THIS week’s Nostalgia piece takes another look at the Rhyl Hovercraft from 1962, but this time from the perspective of near-passenger Charles Leach.

Mr Leach was just a child when the service ran, yet has vivid memories of his experience.

“As usual, we took our Summer holiday in Rhyl (from Upton-by-Chester) at the end of July in 1962 where we saw the famous passenger hovercraft at work.

“This operation was the first of its kind and the Vickers VA-3 001 put the seaside resort of Rhyl on the map of North Wales and beyond.

“The facility also carried Royal Mail sacks and some of the letter mail and postcards was hand stamped with a commemorative cancellation.

North Wales Pioneer: A postage stamp for the Hovercraft's first voyage. Photo: Charles LeachA postage stamp for the Hovercraft's first voyage. Photo: Charles Leach

“On a day of operation, Father took me to the Rhyl terminus near the Plastirion Slipway on the promenade where we observed the craft arrive from Wallasey and a sizable crowd had gathered in the area.

“Father instructed me to approach a steward on the beach to ask about the cost of return tickets from Rhyl, which were £2 for an adult and £1 for a child.

“I had already done the mental arithmetic for us and demonstrated five fingers to my Father to overcome the considerable noise of the engine ticking over.

North Wales Pioneer: A postage stamp for the world's first hovercraft service. Photo: Charles LeachA postage stamp for the world's first hovercraft service. Photo: Charles Leach

“On the walk back to my Mother and the deckchairs on the beach my Father later said that £5 was too much for a family trip and in today’s money this amount is about £120.

“On the next day, as an alternative project to a hovercraft trip, we explored the ancient town of Conwy as a venture of discovery and education using public transport as our usual mode of travel; our visit took in the famous castle, harbour and lastly the historic Plas Mawr.

“We returned to Rhyl in a triumphant mood and my interest had now switched to torture chambers from hovercrafts.”

MORE: A history of the 1962 Rhyl Hovercraft service