Mrs Hilda Beatrice Hewlett

Royal Aero Club Certificate No. 122 (29 Aug 1911)

  in 1911, aged 47

Wow, nice... ummm... what is that exactly? 

b. Hilda Beatrice Bird, 17 Feb 1874 in Vauxhall, London; married novelist Maurice Hewlett. Created and ran the first flying school in the UK, and then a successful aircraft manufacturing business with Gustav Blondeau. Her 20-year-old son Francis got his RAeC certificate shortly after she did (No 156). He later became an Air Commodore.

Emigrated to New Zealand (to get away from "crowds, convention and civilization") and died there 21 Aug 1943.

See Hewlett, Gail (2010) 'Old Bird - The Irrepressible Mrs Hewlett' (Troubadour Publishing Ltd, Leicester, ISBN 978 1848763 371)

First British Woman to hold an RAeC Certificate.

 Mrs Cheridah Anne de Beauvoir Stocks

Royal Aero Club Certificate No. 153 (7 Nov 1911)

  1911, aged 24

RAeC Certificate No 153 - 7 Nov 1911

b. Somerset; youngest daughter of Major Ernst, D.L., J.P. of Westombe, Evercreech.

In September 1913, she and Sydney Pickles ( ) crashed at Hendon; they were both taken from the wreckage unconscious and sent off to the nearby Central London Sick Asylum. Sydney had a crushed foot, fractured thigh and abdominal wounds; Cheridah was in a 'semi-conscious state' for weeks, [I know the feeling], but eventually recovered. Her struggle to recover and walk again was "closely followed by the newspapers".

It looks like she was amongst the dozens of women who signed a 'Plea for a Constitutional Decision' in 1917 against immediately giving women the vote - suggesting that a decision should be postponed until after the war. "A considerable number of women do not desire the vote", they reckoned. It might have been another Mrs Stocks, of course...

After WWII, Cheridah studied for a BSc at Oxford and travelled the world.

Her husband, Commander David de Beavoir Stocks D.S.O. Legion of Honour, died 31st January 1918 in a submarine.

d. 1st May 1971 in Northampton aged 84 after a long illness; the Times said that she was "a most beautiful woman and her vivacious character and her exploits won her much popularity".

2nd British woman to get an RAeC Certificate:

 Mrs Winnie Buller

F.A.I. Certificate  No 848 in May 1912

b. Norfolk but got her aviator's certificate from the French F.A.I.

by which time I trust her hair was dry, although she seems to have forgotten to plug it in.

 Mrs Cicely Ethel Wilkinson

Royal Aero Club Certificate No. 3522 (11 Sep 1916)

 b. 5 Jun 1888(?), Eastbourne

Her Wikipedia entry is here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicely_Ethel_Wilkinson

Flights to and from South Africa

The "All-British" air route between Cairo and the Cape was first opened for traffic in 1920. They could do this because, thanks to Cecil Rhodes and his fellow empire-builders, the map was coloured pink all the way, [denoting, of course, that they were part of the British Empire]

Some of the 44 aerodromes established for the 1920 'all-red' Route (with present-day country names], click to enlarge

The route had been first surveyed in 1918, when 3 military parties were instructed to explore and, as far as possible, prepare the route. They worked with the local authorities and cut many of the aerodromes out of the dense jungle, felling thousands of trees  - and relocating tens of thousands of tons of soil - in the process.

This is what they achieved:

Pretty soon, people were queueing up to use this new route.

Here are the successful flights, and some notable brave attempts:

The England to Australia Race 1919

A Prize of £10,000  is offered for the first flight by an all-Australian Crew 

from Great Britain to Australia

in 720 consecutive hours (30 days).  

--o--

Entry Fee: £100

Earliest Start Date: 8 September, 1919

The aircraft shall at all times be at the risk, in all respects, of the Competitor, who will agree to waive all claim for injury either to himself, his passenger, his aircraft, his employees, or workmen.

Australia's WWI Prime Minister, W M 'Billy' Hughes, was talking to some Australian airmen in Kent on Christmas Day 1918 who told him that, now the war was over, they would love to fly their aeroplanes back to Australia. Although Billy was concerned about the safety of such a journey, he was always convinced that aviation had a great part to play in Australia's future development, and he promised to see if his government could finance an air race.

Which he duly did, although the 'Melbourne Age' newspaper described it as a "circus flight - a poorly disguised attempt at self-advertisement at the expense of the Australian public", and the 'Argus' felt there was no need to throw public money at a flight which "would soon become commonplace".

Most people, however, saluted this rather daring attempt to link together the Old and the New World. In London, the 'Aircraft' magazine reckoned that "Our government might take a leaf out of the book of Australia".

The route had more-or-less been surveyed, at least as far as India, by the RAF in 1918 at the instigation of Brig-Gen Amyas Eden Borton and Maj-Gen W G H Salmond. They then arranged for a ship of the Indian Navy to drop petrol and supplies along the rest of the route; unfortunately this ship exploded and sank after a couple of days (Gen Borton and Ross Smith were aboard, but luckily escaped). Setting out in another ship, this time they deposited supplies (having decided not to carry petrol this time) at various places as far as Thailand.

Which only left 1,760 miles to the race's proposed end-point of Darwin (where there was, as yet, no landing strip, although admittedly it was being worked on). The organisers thought it would therefore be a good idea to have aeroplanes patrolling the coast near Darwin, to drop food and water (by parachute) to any "distressed airmen" who might get that far.

---

Although he was not eligible for the £10,000, (being, in a sense, French), Etienne Poulet also decided to make an attempt to fly from France to Australia at the same time. After battling most of the way in his trusty old WWI Caudron, he was overtaken by the eventual winners (Ross Smith et al) in Akyab, Burma on the 29 November 1919 and abandoned his attempt a few days later.

C 3023 

Caudron G4 (2 x 80hp Le Rhone engines)

Etienne Poulet 

Jean Benoist

(mechanic) 

Left Villa Coublay airfield (nr Paris) 12 October 1919 08:15

Abandoned flight in Moulmein, Burma, 9 December 1919

 02

G-EAKS

Sopwith Wallaby

[later G-AUDU

Regd. 19 Aug 1919 to Sopwith Aviation & Engineering Co Ltd

Crashed Bali 17 Apr 1920

rebuilt]

 Capt George Campbell Matthews

Sgt-Mech Thomas Darrell Kay

(mechanic, assistant pilot, assistant navigator)

Left Hounslow 21 October 1919 11:44

Crashed 17 Apr 1920 in Bali - Sgt Kay sustained broken ribs.

