A remarkable personal collection of memorabilia from the very first British Airways Concorde passenger flight has been gifted to the museum where the iconic aircraft itself is displayed. The donor, businessman Anthony Hopkins, was one of the select 100 passengers on board the historic journey from London to Bahrain on January 21, 1976.
A Cabin Bag Full of History
Mr Hopkins meticulously saved dozens of items from his pioneering trip. His archive includes the original tickets, luggage tags, promotional material, and the onboard safety card. The collection also features the in-flight menu, which was signed by nearly everyone on the flight, including the late British broadcaster Peter Sissons.
The menu offers a tantalising glimpse into the luxury of supersonic travel. Passengers were treated to caviar and lobster canapes with champagne before a three-course lunch. The drink selection featured aperitifs and classic cocktails such as negronis and gin fizz.
Reuniting a Story with its Symbol
Mr Hopkins, who lived in Sale, Cheshire, at the time, brought the archive with him while visiting the National Museum of Flight at East Fortune Airfield in East Lothian on holiday. He showed it to assistant curator of aviation, Ian Brown, who immediately recognised its significance.
The museum has been home to the British Airways Concorde G-BOAA, now known as "Scotland's Concorde", since April 19, 2004. It has attracted over 1.5 million visitors. Mr Brown described receiving the donation as "amazing" and "absolutely unique".
"There are only 100 people that got to be on that first flight," said Mr Brown. "Having this material from one of the people on that flight, which was the Concorde that we have here at the museum, was just amazing. It really brings it to life."
He emphasised that the value lies in the human connection: "It's not just the aeroplane... it's people's stories, it's about Mr Hopkins and his experience of the flight, and that personalises it."
A Legacy Preserved for the Future
The donation was announced on the eve of the 50th anniversary of that inaugural BA flight. The Concorde fleet was grounded in 2000 after a tragic Air France crash in Paris. Although it returned to service in 2001 following modifications, British Airways announced the retirement of its fleet in April 2003.
"Concorde is renowned as an extraordinary feat of engineering and a symbol of luxury, even 50 years on," stated Mr Brown. He noted that such personal archives rarely survive and enter museum collections, making this an invaluable resource.
"We are grateful to Mr Hopkins for enabling us to reunite his collection with Golf-Bravo Oscar Alpha Alpha at the National Museum of Flight," he added. The museum, which explores aviation from the First World War to today, also displays aircraft like a Red Arrows Hawk and a Supermarine Spitfire.
