03/31/2011. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "Although first designed and flown in 1942, the York did not enter large-scale service with RAF Transport Command until after the war. By agreement with the USA, Britain's aircraft industry had concentrated on fighters and bombers during the war, leaving the supply of new transport aircraft to American firms. The York, therefore, was an 'off-the-ration' aircraft, and wartime production proceeded very slowly, as full priority was given to Lancaster bombers.

Before 1945 the thin trickle of Yorks consisted mainly of VIP aircraft, including serial LV633 for prime minister Winston Churchill, MW102 for C-in-C South-east Asia Command Lord Louis Mountbatten, MW107 for Field-marshal Smuts and MW140 for Governor-General of Australia H.R.H. the Duke of Gloucester, while MW100 and MW101 were VIP transports for 'general use'.

Between January 8 and September 11. 1944, five Yorks, serial MW103, MW108, MW113, MW121 and MW129, were diverted to BOAC and registered G-AGJA to G-AGJE (c/n 1207 to 1211). These were configured as a combination of passenger/freight, seating twelve passengers in the rear of the cabin, and inaugurated the first UK-Cairo (read Almaza) route via Morocco on April 22, 1944.

G-AGJB, named Marathon and allotted the Trooping Serial Number WW503, served for a number of years as an airliner, in 1949 it was deregulated to training. On September 11, 1952 it was put up for disposal, and a year later, November 5, 1953 it was registered to Aviation Traders Ltd. The registration was cancelled April 3, 1959 as 'withdrawn from use', reportedly it had been scrapped in 1955."

Read the type remarks on page 896.