"When we started our momentous journey on October 22, London was enveloped in a pea-soup fog and there was an impenetrable haze over the Channel. We reached Mayence, near Frankfurt, without incident, but were forced by snow and rain to remain there for almost a month.

The next start was to Vienna. We were forced to land in an open field, where we were surrounded by armed Yugoslavs, who took us prisoners and secured possession of our identification papers. On the fourth day, taking advantage of the temporary absence of the guard, we grabbed our papers and bolted for the aeroplane, and got away easily.

After spending three weeks in Belgrade in the deepest despair a French aviator arrived, and he was reluctantly induced to let us have sufficient petrol to take us to Bukarest. In the vicinity of Adrianople temporary trouble with the petrol pump caused a forced landing in what from the air appeared to be a nice grass field, but as soon as the machine touched the ground it sank to the axles in a quagmire. Sergt. Kay located and repaired the fault, but we could only get away by Kay hanging on to the tail and making a flying jump for the fuselage at the take-off.

We spent three days in Constantinople, but when giving the engine a final running trial a leak was found. With the aid of chewing gum, powdered asbestos, and copper wire we repaired the leak, and set off to Bagdad, with the engine in a rotten condition.

After flying for three hours we encountered a tremendous sandstorm and were forced to land on the seashore, where the machine sank in soft sand. The nose tilted, and the propeller, axle, and longeron were smashed. With some angle iron from a fence we repaired the longeron, and with old iron bars spliced the broken axle. The rain and sun had warped the reserve propeller rather badly, and we were doubtful whether the shaken machine would stand the extra heavy drag. However, we decided to chance it, but were forced to land again in the blazing desert, under a scorching sun, that threatened to melt the aeroplane. We dragged it three miles to the shelter of an Englishman's verandah, and there fixed it up again.

We started cheerily on the penultimate stage of the journey to Australia, but in the forced landing at Bali the wings were smashed, and all hope of completing the final stage of the journey to Darwin abandoned. "

  G-EAOU

Vickers FB.27A Vimy

(2 x 350 h.p. Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII).

F8630 later A5-1

Regd 23 Oct 1919 to Vickers Ltd

Sold to RAAF 1922

Capt Ross Macpherson Smith

(Chief Pilot)

Lt Keith Macpherson Smith

(Assistant pilot / navigator)

Sgt James Mallett Bennett

(mechanic)

 

Sgt Walter Henry Shiers

(mechanic)

Left Hounslow 12 November 1919 09:05

Arrived Darwin 10 Dec 1919 (27 days, 20 hours) - First flight from Great Britain to Australia

 G-EAOX

Alliance P.2/2 'Endeavour'

Regd. 23 Oct 1919 to Alliance Aeroplane Co Ltd

Crashed Surbiton 13 Nov 1919

Lt Roger Douglas

Lt J S Leslie Ross

(navigator)

Crashed shortly after take-off from Hounslow - both men killed

 G-EAOW

Blackburn Kangaroo

aka B9970

Regd 24 Dec 1919 to Blackburn Aeroplane & Motor Co Ltd

Crashed Suda Bay 8 Dec 1919 and abandoned.

Lt Valdemar Rendle

Lt David Reginald Williams

Capt George Hubert Wilkins (navigator)

Lt Garnsey Henry Meade St Clair Potts

(mechanic)

Left Hounslow 21 November 1919

Crashed Suda Bay, Crete 8 Dec 1919 after engine failure - no injuries.

 G-EAMR

Martinsyde A1

Regd 10 Sept 1919 to Martinsyde Ltd

Crashed Corfu 9 Dec 1919, sank and broke up

Capt Cedric Ernest Howell

(pilot-navigator)

Corpl George Henry Fraser

(engineer)

Left Hounslow 4 December 1919

Forced landing in the sea off Corfu 9 Dec 1919 after running out of fuel - both men killed

 G-EAQM

Airco D.H.9 'P.D.'

Regd 31 Dec 1919 to RJP Parer/Hounslow

aka F1278, later G-AUKI

Preserved in the Australian War Museum

Lt Raymond John Paul Parer

Lt John Cowie McIntosh

Left Hounslow 8 January 1920

Arrived Darwin 2 Aug 1920

Ray and John persuaded Scottish millionaire distiller Peter Dawson (hence the P.D.) to give them the money for an aeroplane, but only dared ask enough for an F.E.2b (although they would have preferred a DH.9). When Mr Dawson heard this, he scolded them and gave them another cheque. They were only the second crew ever to make the journey, and nearly didn't get there at all:

"They were forced by fog to land at Conteville on their way to Paris, and when eventually arriving at the latter place, were delayed three days through a broken petrol pump. Two more days were lost at Lyons through the same trouble, and later when crossing the Gulf of Genoa, they had to turn back owing to running out of oil, flying about 100 miles with a dry engine before a landing ground could be found.

On the way to Rome their machine caught fire at a height of 3,000 ft., and it was only by turning off the petrol and side slipping down that they managed to escape a terrible death. After more delays they reached Cairo on February 21, their flying time from Hounslow to Cairo being 39 hours.

They had to make a forced landing in the Syrian Desert, and spent the night under their machine. In the morning they saw a group of Arabs advancing upon them, but succeeded in holding them off with revolver shots, and managed to get away.

Ultimately Rangoon was reached on Easter Day. Continuing from Rangoon they crashed and damaged their machine so badly that it took six weeks to repair it.

They now had to cross wide stretches of sea between the Dutch islands, and found difficulty in finding their way. However, just as they were running short of petrol, after an eight hours' flight, they sighted land, and landed at Fanny Bay, in the Northern Territory, Australia, on August 1.

Port Darwin was reached the next morning. Ultimately Sydney was reached, but between Sydney and Melbourne they again crashed, this time to such good purpose that the machine was completely wrecked.

Another machine was lent to them, on which they ultimately reached Melbourne, where they were given a great reception. They were welcomed by Mr Hughes, the Australian Premier, to whom, it may be remembered, they handed a bottle of whiskey, which they had brought with them from England, and which had survived all the different mishaps. As a token of the appreciation of their plucky flight they were presented with a cheque for £500 each."

