Lt. Col. Arthur "Art" James Williams, USAAF, AAM, OBE was a pioneering pilot who helped develop aviation in

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

, then

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first European to encounter Guiana was S ...

. Art Williams arrived in British Guiana in August 1934 piloting an Ireland N-2C Neptune amphibian biplane, (regn. NC183M), powered by a

Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp The Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp is an aircraft engine of the reciprocating type that was widely used in American aircraft from the 1920s onward. It was the Pratt & Whitney aircraft company's first engine, and the first of the famed Wasp series ...

, 9-cylinder radial engine, landing on the

Demerara River The Demerara River is a river in eastern Guyana that rises in the central rainforests of the country and flows to the north for 346 kilometres until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. Georgetown, Guyana's largest seaport and capital, is situated o ...

. In 1938, he registered British Guiana Airways Limited. Also known as B.G. Airways, Williams was contracted by the government doing mail delivery and survey work. During World War II volunteered for service, performing anti-submarine patrols until he was called up for military service as Major in the U.S. Air force. Willams was also advisor for the development of

Atkinson Field Atkinson may refer to: Places *Atkinson, Nova Scotia, Canada * Atkinson, Dominica, a village in Dominica *Atkinson, Illinois, U.S. *Atkinson, Indiana, U.S. * Atkinson, Maine, U.S. *Atkinson Lake, a lake in Minnesota, U.S. *Atkinson, Nebraska, U. ...

and many hinterland airstrips. On April 1, 1942, Major Williams, accompanied by Thomas Persaud, flew into the Orinoco Delta and rescued 20 men from a US Army plane which had lost its way, and had crash-landed on the Venezuelan Coast. In May 1943, when a US C54, which was carrying headquarters staff to China with gold bullion, made a forced landing on the Ituribisi River. After leaving Guiana, Williams moved to Jupiter, Florida to be with wife Inez and his two children. The Art Williams & Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School in Guyana was named for Williams in 1993.

References

External links

Flier off to Renew Search for Redfern
1936 New York Times article about Williams. Year of birth missing Year of death missing Guyanese military personnel Aviation in Guyana {{aviation-bio-stub