Your article on the great sea planes (CP 03-09-21 and online) triggered a memory.

I have some of the large photographic prints that my father, Harold Harley, made as a keen amateur photographer, and one of these is entitled Sleeping Princess.

The labels on the back show it was exhibited at Harrow Camera Club exhibition in 1955 — and also the MWBSA — I’m not sure what that stands for, but believe it may have been in the Middlesex area.

The picture may well have been taken on the Island — we then came for two family holidays in Shanklin in 1961 and 1965 when I was very young. I have vague memories of ferries and steam trains — the days of a trunk going by luggage in advance.

The original photo is about 14x12 and is a few years older than me, so it’s wearing well!

Philip Hawkins, St Lawrence:

Re: your article about the Princess flying boats: In the light of a badly deteriorating memory, it seems odd that one of the things I do remember is coming to the Island on holiday and seeing the tail of G-ALUN sticking out of the hangar.

“Dad, dad, what’s that?” After a brief pause, the answer: “A Sunderland”, was enough to shut me up! It was only later I discovered what I’d really seen . . .

A sad tale of yet another great idea overtaken by events.