Lt Bert Hinkler

England-Australia, 1919.—Capt. Ross Smith and Lt. K. M. Smith, with Sergeants W. H. Shiers and J. M. Bennett, on a Vickers "Vimy" biplane (two 350 h.p. Rolls-Royce "Eagle VIII").

Left Hounslow November 12 (9.10 a.m. G.M.T. Arrived Port Darwin December 10 (5 a.m. G.M.T.).

Time 4 weeks 2 days. Distance 11,294 miles.

1928

Capt Stanley Halse, accompanied by his wife, left Stag Lane on September 10 in a D.H. Gipsy Moth, was held up at Mongalla with a broken airscrew, and then made a forced landing at Atbara with engine trouble.

1928

London-Cape Town Flight

Capt Wally Hope reached Khartum on October 1. He was delayed by a touch of sunstroke.

The Aviators

1928

An American attempt

Van Lear Black,  (the publisher of the Baltimore Sun), in a Fokker tri-motor monoplane, left Croydon on May 14th and reached Khartoum on the 19th, but had engine trouble and abandoned the attempt.

1929

The 4th RAF Flight

"For four successive years, four Fairey aircraft, each fitted with a Napier engine, have been selected for the service flight from Cairo to Cape Town and back. No mechanical trouble has been experienced on these flights."

1929-30

Roy Tuckett, a member of the Port Elizabeth Light Aeroplane Club.

D.H. 60G Gipsy Moth G-AARW

Left Croydon 9 November, 1929.

Met with a mishap at Aboukir when the machine was wrecked after being accidentally started. Mr. Tuckett himself was laid out for some time, but was apparently not permanently incapacitated.

Later, crashed while taking off at Toroso, Kenya.

1929

The Long-Distance Flight Disaster

Sqn-Ldr Arthur Gordon Jones-Williams, Flt-Lt N H Jenkins in the first Fairey Long-Distance Monoplane

This attempt on the world long-distance record took off on 16 December 1929 but crashed south of Tunis, destroying the aircraft and killing the crew.

1930

The Duchess of Bedford's record flight

The (64-year-old) Duchess of Bedford, Capt. Charles D. Barnard (pilot)  and Mr. R. Little in her Fokker monoplane G-EBTS 'The Spider'.

Left Lympne on April 10, reached Cape Town on April 19. 10 days.

1930

A New Record 

Rhinie Frederick Caspareuthus in a D.H. "Puss Moth" belonging to Mr. Marshall, of Port Elizabeth.

 An ex-RAF South African, he made the journey in the record time of 9½ days.

Left Croydon on October 5; arrived Maitland Aerodrome, Cape Town, on October 13, an hour before he was expected. Total flying time 78 hours.

He said afterwards that he had been forced down by storms to a few hundred feet at Beauvais shortly after the disaster to R 101, but saw no signs of it.

He later flew for Imperial Airways.

1930

"Miss Winifred Spooner, who with F./O. E.C.T. Edwards made a forced descent in the sea at Belmonte during an attempt to fly to the Cape in record time, arrived back in London on December 20. She had intended to fly home from Paris, but fog prevented this, so she made the journey by boat and train. F./O. Edwards flew back from Paris to Hendon on December 22."

1931

The "Blazing the Mail" flight  - another record

Lt-Cmdr Glen Kidston and Lt. Owen Cathcart Jones, with L. A. Valletti (wireless operator) (replaced by L. Johnson for the second half of the flight) in Lockheed Vega G-ABGK.

Time: 6 days 10 hours

Left Netheravon, Wilts at 6a.m. on the 31 Mar. Delayed by a forced landing near Lichtenburg (Pretoria), but arrived 5.30p.m. 6 April. Total flying time 57hr 10min.

Imperial Airways (who had not even taken delivery of their already-obsolete H.P. 42 biplanes), regarded the flight as a 'stunt', bearing no relation to a "proper" commercial operation.

At the time, it was the quickest delivery ever made of a London newspaper (The Times) to Johannesburg, and 'created much interest in the city'.

Glen's Vega, which was an 'Also Ran' in the 1934 MacRobertson Race.

1931

Peggy's Brief Moment

Miss Peggy Salaman and Mr. Gordon Store, in her DH.80A Puss Moth G-ABEH

And two lion cubs...

Left Croydon October 31

Total Time: 5d 6hr 40 min., beating Kidston's record by about 28 hr. Their total flying time was 64 hr., Kidston's being 56 hr.

The aircraft (the only one she ever owned) was sold in Kenya in 1933, and survived until 1948.

 APRIL 1, 1932

"England—Cape Town In 4d 17hr 30min

Mollison Realises his Ambition

Gradually the aeroplane is bringing the parts of the British Empire closer together, mentally no less than physically. By his flight Mr. J. A. Mollison has brought Capetown within 113hr. 22 min. of London, and, although this was achieved at the cost of terrific strain on the pilot, the flight has once again demonstrated to the world the qualities of British aircraft and British aero engines."

1932

Mrs. Amy Mollison in her " Puss Moth "Desert Cloud"

ALTHOUGH Mrs. J. A. Mollison was unable to beat her own record, for the England-Cape flight, on her return journey, she has succeeded in breaking the previous record (9.5 days, established by Capt. C. D. Barnard and the Duchess of Bedford) by about two days. She has also shown, by the splendid effort on this last flight, in which she had to fight against most unfavourable weather conditions throughout, that she undoubtedly ranks foremost amongst long-distance pilots.

She flew from England to Cape Town in 4d 6hr 54 min., thus beating her husband's previous record for the same journey.

Amy's time for the homeward flight was 7d 7hr 25 minutes; she left Capetown at 5 a.m. (G.M.T.) on December 11, landing at Croydon on December 18.

1933

Mr. Smith's Flight

MR. VICTOR SMITH, the 19-year-old South African airman, who left Capetown on November 13, arrived at Croydon on the evening of November 24. Mr. Smith's flight may not have been record breaking, but it was not without interest and excitement. After he had left the Niger River to fly by compass to Gao, Mr. Smith suddenly found that a petrol feed pipe was leaking, and instead of having about 25 gall, he only had left sufficient fuel for about 10 min. flying. He force-landed near a pool of water and received hospitality, such as it was, from members of the Tuareg tribe. 

