During 1942 – 1943 , civil services were developed to Shannon Airport and an extension of the Lisbon route to Gibraltar , with Lisbon and Shannon providing connections to the United States . Famous passengers who used these services included Bob Hope , Bing Crosby , Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and Eleanor Roosevelt . On 1 June 1943 , BOAC Flight 777 was shot down en route to Whitchurch from Lisbon , with the loss of four Dutch crew and 13 passengers , including the actor Leslie Howard
BOAC Flight 777
BOAC Flight 777
Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport