The Nairn Transport Company has eight Diesel buses running on its route. It operated the first stainless steel spot-welded bus to be shipped from America, and intends to use only this type in the future. For 1940, the company has planned to operate a double-unit bus, coupled with a universal, containing 12 sleeping berths and 16 Pullman chairs and two dressing rooms, and capable of travelling 60 miles an hour. Meals and drinks will be served en route. The engine will be a Diesel developing 200 horsepower. Future of Diesel Engines The Diesel has been found by the Nairn Transport Company to be economical in operation, very reliable, cheap in maintenance, and suitable for heavy haulage. “But I think it will be some years before they use Diesel engines in motor-cars,” said Mr Nairn. Although Bagdad is only 110 miles from the nearest oil well, petrol costs 1s 3d a gallon, the Government tax being  . Gas oil costs 5d a gallon. The Iraq Government was now proposing to build its own refinery for the production of cheaper fuel. The Government’s incursion into the field of civil aviation was also mentioned by Mr Nairn. The Iraq authorities were starting an air service between Basra and Bagdad and Bagdad and Teheran; later on the service would be run between Bagdad and Damascus. “The only thing which is holding the first-class bus service for us is our efforts to provide dust-free travelling,” said Mr Nairn. Both Mr Nairn and his brother use a Stinson aeroplane for business trips in Palestine and Iraq, and for carrying spares in emergencies to buses stranded in the desert. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 12, 2018 11:42:22 GMT 12
 THE BAGDAD AIRPORT.—One of the large air-cooled desert buses operated by the Nairn Transport Company (the principals of which are two New Zealanders), drawn up at the main building of the Bagdad airport. This aerodrome has been bombed by the R.A.F. OTAGO DAILY TIMES, 6 MAY 1941 |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 12, 2018 11:55:53 GMT 12
AUCKLAND STAR, 13 JULY 1942
"CARRYING ON"
NAIRNS' DESERT BUSES
NEW ZEALANDERS' WORK
(By R. A. BOSWORTH)
For nigh on two decades, through peace, war, sand, sun and desert treachery the enterprise of two New Zealanders has built up a story of adventure that would equal the best that fiction could provide. They are Norman and Gerald Nairn, founders of the famous Nairn Transport Company, whose modern luxury buses provide the only perennial service between the two oldest cities in tire world, Damascus and Bagdad.
Before the last war Norman, in his early twenties, left his home in Blenheim to see the world. As a stoker on a cargo vessel he earned his passage to London, and when war broke out joined the British Army. As a lieutenant in the transport section of the Royal Army Service Corps he went to the Middle East. During a visit to a New Zealand officers' mess in Palestine he was served with afternoon tea by his brother, Trooper Gerald Nairn, who was mess orderly for the day.
Because they liked it, and wanted to "do things," the Nairn brothers, after great difficulty, were demobilised in Palestine. Since then their rise to fame and fortune has been remarkable.
Challenged the Camel
With only £100 capital between them, they established a motor business at Beirut, main metropolis of Syria, that nestles below the snow-capped Lebanon ranges on the Mediterranean seaboard. In April, 1923, the Nairns made their first challenge to the camel's supremacy of the sand. In four cars of ancient vintage and doubtful durability the pioneer party chugged and spluttered over the cobbles of ancient Damascus, thence out across the desert to Bagdad. They got there in four days, but not without experiencing the hazards of such an undertaking.
In the early days of the service many attempts were made by Bedouin brigands to rob these strange new "ships of the desert" that dared to invade their domain. Not without paying £1000 a year as "security" were the buses allowed a free passage. Even this did not suffice, and hostile tribes often exacted ill-gotten plunder. Among many anecdotes, Norman Nairn tells how crafty Arabs started opposition services. One rival fleet was instructed to follow the Nairn line, but the "old firm," guided by compass, eluded them in the dark, several being never heard of again.