1935

Brook's Bad Luck

Mr. H. L. Brook, who was attempting to beat the England-Cape record in a Miles "Falcon," had a mild crash while landing after dark at Mersa Matruh, about 260 miles E.N.E. of Cairo. He was uninjured and will probably carry on to Cape Town in easy stages preparatory to making a fast return flight.

1935

 David Llewellyn, flying instructor at Hanworth, and his one-time pupil, Mrs. Jill Wyndham, who, in a Parnall Heck, are out to break the London-Cape record, have made a forced landing between Aboukir and Cairo. On their previous attempt they turned back at Marseilles.

They eventually got there in 6d 8hr 28min.      

1935

UNLUCKY AGAIN

Tom Campbell Black and his co-pilot Mr. J. G. McArthur had a second slice of ill-luck in connection with their Cape Town-and-back record attempt. At the same time, they must be congratulated on a very fortunate escape. It will be remembered that in the middle of last month they set out in Mr. Cyril Nicholson's D.H. Comet Boomerang, but were forced to return after experiencing a shortage of oil due to a curious error in the making of the dip-sticks of the oil tanks. Last Saturday they made a renewed attempt. Weather reports proving favourable, they left Hatfield aerodrome at 4 p.m., the Comet making a remarkably short and clean takeoff in spite of its heavy fuel load and an almost entire absence of wind. They flew non-stop to Cairo, which they reached in 11 hr. 9 min.—bettering their previous time—then refuelled before taking off for Kisumu, Kenya. They were last seen flying over Wadi Haifa, then nothing more was heard of them for twenty hours, and a good deal of anxiety was felt. It was not relieved until they suddenly and surprisingly appeared at 2 p.m. on Monday at Kubushia, near Khartoum, riding camels. It was then learned that the Comet had crashed and caught fire in the desert 100 miles north of Khartoum, and that the crew had escaped by parachute.

1936

BACK and FORTH

Rose (Falcon) and Llewellyn (Aeronca) Fly Respectively From and To South Africa

THE Cape-England record has been broken by Fit. Lt. Tommy Rose, who can now claim to have made the fastest time for the trip both out and home. His new record is 6 days 6 hr. 57 min. (he got to the Cape in 89hr. 37 min.), which beats F/O David Llewellyn's time—the previous best—by 5 hr. 6 min.

Just to keep the pot boiling, Llewellyn has now flown to Johannesburg in an Aeronca with a J.A.P. engine of only 40 h.p. Rose, of course, was using the Miles Falcon.

Left Capetown at 6.8 a.m. (G.M.T.) on Tuesday, March 3

1937

From November 14 to 19 F /O Arthur Edmund Clouston and Mrs. Betty Kirby-Green made a fine return flight to the Cape in the D.H. Comet Burberry, taking outward (45 hr. 2 min.), homeward (57 hr. 23 min.) and return (5 days 17 hr. 28 min.) records.

"The official world's record flight from England to the Cape is held by Miss Amy Johnson in 78 hours 25 minutes, and the return record by Mr. H. L. Brook, whose time was 96 hours 20 minutes ; these two are registered with the F.A.I, as Records de Parcours, or capital to capital records."

D.H. Comet 'The Burberry'; G-ACSS, the Aeroplane Formerly Known As 'Grosvenor House' and 'The Orphan'.

Currently at Shuttleworth

1939

HENSHAW'S CAPE DASH

A Brilliant Solo Effort in a Racing Single-seater

TO Alex Henshaw, winner of the 1938 King's Cup Race, goes the credit of having made one of the most spectacular long-distance dashes of recent years— from London to Cape Town and back in 106.5 hours.

The outward trip of 6,000 miles he accomplished in 39hr. 25 min., and the homeward run took 39hr. 36 min. The out and home journey, including his rest period of 27 hours at Cape Town, was accomplished in 106hr. 1 min.

He thus beats the record set up in November, 1937, by F/O. A. E. Clouston and Mrs. Kirby-Green (flying a D.H. Comet) by 5 hr. 37 min. outward; 17 hr. 47 min. homeward; and 30hr. 59 min. for the round trip. The best previous solo time, one way, was that of Miss Amy Johnson in 1936, with 78hr. 25 min.

The machine, G-AEXF, was the familiar white one with which Henshaw won last year's King's Cup Race, and in which he has competed in a number of events during the last two years. It is by no means new. It had, however, been very considerably modified by Essex Aero, Ltd., specially for this attempt.

 A.V. Roe & Co. Ltd

Based in Blackpool, Southport, Manchester, Fleetwood, Morecambe, Waterloo Sands (Liverpool), Rhyl, Douglas and Windermere; Hounslow 1919-21

1919: "Three Avro pilots have been kept busy all the week. Members of Rhyl Council have led the way in flying."

"The Avro Northern Stations have now taken up 20,000 passengers, a most remarkable figure. Preston has been licensed, and it is hoped that active operations will soon be undertaken there. A 'travelling circus' has now been established, which will tour various towns in turn, spending a few days at each, to give demonstrations and take up passengers. The dates arranged so far are:— Barmouth: September 15 to 20; Nottingham: September 22 to 24, and Derby: October 6 to 11."

November 1926: "Mr. Brown was the leading pilot of the Avro joy-ride company in the years immediately following the war. For the last five years he has been the chief instructor at Barcelona".

Pilots:

- Lt Macrae MC

- Harold Hamersley

- Walter G R Hinchliffe

- Mr Shanks

- Capt H A Brown

- Capt F G M Sparks

- Capt E D C Herne

- Capt H S Broad

Aeroplanes:

- 1919 Avro 504M G-EACX (K-134) which was withdrawn from use May 1920;

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EADD (K-137) which was scrapped Dec 1919;

and "about 10" other Avro 504s, probably including:

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EACW which crashed off Southsea Nov 1919;

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EADM

Aeroplane Services Ltd

Based in Croydon, 1929-34

Aeroplanes:

- 1929 Avro 504K G-AAEZ

 Air Pageants Ltd

Active 1934-1937

Aeroplanes:

- Avro 504N G-ACNV (K1808);

- D.H. 60M Moth G-ACOA (VH-UQA), which crashed Hanworth 1936;

- Avro 621 Tutor G-ACOV (K1791);

- Miles M.2D Hawk G-ACPC

 Air Travel Ltd 

March 1934: "For the coming season Air Travel, Ltd., will be sending their "Silver Trio" round the country on its own and not in conjunction with any other display or aircircus. They will be using the same three Avros ("Mongoose") which they operated with Sir Alan Cobham's display last year, and will be joyriding at a large number of towns in the South and Midlands."

