In February, 1942, an Imperial Airways Boeing 314 flying boat took off from Darrell's Island on a flight that made aviation history.

Had anything gone wrong during that first direct flight from Bermuda to Britain, the consequences would probably have changed the entire course of the Second World War. For on board that flying boat was Winston Churchill, and with him, the three heads of Britain's armed services -- the army, navy and air force.

The war-time leader had stopped off in Bermuda after visiting President Roosevelt in Washington and, after addressing the Island's House of Assembly, was due to have left aboard the British battleship HMS King George V .

Churchill, however, had other ideas, and wanted to know if the flying boat could get him to England without stopping off to refuel. With all excess baggage removed and the plane filled to capacity with fuel, it was decided that it could. Churchill clambered aboard, swearing worried officials to secrecy: "The King could stop me doing this,'' he is reported to have said.

The vulnerable aircraft carried civilian colours, something normally respected and left free of attack on Atlantic runs by the predatory Germans.

This fascinating, `what-if' story was told by Mr. Eric Wheatley, senior station officer at Darrell's Island at the time, who was back in Bermuda last week to present a painting of the historic flying boat to Bermuda's Maritime Museum.

"This year is the 70th anniversary of Imperial Airways, which was the forerunner of BOAC and then British Airways (BA), so I thought it would be appropriate to do something,'' he explains. "In 1987, British Airways and PanAm sponsored an exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of aviation in Bermuda, but I realised then that there was nothing much on show that reflected BA's role, so I wanted to set that right.'' In fact, Mr. Wheatley, who retired in 1972, points out that Imperial Airways built the Darrell's Island airport for the operation of their Cavalier service from Bermuda to New York in 1937.

"We managed Darrell's Island and PanAm used our facilities.'' Now Mr. Wheatley has commissioned an oil painting by British artist Terry Woollett depicting the `Berwick' Boeing 314, used by Churchill on that historic flight, which will hang in the Maritime Museum.

Reflecting on those early years with Imperial Airways, Mr. Wheatley says he was posted to Bermuda in 1941, through the RAF `Special Duties' operation.

"Although I was with the RAF, I had to wear `civvies' because we had to travel a lot through neutral countries. PanAm remained a commercial airline, but once war broke out, BOAC's entire facilities were placed at the disposal of the British government.'' In those days, he explains, BOAC's head base over this side of the ocean was in Baltimore. So in the winter, the Cavaliers would fly from Baltimore to Bermuda, then to the Azores, then Lisbon and finally over to England.

"On the way back, because of the winds, it was worse! You had to fly UK, Lisbon, Lagos, Belem, Trinidad, Bermuda and back to Baltimore. It used to take about three days. And 14 to get to Australia!'' Mr. Wheatley remembers that using the Azores as a refuelling stop had its own complications. "There were often very heavy seas, and if the Atlantic swells were over three feet, the aircraft couldn't land on the water.

Sometimes those swells lasted two or three days and the passengers had to stay here in Bermuda. Sometimes, they would offload passengers so that we could get more fuel on board and fly straight to Lisbon.'' That city, he recalls, was not a place in which to linger -- and one that Churchill obviously had to avoid. "With Portugal being neutral, Lisbon was a hot-bed of German spies!'' Another duty for Mr. Wheatley and his staff during the war, was to contact Gibb's Hill lighthouse which, due to the presence of German U-boats lurking all around the Island, had been switched off for the duration of the war.

"When we got the estimated time of arrival, we would telephone the lighthouse and ask them to switch on to guide the plane in.'' It was only when Mr. Wheatly was transferred to Trinidad just after the war, that he met his wife, Isabel.

"She had, in fact, arrived in Bermuda before me, and we'd been entertained by the same people, but never actually met!'' Mrs. Wheatley had just graduated with degrees in French and German from Aberdeen University when, early in 1940, she was summoned by the War Office to undertake German translation work.

