Dragonfly Boat

The Wilts & Berks magazine ‘Dragonfly’ was named after a boat, here is an extract from magazine issue #1 dated November 1977:

"Our journal is named after the steam inspection launches of HR de Salis, deputy chairman of F.M.C at the time. The second launch had many connections with W & B, being photographed in the locks at Ardington and Latton Basin. It was built at Abingdon in 1895 and its engine boiler built at Wantage"

A set of glass slides held by Swindon Library shows that ‘Dragonfly’ had passed along the Wilts & Berks Canal and North Wilts Canal in 1895, see photos below, these slides feature in Swindon Library’s ‘Flickr Collection, they don’t show ‘Dragonfly’ to the south-west of Swindon, although there is proof that it travelled along the entire canal.

H R de Salis’ book called the ‘Chronology of Inland Navigation’ was published in 1897, and at the back of the book Mr de Salis listed the journeys he had made on the inland waterways, perhaps to show his extensive knowledge. The table shows that ‘Dragonfly’ traversed the Wilts & Berks and North Wilts canals up to three times, as shown in the table below from his ‘Chronology’ book:

De Salis
Image credit: HathiTrust Chronology of Inland Navigation in Great Britain, Compiled from various sources by Henry Rodolph De Salis, Page 124.
Dragonfly Journey 00
Image credit: Wikimedia Henry Rodolph de Salis launch Dragonfly as seen in The Engineer of 8 November 1895
Dragonfly Journey 01
Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library Steventon Lock and Tailbridge, near Abingdon, c1895
Dragonfly Journey 02
Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library Longcot Bottom Lock, c1895
Dragonfly Journey 03
Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library Drawbridge above Longcot Top Lock, c1895. Geolocation estimated
Dragonfly Journey 04
Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library Somewhere near Shrivenham, c1895. Geolocation estimated
Dragonfly Journey 05
Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library North Wilts canal, drawbridge between Cricklade & Latton, c1895. Geolocation estimated
Dragonfly Journey 06
Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library North Wilts canal, aqueduct over The River Thames, c1895
Dragonfly Journey 07
Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library North Wilts Canal, River Thames just above the acqueduct, c1895.
Dragonfly Journey 08
Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library
North Wilts canal, Latton Stop Lock & Toll House, c1895
Dragonfly Journey 09
Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library North Wilts canal, Latton Stop Lock & Toll House, Latton Basin, c1895
Dragonfly Journey 10
Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library North Wilts canal, junction with the Thames & Severn Canal, c1895. Geolocation estimated
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