 Air Transport 

 Berkshire Aviation Co / Berkshire Aviation Tours Ltd / Aviation Tours Ltd / Northern Air Lines 

Based in East Hanney, nr Wantage; Ford; Witney; Hanworth, 1919-1929

 Joy-rides took place all over the Midlands and the Home Counties, and the machines were overhauled in a barn near East Hanney during the winter.

Feb 1930: "Northern Air Lines, whose directors are Mr. F. J. V. Holmes and J. F. Leeming, are acting as managers for the Manchester Corporation, and Mr. W. Ledlie is the manager on the spot.

Berkshire Aviation Tours, Ltd., which is a subsidiary of Northern Air Lines, probably holds the largest stock of "Avros" and Le Rhone 110 h.p. engines in the country, and they deal solely with joyriding."

"Britain's first aerial touring joyriding company"

Pilots:

- Alan Cobham;

 Fred J V Holmes;

- J D V 'Jack' Holmes

- Capt F G M Sparks

- O P Jones

plus

Pat O'Hara (parachutist)

Aeroplanes:

- 1919 Avro 536 G-EAKN which crashed nr Brill Aug 1924;

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EAKX;

- 1920 Avro 504K G-EASF;

- 1924 Avro 504K G-EBKB;

- 1925 Avro 504K G-EBKX which crashed Lancs Jul 1934;

- 1926 Avro 504K G-EBOB;

- 1927 Avro 504K G-EBQR ex-Western Aviation Co Ltd;

- 1927 Avro 504K G-EBSL which crashed May 1932;

- 1927 Avro 504K G-EBSM;

- 1928 Avro 504K G-EBVW which was dismantled Hootoon Dec 1931;

- 1928 Avro 504K G-EBXV;

- 1928 Avro 504K G-EBYW;

- 1932 D.H. 83 Fox Moth G-ABUP which crashed Scunthorpe Aug 1933

 Brompton Motor Co  Ltd 

 Based in the Isle of Wight 1921

"Altogether it looks like being a busy season on The Island, and the two pilots will have their hands full"

Pilots:

- Capt A H Dalton

- Capt R E Dean

Aeroplanes:

- 1921 Airco D.H.6 G-EAWT;

- 1921 Airco D.H.6 G-EAWU, which crashed Isle of Wight Mar 1922;

- 1921 Airco D.H.6 G-EAWV

 Henderson Flying School Ltd

In 1919, Lt-Col George Lockhart Piercey Henderson offered flights to the general public in an Avro at Hounslow Aerodrome: £1 a head. There was enormous interest; "queues of 50 or more were patiently waiting and the aeroplane could hardly get up and down fast enough".

October 1928: "After luncheon the flying events commenced ... the crowd, by the way, ran to 20,000, according to one report ... there were also joy-riding machines if any wished to try their luck. Col. Henderson was very busy with his Avros"

June 1930: "Lieut.-Col. Henderson is doing a roaring trade on his Junkers "13"—joy-riding.The monoplane evidently takes the public fancy, for it is never on the ground more than 10 minutes together"

Pilots:

- Lt Col G L P Henderson

Aeroplanes:

- 1921 Avro 548 G-EBAJ which crashed Brooklands Apr 1928;

- 1923 Avro 548 G-EBFM which crashed Weybridge Sep 1928;

- 1927 Avro 548 G-EBRD scrapped in South Africa June 1928;

- 1927 Avro 548 G-EBSC which crashed South Africa May 1928;

- 1927 Avro 548 B-EBVE scrapped Nov 1928;

- 1928 Avro 548 G-EBWH scrapped Jul 1928;

- 1928 Avro 548 G-EBWJ;

- 1928 Avro 548 G-EBWO which crashed Reading Apr 1929;

- 1928 Avro 504K G-EBYE;

- 1929 Avro 504K G-AAFJ.

- 1930 Junkers F.13ge G-AAZK belonging to the Walcot Air Line. Lt Col Henderson was killed in this aircraft on 21 July 1930.

 Cornwall Aviation Co Ltd

Based St Austell, Margate, 1924-1936

G-EBNR, I think

with thanks to John Moody, who found the above 2 photos amongst his father's effects. He told me, however, that "I'm not sure how he would have come across them; he couldn't have taken them himself, as he was born in 1929... So all a mystery."

 poster image, with thanks to Terry Sear

The Bristol Summer Meeting, in June 1932

Pilots:

- Capt Percival Phillips

- Jo Cameron

Aeroplanes:

- 1924 Avro 504K G-EBIZ, registered to 'Messrs Hill and Phillips;

- 1926 Avro 504K G-EBNR;

- 1927 Avro 504K G-EBSE;

- 1928 Avro 504K G-AAAF;

- 1930 Avro 504K G-AAYI

and possibly

- 1930 Avro 504K G-AAUJ which crashed Harrogate Oct 1932

 Devonshire Aviation Tours Ltd

Based in Exeter, 1932

Aeroplanes:

- Avro 504K G-ABZC which crashed Chard Apr 1933

- 1930 Avro 504K G-AAYM;

 Goodwin-Chichester Aviation Co (New Zealand)

April 1929, Flight: "On the occasion when these machines were flying, about 300 people were flown at one guinea each"

"The club employs four pilots, all ex-service men"

Pilots:

- Capt Stedman

- Capt G Bolt

- Capt Hewitt

Aeroplanes:

- 1928 Avro 594 Avian IIIa G-NZAV / ZK-AAC;

- 1928 Avro 594 Avian IIIa G-NZEE / ZK-AAF;

- 1929 Avro 594 Avian IIIa ZK-AAN;

- 1929 Simmonds Spartan ZK-ABL;

- 1931 Avro 616 Sports Avian ZK-ACM

 Grahame-White Co. 

Based at Hendon, 1919

"As regards the flying, the Grahame-White Co. had in commission four Avro two-seaters, 110 h.p. Le Rhone engines, which were kept as busy as could be, taking up passengers at 10s. 6d. and one guinea a time. The half-guinea flights were necessarily somewhat short..."