"Then in that September, I was sent out in the first Censorship Detachment to work at the Princess Hotel.'' Noting that many "valuable'' finds were made during that massive operation which involved 1,000 workers, she said, "I think it would be nice to have some sort of plaque put up in the Princess Hotel, to commemorate the remarkable work done there. The British government leased the entire hotel for the whole of the war. They had translators, experts in gems and art, people who specialised in secret writing, codes and ciphers. It was an incredible effort!'' In 1942, she was transferred to Trinidad: "This was my first flight in a Catalina flying boat and it took 12 hours. But there was an electrical storm so we had to come down in Grenada and it so happened that this was the first time a plane had ever landed there. I think the entire island turned out to see us land. Then us three girls had to get on the harbour police vessel, which turned out to be a row-boat!'' The Wheatleys returned to Bermuda in 1946, where Mr. Wheatley became a BOAC manager.

"We had to close down Darrell's Island in 1948 because, by then, land planes had taken over, and we transferred to Kindley Field, where we leased facilities from the Americans.'' Recalling that Darrell's Island had been very expensive to run, with ten launches to look after and operate, he explained, "We also had Customs and Immigration out there, and as soon as the war ended, we became a civilian operation.'' Mr. Wheatley recalled that they used to give passengers `Notes for Comfort On Board' and would even advise ladies what to pack for their journeys. Some of the items listed in these notes make curious reading today: Afternoon Dresses, Washing Frocks (silk), Cami-knickers, Bathing Cap, 3 Pairs Gloves (one for evening) and 3 Chemise...

Some of the articles supplied, free of charge, during the flights included, such items as Cocoa, Bovril, cocktail snacks and sandwiches, pencils and notepaper, cottonwool, aspirin, Eno's fruit salts and barley sugar, soap, towels and lavender smelling salts, needles and tape.

And if anyone was bored, they would be supplied with playing cards, books, dice and shaker, draughts and chess boards.

In stark contrast to the flying experience today, Mr. Wheatley recalls that on Darrell's Island, his staff would serve tea while the passengers' baggage was unloaded. They would then conduct them to a launch which would stop off at each of the hotels -- Belmont, Inverurie, Newstead, Salt Kettle and the Princess.

"When we were departing, we did the journey in reverse, picking passengers up, and giving them breakfast while we loaded the aircraft. We always left at 9 a.m. on the dot -- people in Hamilton used to set their watches by us as we flew over Hamilton.'' Sadly, says Mr. Wheatley, those happy, leisurely days that characterised Bermuda's popularity as a vacation destination, are a thing of the past.

"Bermuda is not friendly, as it was in those days. When my wife and I flew in this week, we didn't see one smile from the time we landed to the time we arrived at the Princess Hotel.'' The Wheatleys, who travel extensively all over the world, and have continued to visit the Island on a regular basis, have found themselves recently comparing Bermuda unfavourably with other destinations, such as Hawaii, the Mediterranean and some islands in the West Indies.

"I think some effort has to be made to educate tourism staff in the art of smiling. They didn't say `please' or `thank you'. Immigration and Customs were unpleasant -- rude, actually. There was not one word from the taxi driver. We tried to talk to him, as we were excited about coming back, but he couldn't be bothered to reply to any of our questions. Bermuda can't afford this attitude -- there's too much competition from friendlier, cheaper resorts. We received no welcome at all until we arrived at the Princess. Thankfully, their staff are very well trained and friendly.'' ANNIVERSARY GIFT -- Commemorating the 70th anniversary of Imperial Airways, Mr. Eric Wheatley (third from left), former Bermuda manager of the airline (forerunner of British Airways), presents a painting of the historic Boeing 314 flying boat `Berwick' to Bermuda Maritime Museum director Dr. Edward Harris (second from left). Also shown (left) is present British Airways manager Mr. Philip Troake, and on the right, Mrs. Eric Wheatley, who first came to Bermuda as a `censorette' during the Second World War.