1952 : Overseas visits

1952 : OVERSEAS VISITS

1952 : Meher Baba at the Meher Center, Myrtle Beach, SC. Image rendition by Anthony Zois.

This webpage explores all the destinations that Meher Baba and his close ones ( mandali ) visited both briefly & extensively to the West between 18th May and 23rd August 1952. A total of 127 days, mostly spent in the USA.

This was the first tour of the West since 1937 some 15 years earlier.

This webpage is divided into 2 parts 1) Westward route to the West 2) Eastward route back to India. There are maps that illustrate the routes in both directions. By clicking on the maps you can enlarge them to show the details more clearly.

The other 5, 1952 webpages on the index to the left, cover different aspects of this tour more extensively. There are many other webpages attached to these, such as the various aeroplanes, trains, road trips, destinations and the many people with whom Meher Baba met throughout this visit. These webpages are indicated by the under-scored names and by clicking them you are taken to the relevant page.

1952 WESTWARD ROUTE TO THE WEST

MAP 1 : 1952 Map shows the Westward route of Meher Baba's visit to the West

1952 WESTBOUND ROUTE DAILY TRAVELS LIST

FLIGHT CARRIER : T W A - Flight 905

18th April : Depart Bombay's ( Santa Cruz Airport ) - Friday 11pm

19th April : Arrive Dhahran airfield, Saudi Arabia at 4am, depart 4:45am

Arrive Cairo ( King Farouk the First Airport ), Egypt at 8am, depart 9am

Arrive Rome ( Ciampino Airport ), Italy at 2:30pm, depart 3:30pm

Arrive Paris ( Orly Airport ), France at 6:45pm, depart 8pm

Arrive Shannon Airport, Ireland airport at 9:30pm, depart ~10:30pm

20th April : Arrive Gander Airport, Newfoundland, Canada at 4:30am, depart ~5:30pm

Arrive New York's ( Idlewild Airport ) at 10:30am, depart midnight train ( 12am ).

BY TRAIN

21st April : Arrive Florence Railway Station, Sth.Carolina at 11am, depart 1:30am

Distance : 626 miles or 1007 km

BY CARS

21st April : Depart Florence, SC. Arrive Myrtle Beach, Sth. Carolina - Meher Spiritual Center at 3pm.

Distance : 68 miles or 109 km

Click on under-lined names to visit their web-pages.

SYNOPSIS

Meher Baba and his entourage of male & female close followers ( mandali ) started their Western tour when they flew out of Bombay Airport on Friday 18th April 1952 flying with TWA.

Their destination was New York, USA, arriving on the 20th April at Idlewild Airport.

They then left by train to Florence, South Carolina at midnight, the same day. They arrived at Florence, SC., the next day at 11am ( 21st ), they were then driven to the Meher Spiritual Center at Myrtle Beach, SC, arriving at 3pm.

After a months stay on the Center, Baba and his ones drove off in 2 cars for the West Coast. A few days later on the 24th May, at Prague, Oklahoma, Baba's car was involved in an serious accident with another motor vehicle.

Meher Baba suffered fractures and other serious injuries along with some of his car's occupants.

Following his treatment at the local hospital, he was transported along with the group back to Myrtle Beach to recover and seek expert treatment from nearby medical institutions. During this period he and the female mandali stay at Elizabeth Paterson's home - Youpon Dunes, staying for 5 weeks.

Baba and his entourage of 15 travelled by train back from Florence, SC., to New York City, staying in Scarsdale, NY till the near end of July.

Baba and his women mandali and a couple of others flew from New York's Idlewild Airport on the 30th July via Gander, Canada to London, England, arriving the 31st.

They strayed a week, before flying to Zurich, Switzerland on the 6th August. Their destination was to Locarno, where Walter & Hedi Mertens lived. Here Baba was to continue his recuperation and his medical treatment. The women mandali explored the majestic country surroundings nearby with Baba occasionally as well, until the 21st August.

Meher Baba and his mandali left Geneva, Switzerland on the 21st. Their plane flew to Paris & Marseilles, France before flying to Beirut, Lebanon & Karachi, Pakistan and onto Bombay, India on the 23rd August. Baba reached Meherazad early in the morning of the following day.