Flight

Pilots:

- Maj R H Carr

Aeroplanes:

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EAAX;

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EAAY;

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EABA;

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EABE;

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EABF;

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EABG;

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EABH;

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EABN;

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EABO;

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EABP;

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EABW;

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EABX;

- 1919 Blackburn Kangaroo G-EADE which crashed Hendon Jun 1919;

- 1919 Blackburn Kangaroo G-EADF which crashed Hendon May 1919;

- 1919 Blackburn Kangaroo G-EADG

 Hillmans Airways Ltd

August 1934: "The Ards Airport, Newtownards, the first civil aerodrome in Northern Ireland, is to be officially opened on August 31st...Hillman's Airways will also be carrying out joy-riding with three D.H. "Dragons"

 Imperial Airways Ltd

In 1927 and 1928, much to the disgust of Flight: "The most astonishing feature of the Bournemouth meeting was the presence of the Handley Page 'Hampstead' with three Bristol 'Jupiter' engines, which was used for the undignified task of taking holiday crowds for 'joy-rides' over Bournemouth and surrounding districts.  ... why should such a monopoly company come along and start competing with our 'joy-ride' concerns, who receive no subsidy whatever? Already plenty of difficulties face our struggling 'joy-ride' concerns, who are doing splendid propaganda. For a monopoly company to cut in is in the worst of taste, and we trust that there will be no more 'Imperial Joy-riders.' "

They took no notice, of course:

May 1930: "the Imperial Airways Silver Wing "Argosy" air-liner City of Glasgow will fly up to Renfrew today, and will take up passengers."

April 1932: "Another wet week-end spoilt business for the joyriding firms. In spite of the weather, Imperial Airways had a large party of between 200 and 300 visitors on Saturday afternoon, and a large number of them took flights in one of the Handley Page 42's."

- 1925 the H.P. 9a Hampstead G-EBLE 'City of New York' later re-registered in Australia as VH-ULK

- 1925 A.W. Argosy I G-EBLF 'City of Glasgow'

 Irish Air Lines 

May 1932: "IRISH AIR LINES, with headquarters at Waterford, commenced operations as a joy-riding "circus" at Arklow, County Wicklow, last week, and had a very good send off. Equipped with Avro 504K aircraft they are to tour the country giving joy-rides, and demonstrations of crazy flying and wing-walking. Already arrangements have been completed for visits to thirty-six towns in Ireland, and a director of the company told our Dublin representative that negotiations for other sites are in progress. The touring party, consisting of four pilots and two ground engineers, will be entirely independent of hotels, as all their kit is being carried in a motor trailer caravan."

Aeroplanes:

(both ex Northern Air Transport)

- 1932 Avro 504K EI-AAM (ex G-AAYH);

- 1932 Avro 504K EI-AAN (ex G-ABHP)

 Jubilee Air Displays Ltd

    via Joss Mullinger

May 1935: "Jubilee Air Displays, led by Lt. O. Cathcart Jones, will be giving a show on Saturday, May 11 , at 2.15 p.m. Flights will be available in the ''Comet ' flown by Scott and Tom Campbell Black in the MacRobertson race. On Empire Air Day the aerodrome will be open to the public from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at a charge of 3d. The first hundred "joy" flights will be given at half price."

 The London Air Circus

August 1932: "PLYMOUTH AIR WEEK In order to popularise flying in Devon an "air week"  has been arranged by Capt. Dean, Plymouth Air Port Officer, to commence on Monday, August 22, and to last for six days.

The London Air Circus, recently formed at  Broxbourne aerodrome under the leadership of Fit. Lt.  Bannister, has been engaged to give aerobatics, displays
and joyrides."

 Luffs Aviation Tours Ltd

Based in Weybridge, 1930

Aeroplanes:

- Avro 504K G-ABAA which is in the RAF Museum

 North British Aviation Co Ltd

Based in Hooton Park, Lake District, 1929-33. Covered Lancashire, Cheshire and the Lake District.

 Founded by E E Fresson and L J Rimmer; also William Mackay; became part of Cobham's Circus in 1933

Aeroplanes:

- 1920 Avro 504K G-EASF; (ex Berkshire)

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EAKX; (ex Berkshire)

- 1923 Avro 504K G-EBGZ;

- 1923 Avro 504N G-EBHE;

- 1925 Avro 504K G-EBKX; (ex Berkshire)

- 1924 Avro 504K G-EBIS written off Apr 1935;

-1927 Avro 504K G-EBSJ;

-1928 Avro 504K G-EBXA;

- 1929 Avro 504K G-AAEZ;

-1929 D.H. 60G Gipsy Moth G-AAGA (ex Dorothy Hamilton Gault);

-1930 D.H. 60G Gipsy Moth G-AAYL

- 1930 Avro 504K G-ABHJ crashed Hooton 1933;

- 1930 Avro 504K G-ABHK crashed Hooton 1933, as well;

- 1931 Avro 504K G-ABLL crashed Lowton Morr 1934.

 North Sea Aerial Navigation Co Ltd

Scarborough, 1919-22

Aeroplanes:

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EAGV which crashed Yortkshire Aug 1920;

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EAGW which crashed Scarborough Jul 1920

 Pauline Gower and Dorothy Spicer

Miss Pauline Mary de Peauly Gower and her engineer Dorothy Spicer were involved in the British Hospitals Air Pageants in 1933 and 1934 (when it was called the 'Sky Devils Air Circus')

April 1934: "" Piffling Poems." By Pauline Gower. Price Is. 3d, post free.
PIFFLING is a misnomer for the collection of poems by Miss Pauline Gower, published recently. They are not perhaps in the highest poetical style, but we don't suppose that they are meant to be. Some of them are parodies of well-known poetry, in an aviation vein, but they are all very readable and amusing. Miss Gower is a "B" licensed pilot who, working together with her Ground Engineer, Miss Dorothy Spicer, has probably done more hard work joy-riding than any other woman pilot in the country, and from her varied experience has gained an insight to the mentality of pilots which has enabled her to make these "Piffling Poems" well worth getting."