Palatial Vehicles
Now the Nairn brothers operate a fleet of vehicles made in America to their own specification, with bodies, wheels, springs, lights and tyres designed specially for the desert. The palatial pullman coaches are air-cooled, have all modern conveniences, and cost about £15,000 each. The journey of 540 miles is made at night, the buses leaving Damascus and the Street called Straight at four o'clock in the afternoon and arrive at Bagdad at mid-morning the next day.
The arrival of the bus in Bagdad is something of a social event, when everyone, from little Arab children to wealthy Eastern merchants, gathers in welcome — as well as a never-fading curiosity.
At dinner in Norman Nairn's Beirut flat the author was given a good insight into the character of the unconventional New Zealander. A "human dynamo" is the best way of describing him. Cadaverous, wiry and wealthy at 49, he has been twice around the world, 46 times across the Atlantic, and has made, lost, and made again, three fortunes. He visits the United States every year on business, when he supervises the construction of bigger and better buses for the sand. During the fighting in Iran and Syria last year the Nairn service continued, dodging trouble by changing their route.
He's "Been Around"
"Boy, I've been around," said Norman, finishing a cup of tea in one gulp. "I was in my office when the Huns arrived on the airport," he added, "but I 'buzzed off' to Haifa — no trouble!" In colourful conversation, interspersed with Eastern aphorisms and quotations from the Prophets, he revealed his many interests. He spoke of his life successes and failures, showing an amazing knowledge of the world. He has been decorated with the O.B.E. and, by the French, with the "Medaille du Merite Labanis," in recognition of the brothers' service to the country.
"Son," he remarked, "during the last war I resolved never to waste another minute of my life, and I haven't. Never think of yesterday or to-morrow —now is the time to live." In parting, he quoted from his favourite philosopher, Khalil Gibran, the Lebanese poet-profound. He said: Life without industry is guilt — Work without art is brutality.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 12, 2018 11:57:42 GMT 12
GISBORNE HERALD, 30 APRIL 1946
BEDOUIN BANDITS
BRITISH BUS HELD UP
TRAVELLERS LOSE £10,000
(11 a.m.) DAMASCUS., April 29.
Bedouins attacked the British Nairn Transport Company’s bus convoy about 20 miles from the Iraqi frontier and robbed the passengers of about £10,000. The Syrian Government has sent a motorised detachment to pursue the bandits.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 12, 2018 11:59:42 GMT 12
GISBORNE HERALD, 13 APRIL 1948
DESERT BUS SERVICE
MORE VEHICLES ORDERED
MR. G. NAIRN IN SYDNEY
SYDNEY, April 12. The owner of a bus service who undertakes to refund passengers' fares if his buses are a minute late has arrived in Sydney by air from the Middle East. He is a New Zealander, Mr. Gerald Nairn, joint owner of the Nairn Transport Company, of Damascus, Syria. He qualified his statement by admitting that he has not had to refund a fare yet, though the 554-mile desert journey is scheduled to take 15 hours. The company now operates 15 de luxe 20-passenger American-built buses, each air-conditioned and dust-proof and containing a cocktail bar, steward service, radio and toilet. The service runs from Damascus to Bagdad with branch routes connecting with Beirut and Haifa. Four new super buses have been ordered.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 12, 2018 12:09:20 GMT 12
Well I never, they are even on Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nairn_Transport_CompanyAnd I found these photos online:  Baggage Label from Wikipedia  It seems the RAF had at least one of their coaches. Here's a modelling project for you Paul! From Wikipedia: Royal Air Force in the Middle East, 1944-1945. The Marmon-Herrington THD-315-6 with articulated omnibus trailer, used by the RAF for the 1,300-mile duty transport run between Habbaniyah, Iraq, and Damascus, Syria. In 1932, two "Desert Pullman" bus conversions of the THD-315-6, originally an oilfield pipe carrier, were bought by the Nairn Transport Co. to run between Baghdad and Damascus. One of the vehicles was taken over by the RAF in 1943 and is seen here at Habbaniyah, compared in size with a Hillman Minx staff saloon car. Known as the "Monster Bus" in RAF service it carried 44 passengers and their luggage, was fully air-conditioned and was equipped with a kitchen, lavatory and iced-water on tap. A cigarette card even!      This seems to be one of their earliest ones      |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 12, 2018 12:13:07 GMT 12
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Post by camtech on Nov 12, 2018 18:29:53 GMT 12
Fascinating stuff, Dave. I'm intrigued by the vehicles, particularly the articulated buses. Good subject for a future meccano build.
