Joseph Nicholson (28 Nov 1921 - 23 Dec 2020)

In loving memory of Joseph Nicholson who sadly passed away on 23rd December 2020

Joseph Arthur Nicholson aka “Nick” was born on the 28th November 1921, firstborn son of Joseph and Florence Nicholson of Mayfield Road, Swaythling, Southampton. He was part of a large family with one brother and eight sisters.

The family were very poor, and Nick was forced to leave school when he was 14 in 1935. He got a job in various warehouses to help support the family. In 1939 when he was 18, he applied to the Royal Air Force but was turned down due to his age at that time. He eventually joined the RAF in 1942 as a leading aircraftman (LAC). He served in the UK and overseas in West Africa before being discharged in 1946. It was during his time in the RAF that he learned to speak correctly and also with the RAF’s help increased his education specializing in aircraft electrical systems.
He then joined British Airways in their flying boat division at Hythe on Southampton Water working for the famous Bert Head. His work here entailed working on and being part of the flight test team for Sunderland flying boats. However, as the era of flying boats was coming to a close, most of the personnel at Hythe transferred to London Heathrow in 1949 working for British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). Here he was to work on Lockheed Constellations, Douglas DC-4 “Argonauts” and his favorite aircraft, the Boeing Stratocruiser.
He married a Swaythling girl Doreen Morgan in 1950 and his son Clive was born in 1951. In 1952, he was offered a job with West African Airways Corporation (WAAC) in Lagos and the family moved there. He worked on De Havilland Herons and Doves and also Douglas DC-3s, the ubiquitous “Dak”. Also, there were his old favorites, the Boeing Stratocruisers of both BOAC and WAAC. It was during this time in Lagos that he and “Dods” divorced and then remarried in 1956 bringing a daughter Amanda into the family.

In 1958, Ghana decided to form its own airline. Nick was offered and accepted a job with the brand new airline and his employee number was 0012! Here he worked on DC-3s, Boeing Stratocruisers and also the aircraft he hated more than any other, the Bristol Britannia. In Accra, he was the local engineer for BOAC as well as his duties with Ghana Airways.
In 1962, he decided to immigrate to South Africa with the family. This was not a success in any manner and after only six months the family moved to Salisbury in Southern Rhodesia. Here he worked for Central African Airways mainly on DC-3s and Vickers Viscounts. With the oncoming Unilateral Declaration of Independence, in 1964, he took a job with the Federal Flight Unit in Lagos. This was the Government Flight for General Yakubu Gowon the President of Nigeria. The aircraft was a Hawker Siddeley 125 and his prime function was of engineer although he also acted as first officer on all flights. Numerous adventures occurred during this time as the Biafran War was in full swing in Nigeria.

In 1970, he and “Dods” decided to try running a pub back in the UK. In all they ran three successful pubs, the Wicor Mill in Portchester, the City Arms in Salisbury and the Anchor Inn, Eling on Southampton Water.
By 1974, he had realized that running a pub was not a job he really enjoyed and so, he joined East African Airways in Nairobi, Kenya. Here he was to work on DC-3s again plus Douglas DC-9s and Vickers VC-10s. He loved the work, the people and the country. Alas, in acrimonious circumstances in 1977, the Kenyan government decided to close down East African Airways and form a new airline called Kenya Airways. He became one of the founding engineers for Kenya Airways and worked on DC-3s, DC-9s, Boeing 707s and airbus 310s. Also, during this year, his wife “Dods” died in Kenya.

Kenya Airways became a success and he took up golf becoming a proud member of the Royal Nairobi golf club. In 1979, he met Jana, a Czechoslovakian who lived and worked as a nurse in Nairobi. They married in 1987 and built a life together in Nairobi with Jana’s two young daughters, Andrea and Dana. Nick continued to work with Kenya Airways until his retirement in 1990. Nick, Jana and Dana then moved back to Nick’s hometown Southampton in the UK. During his retirement Nick travelled abroad to visit Amanda and Andrea in the Middle East & Cyprus and Clive in the USA where he would also spend some time with his two grandsons Mark and Ian. Nick was also a grandfather (“Deda”) to Dana’s two daughters Mara and Ruma. Just before his passing, he welcomed the joyful news of the birth of his great-granddaughter Addison, born to Mark in Washington State, USA.

Nick is survived by his wife Jana, his children Clive, Amanda, Andrea and Dana, his grandchildren Mark, Ian, Mara and Ruma and his great-grandchild Addison.