September 1938: " Women With Wings," by Pauline Gower; 10s. 6d., John Long, Ltd.
A CONTRAST is found in this, another woman pilot's book. The reader must again be prepared to wade through a luxuriant profusion of cliches (everything happens with "a sickening thud"), but the going is made a lot easier by Miss Gower's gay insouciance.
Everybody in aviation knows now Pauline Gower, as pilot, and Dorothy Spicer (now Mrs. Pearse), as fully licensed ground engineer, operated a Spartan on taxi, joy-riding and air display work. Here Miss Gower offers the inside story of these activities. She flew thousands of joy-riders without mishap, though, judging by some of her confessions, a very special providence must have been watching over the Avian.
When travelling air circuses become totally extinct (and the time seems very near) the future historian will be able to learn a lot about them from Miss Gower's book. She succeeds completely in conveying the impression of the endless labour of touring—the long hours, car journeys and cross-country flights, problematical fields, accidents to aircraft and personnel, and always malevolent weather.
A definitely entertaining book, even if 10s. 6d. does seem rather a high price for 223 pages that can be read in an evening."

Pilots:

- Pauline Gower

Engineer:

- Dorothy Spicer

Aeroplanes:

- 1929 Simmonds Spartan G-AAGO;

- 1930 Spartan 3-seater G-ABKK which crashed Coventry May 1936

 Southern Aircraft Ltd

Based in Shoreham, Eastborne, Lewes, 1925-30

 Pilots:

- Eddie Wallace

- Cecil Pashley

- F G Miles

Aeroplanes:

- 1920 Avro 504K G-EATU belonging to Cecil Pashley

- 1924 Avro 504K G-EBJE bought from F G Miles

- 1927 Avro 504K G-EBVL;

- 1928 Avro 504K G-EBYB;

- 1928 Avro 504K G-AACW which crashed Gatwick Jan 1931

 Supermarine Aviation Co

Based in Southampton, Bournemouth and the Isle of Wight 1919

"An extensive programme of pleasure flying trips has been inaugurated recently... visitors at Bournmeouth enthusiastically availed themselves of enjoying the thrills of over-water flying"

Pilots:

- Cmdr B D Hobbs DSO DFC

Aeroplanes:

- 1919 Supermarine Channel I

 Surrey Flying Services

Based in Croydon, Southsea, Yarmouth and Portsmouth 1919-34

1921: "The five-seater Avros carried nearly 500 passengers in one day last week - some flying!"

1922: "Surrey Flying Services have been having a busy time lately. They have been erecting another Avro to add to their joy-ride fleet and, with this completed, have now started on the erection of a D.H. 9."

June 1922: "There is now too much work for the one Avro. Mr. Yule (sic), who has been engaged for the last three years  piloting machines in Norway, has joined the Surrey Flying Services as pilot, and will be in charge of the new Avro when it is away on joy-riding excursions. During the week-end, Capt. Muir has been at Leighton Buzzard, taking up joyriders in connection with a carnival that is being held there."

April 1931: "Mr. E. Smith, well known as a pilot of Surrey Flying Services, was killed instantaneously when he and his companion, Mr. C. M. Brown, who was the owner of the machine, crashed in the centre of some cross-roads in Wallington. The machine was an Avro Avian, G-EBZD, which originally belonged to Airways Publications, Ltd., but was sold to Mr. Brown some time ago."

June 1930: "Surrey Flying Services have had three joy-riding machines constantly in commission over the week-end, during which period they carried over 1,000 passengers, in addition to which 20 pupils are under dual instruction on the Avian, and the D.H.9 is kept busy on Continental work."

 And here is a splendid photo of 'William Alfred Pask of Tailor, Reepham, Norfolk and daughter Rosa' about to enjoy their ride in an Avro 536, which was sent to me by his grand-daughter Enid. Probably at Yarmouth, almost certainly in the 1920s:

Pilots:

- Capt A F Muir

- A B H Youell (1922-23)

- Mr E Smith

Aeroplanes:

Royal blue fuselages with white letters, and silver wings with blue letters.

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EAIR which crashed Hayling Island Aug 1923;

- 1919 Avro 536 five-seater G-EAKM which crashed Taplow Jul 1928;

- 1919 Avro 536 five-seater G-EAKP;

- 1921 Avro 504K G-EAWI which crashed Croydon Sep 1921;

- 1921 Avro 504K G-EAWJ;

- 1922 Avro 548 G-EBBC;

- 1922 Avro 504K G-EBDP;

- 1922 Airco D.H.9 G-EBEP, which crashed Surrey Nov 1928;

- 1923 Avro 504K G-EBFW which crashed Yeovil Sep 1926;

- 1923 Avro 504K G-EBHM which crashed Port Talbot Jun 1927;

- 1923 Avro 504K G-EBII;

- 1924 Avro 548A G-EBIV;

- 1926 Avro 536 five-seater G-EBOF;

- 1926 Avro 536 five-seater G-EBOY;

- 1927 Avro 536 five-seater G-EBRB whcih crashed Barry May 1928;

- 1927 D.H.60X Moth G-EBSO which crashed Brooklands May 1932;

- 1927 Avro 536 G-EBTF;

- 1927 Avro 594 Avian III G-EBVA (later sold to Geoffrey Shaw);

- 1928 Avro 504K G-EBYW;

- 1928 Avro 504K G-EBZB;

- 1928 Avro 504K G-AAAF;

- 1928 Avro 548 G-AABW;

- 1929 Airco D.H.9 G-AADU;

- 1929 Avro 504K G-AAGB;

- 1930 Avro 504K G-AAYM;

- 1930 Avro 504K G-ABAY

 Welsh Aviation Co Ltd

December 1920: "NEW COMPANIES REGISTERED: WELSH AVIATION CO., LTD., 31, Fisher Street, Swansea.

Capital £5,000, in £1 shares. Acquiring business of aviation carried on at Swansea by F. G. M. Sparkes and E. A. Sullock.
First directors : T. W. Jones, D. Dill, G. Rowe, F. G. M. Sparkes, E. A. Sullock and C. H. Mills.

G-EAWL at Pendine Sands - via L Pritchard

The Aeroplane Feb 22 1922: "To satisfy an execution issued by the bailiff against the Welsh Aviation Co. Ltd., four Avro aeroplanes were offered for sale at a public auction at Swansea on Wednesday. The machines went very cheaply. Three with 120-h.p. Le Rhone engines fetched £50, £40, and £30, respectively, and one with 80-h p. Renault engine was knocked down at £12 10s.  They were all purchased by the same buyer, Mr. Evan Williams, a turf accountant of Neath."