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Post by 30sqnatc on Nov 12, 2018 19:30:17 GMT 12
OK in 'In Every Place - The RAF Armoured Cars in the Middle East 1921 - 1953 by Nigel W.M. Warwick there are numerous references to the Nairns and their transport business and one photo.
I won't repeat the info previous covered:
Page 86-87. Their initial vehicles were Buick and Cadillac cars with capacity of five with mail and baggage carried on the outside fastened to the wings. In the 1930s they purchased a four wheel bus but and later a 36 set articulated Pullman coach pulled by a Marmon-Herrington tractor. It was complete with air conditioning, buffet, adjustable seats and a toilet. It was described as the largest bus in the world at the time.
In September 1925 the Nairn convoy was attached by brigands near Damascus killing the driver and wounding some passengers. A review lead to the Overland Mail Convoy being directed to travel Haifa - Jerusalem - Amman to Baghdad. RAF Armoured cars patrolled from Transjordan and Iraq and escort the Nairn bus.
Pg 89. The patrols continued until February 1926 with great strain on the RAF units Rolls Royce armoured cars. Due to ongoing Druze revolt in Syria the Nairns changed their route to Beruit - Homs - Palmyra - Rutbah so the convoy escorts finished.
As an aside on pg 205 one of the RAF Armoured Car sqn officers in 1933 was a Kiwi pilot on a 'ground tour' - Fg Offr Bill Dennehy who prior to accepting commissioning in RAF in 1930 he had served as a Lt in the Machine Gun Sqn of the 6th Wellington Mounted Rifles in NZ. In 1934 he was seriously injured when forced to bail out a 500 ft which flying a Avro Tutor. Clearly he was slow learner as after leave in NZ he was flying another Tutor in 1935 with another Armoured Car Sqn officer when it crashed and they died. They were buried in Ramleg War Cemetery. The references quoted are 'Crash in the Wilds', Evening Post 23 Jan 1935 and 'Killed in Air Smash - NZ Airman', Evening Post 27 Sep 1935
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 13, 2018 18:49:59 GMT 12
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Post by emron on Nov 18, 2018 19:23:39 GMT 12
AUCKLAND STAR, 7 FEBRUARY 1934 DESERT MOTORS.HUGE NEW CARS. LARGEST IN THE WORLD. NAIRN BROS.' ENTERPRISE. The Bagdad correspondent of "The Times" describes the latest type of motor carriage put on to the Damascus-Bagdad service by the Nairn Bros., the New Zealanders who pioneered this route: The conquest of the Syrian desert by the motor car is now complete. Since two young New Zealanders opened a regular passenger service between Damascus and Bagdad in 1923 the desert route has been more and more used by motor traffic, until to-day some 25,000 passengers and 10,000 tons of freight cross the desert annually. These figures, it is true, cover both air and camel transport, but they give some indication of the way in which the desert, formerly regarded as an almost impassable barrier, has been overcome. The Nairn Transport Company still provides the most efficient and up-to-date equipment. They are just putting into the desert service a new type of passenger coach, said to be the largest in the world. It has been specially built to Mr. Nairn's design at Indianapolis, and embodies principles which were successfully tested in some of the pipe-carrying units employed in laying down the I.P.C. pipe-line. The coach is 66ft in length, with accommodation for 32 passengers, including buffet and lavatory, and room for a ton of luggage. It is hauled by a Diesel engine developing nearly 200 horse-power, and with a drive on all six wheels. The coach itself has only four wheels, placed right at the rear. It is attached to the tractor by a carefully sprung universal-joint coupling, so that the jolting of the coach is reduced to a minimum. This unit is expected to do a non-stop journey from Damascus to Bagdad in 18 hours. The journey cannot at present be done by car in less than 24. The same company is also using a freight car carrying a 20-ton load hauled on the same principle. With these achievements in evidence it is interesting to speculate how the Palestinian and Mesopotamian campaigns against