AZ

MAP 2 : 1952 Map shows the Westbound route of Meher Baba's visit to the West - 1st part

MAP 2A : 1952 Map showing the Westward route through the Middle East. Map graphics by Anthony Zois.

MAP 3 : 1952 Map shows the Westbound route of Meher Baba's visit to the West - 2nd part

1952 EASTBOUND ROUTE BACK TO INDIA

Pan-Am DC-6B Rainbow Service New York to London, U.K.

1952 EASTWARD ROUTE DAILY TRAVELS LIST

FLIGHT CARRIER : PAN AM - Flight 50

30th July : Depart New York's ( Idlewild Airport ) USA at ~3pm

Arrive Gander Airport, Canada at ~8pm, depart 8:45pm

31st July : *** Arrive Shannon Airport, Ireland at ~3:30am, depart ~5am

Arrive London Airport ( later Heathrow ), England at 10am.

6th August : Depart London at 11:30am by Swissair Flight 111

Arrive Zurich Airport, Switzerland at 2pm

BY CARS

6th August : Arrive Locarno, Switzerland at 10:30pm

18th August : Depart Locarno at 8am, Arrive Geneva, Switzerland at ?

BY PLANE

21st August : Depart Geneva, Switzerland at 5:40pm by Air France, Flight 437

Arrive Paris, France 7pm - Change planes to Air France Flight 180, depart 11pm

22nd August : Arrive Marseille, France at 1am, depart 2am ( Air France Flight 180 )

Arrive Beirut Airport, Lebanon at 9am, depart 11am

22nd August : Arrive Karachi Airport, Pakistan at 9pm. They stayed the night at the airport.

23rd August : Depart 12:30pm ( afternoon ) by Scindia Air Services No.3

Arrive Bhuj, India at 2:30pm, depart 3pm

Arrive Jamnagar, India at 3:40pm, depart 4pm

Arrive Bombay Airport at 6:10pm. Driven straight to Meherazad, India.

Arrive Meherazad 1:30 am.

*** The landing at Shannon Airport is mentioned in a 1952 Pan Am flight schedule brochure, but is not mentioned on the Lord Meher on-line site.

MAP 4 : 1952 Map shows Meher Baba's Eastbound route back to India from the West - 1st part

MAP 5 : Map showing the return route by plane from New York City to London, heading back to India via Europe.

MAP 6 : 1952 - Detail of the Eastbound route to India via England & Europe. Map graphics by Anthony Zois

SWISSAIR LINES

London to Zurich

6th August : Depart London at 11:30am by Swissair Flight 111 Arrived Zurich 2 pm.

MAP 7 : 1952 - Eastbound Plane & road routes across Europe heading back to India.

MAP 8 : 1952 Map shows Meher Baba's Eastbound route back to India from the West - 2nd part

MAP 9 : 1952 - Detailed Eastbound routes to India via England, Europe & the Middle East. Map graphics by Anthony Zois

Mid-April 1952 : Meher Baba recouperating at the Merten's home in Locarno, Switzerland. Image rendition by Anthony Zois.

AIR FRANCE

Geneva to Paris ( Orly Airport ) - Flight 437 & 180

see Map 7 above

Departed Geneva on 21 st August at 5:40 pm and arrived Paris' Orly Airport at 7 pm. Change over to new plane 4 hours later at 11 pm.

This airport was handling all domestic & overseas destinations in Paris.

At some point in 1952, there was a gradual hand-over of overseas traffic to Orly Airport which was 13 kms / 8 miles south of central Paris, whereas, Le Bourget is 10 kms / 6 miles north of central Paris., the first airport of Paris.

After changing planes in Paris, Baba and his women Mandali flew to Marseille in the south of France, then to Beirut, Lebanon and the final leg to Karachi, Pakistan.

ORLY AIRPORT, PARIS

1952 RETURN FLIGHT ROUTE ACROSS THE MIDDLE-EAST

MAP 10 : 1952 Map - Air France flight route from France to Beirut & onto Karachi and India.

BEIRUT AIRPORT, LEBANON

Arrive Beirut Airport, Lebanon on 22nd August at 9am, from Marseille, France on Air France Flight 180. After re-fueling the plane departed 11am.