the Turks in the Great War might have turned out had the possibilities of motor transport, in the desert been realised at the time. The expeditionary force which landed at Basra was expected to have to rely entirely on river transport for its supplies. Accordingly, it was not equipped with cars. Had armoured cars and light lorries been used the Turkish flank might easily have been turned and Bagdad possibly taken in a few months. The same applies to the position at Gaza. Considering those Marmon-Herringtons were designed and built over 85 years ago I wonder how they would have stacked up against the latest big rigs on Outback Truckers. There hasn’t been much done over the decades to advance on that elegant streamlined style. The 150hp Hercules DHXB diesels were described as giants at the time and no doubt dwarfed by the modern power units but they were the ancestors of the WW2 6-cylinder engine that was widely used on land and sea by the military (including model DNX-6 which powered some of the NZ Navy HDMLs) It looks like Nairn Transport kept at least one of the M-Hs well after they were replaced by the White tractors on the main desert route but it appears that both M-H tractors and their trailers must have eventually been scrapped. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 18, 2018 20:10:37 GMT 12
I forgot to say that I contacted the Sound and Vision archive and they have promised to add that radio series I linked to above to their site very soon so we should hopefully be able to hear it shortly.
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Post by emron on Nov 21, 2018 21:17:33 GMT 12
In early 1943 my Dad was a Radar mechanic with 209 Sqn (Catalinas) based at Kisumu, Lake Victoria, Kenya. In late February he got some leave and headed north on a sight seeing trip. I imagine his travel options were limited because the Allies were still battling with Rommel in Tunisia and the invasion of Italy was yet to begin.
The first stage was Kisumu to Cairo with overnight stop at Khartoum, Sudan. Then on to RAF Kasfareet (Suez Canal) where I gather he was billeted for the duration of his stay in Egypt. From there he travelled to Palestine and Trans-Jordan and may have been billeted at RAF Lydda, Tel Aviv from where he visited the local Holy sites; Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho and the Dead Sea. He was an avid photographer and sent lots of photos home. He never went further north to Beirut in Lebanon so it’s unlikely he ever came across a Nairn Transport coach in his travels. His return journey to Kisumu, via Khartoum, followed another stay at Kasfareet and side trip to Cairo.
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Post by emron on Nov 23, 2018 20:35:18 GMT 12
75 Years ago in the Middle East
The Battle of Beirut 12 July 1941 brought to an end Vichy French control of the Mandate of Lebanon and Syria and administration passed to the Free French, but they were no more popular with the locals.
Perhaps in 1943 there were restrictions on travel due to the political unrest.
Lebanon formally achieved its independence from League of Nations mandate under French administration on November 22, 1943. However, French troops only completed their withdrawal from the country on August 31, 1946.
Syria proclaimed its independence in 1941 but it was not until 1 January 1944 that it was recognized as an independent republic. French control of Syria was withdrawn in April 1946.
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. Gas oil costs 5d a gallon. The Iraq Government was now proposing to build its own refinery for the production of cheaper fuel. The Government’s incursion into the field of civil aviation was also mentioned by Mr Nairn. The Iraq authorities were starting an air service between Basra and Bagdad and Bagdad and Teheran; later on the service would be run between Bagdad and Damascus. “The only thing which is holding the first-class bus service for us is our efforts to provide dust-free travelling,” said Mr Nairn. Both Mr Nairn and his brother use a Stinson aeroplane for business trips in Palestine and Iraq, and for carrying spares in emergencies to buses stranded in the desert.