Pilots:

- Capt F G M Sparks

- Capt H S Broad

Aeroplanes: "These aeroplanes were familiar at Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot, and Porthcawl, where they regularly ply for hire."

- 1919 Avro 504K G-EAFH;

- 1921 Avro 504K G-EAWK which crashed Swansea Bay Oct 1922;

Gloucester Citizen - Saturday 07 October 1922: "Swansea Aeroplane Tragedy. WITNESS WHO REFUSED A TRIP. A verdict that death was due to asphyxiation through drowning was recorded at the inquest at Swansea on Evan Williams, commission agent, of Neath; Frederick Percy Bush, air pilot of Swansea; and Sergt-Major Biggin of the R.A.S.C.. also Swansea, the three victims of the aeroplane accident over Swansea Bay. After being up for a trip the machine was preparing to alight when it nose-dived into the bay, all three men being drowned.

Jack Thomas, of Neath, said he was in charge of the motor-car that brought Evan Williams to Swansea. Williams asked Bush to take him and friend for a flight. Witness was asked to go up, but declined. There were no straps on the machine. Consequently no one was strapped in. On returning from the flight after half hour, said witness, the machine was too high to effect a landing at the ordinary spot, and it returned to a lower altitude. He believed that when banking the machine nose-dived into the water two hundred yards from shore.  The machine might have side-slipped. John Marshall, the Cabin Aeroplane Depot. Swansea, said that the machine had been thoroughly overhauled and was in proper order. Witness said he could only guess the pilot lost control of the machine. The Coroner said the cause would more or less always remain a mystery."

Evan Williams in 1916

- 1921 Avro 504K G-EAWL;

- 1921 Avro 504K G-EAWM

 Western Aviation Co Ltd

Based in Cheltenham, Witney 1927-31

Gloucester Citizen, March 1927: "NEW COMPANY. Western Aviation Limited has been registered as a private company with capital of £1,000 in £1 shares to carry on the business of manufacturers of and dealers in flying machines, aeroplanes, seaplanes or other aircraft or machines, etc.

The directors are :— Mr. E. W. Jordan, Belmore House, Bath Road, Cheltenham, engineer, and Mr. J. Sheils, Terry Lawn, Pittville, Cheltenham, secretary.

The qualifications is and the remuneration as fixed by the company.

The secretary is Mr. J. Sheils and the solicitor Mr. H. F. Midwinter. Crescent-place. Cheltenham. The registered office is Crescent-place, Cheltenham.

1927: "WANTED AT ONCE. A really sound " B " licensed Pilot for joy-riding.—Full details, experience to WESTERN AVIATION, LTD., 1, Leamington Place, Cheltenham."

Gloucester Citizen, October 1927: "FLYING! Western Aviation Ltd. are giving passenger flights from 5s. each at Castle Meads Daily until October 17th. On Sunday afternoon, in addition to the usual passenger flights, a spectacular exhibition of stunt flying will be given. Admission to Field 6d.; Children Half-price.

Cheltenham Chronicle - Saturday 11 April 1931: "WETTEST EASTER FOR YEARS. In spite of the moist conditions and poor visibility the Western Aviation aeroplane giving flights from Kayte Farm seems to have been busy, and has often been seen flying over the town."

Aeroplanes:

- Avro 504K G-EBQR;

- Avro 504K G-EBXV

 Wight Aviation Ltd

1930 - 1932

May 1930: "THE ISLE OF WIGHT FLYING CLUB cordially invite all members of Light 'Plane Clubs, private owners, and others concerned with aviation, to attend at their Air Pageant, to be held at Shanklin Aerodrome, on Thursday, June 12, at 2 15 p.m., on the occasion of the official opening of the Club
by Air Vice-Marshal Sir Sefton Brancker.

Joy-riding will be carried out throughout the meeting by Wight Aviation, Ltd."

"Capt. Ward who, together with his pilot, Mr. Woodward, runs Wight Aviation, Ltd., and is the founder of the Isle of Wight Flying Club, is to be congratulated on initiating the meeting"

Aeroplanes:

- 1930 Simmonds Spartan G-ABNU owned by Capt R Ward

 Zenith Airways

Based in Rhyl 1935; Camber Sands, nr Rye, 1936

May 1935, Flight: "ZENITH AIRWAYS LTD.: Private company, registered May 3. Capital:  £1,000 in 5/- shares. Objects: to operate all methods of aerial conveyance ; manufacturers and repairers of and dealers in all types of aircraft, etc. The subscribers  (each with four shares) are Herbert D. Ward, "Belvedere," Thames Drive. Leighon-Sea. Essex ; Geo. T. Butler. The first directors are to be appointed by the  subscribers."

March 1951, Stuart Campbell Brander, writing in Flight: "More so, perhaps, than any other veteran type at last year's R.A.F. Display, the Avro 504 must have brought acute attacks of nostalgia to many spectators. Hundreds of Service pilots received their ab initio training on this endearing type, and there are many others who were once engaged in the joy-riding or circus business (or, as some would have it, "racket"): that fraternity of pilots who, throughout the summer months, persuaded their 504s out of incredibly small fields and, after completing the required circuit, gracefully "swish-tailed" in to a brakeless landing.

My last engagement as a ground engineer on a rotary-engined 504 was in the early summer of 1935 at Camber Sands, near Rye. Later that year I joined Sir Alan Cobham's circus, whose fleet of 504N Avros were, of course, radial-engined.
The 504 used at Camber Sands was something of a mongrel, as an authentic "N" airframe, owing to the scarcity of Lynx engines, had been modified to accommodate a Clerget rotary."

"The year before, at Rhyl, we operated directly from the sands, even continuing at high tide when but a narrow strip of foreshore remained. Our "runway" was marked out with red flags which, not surprisingly, were at times insufficient deterrents to prevent children, during a lull in flying, from digging large sand-castles in the middle of the area; and the ensuing ruthless destruction of these hazards often led to tearful protests from their owners or, worse still, to irate admonishments from parents. Absent-minded bathers on their way to the sea, too, would cross over just at the moment of take-off, whilst the ever-present beach dogs were a constant source of worry.
On Bank Holidays business was particularly brisk, and flying would be almost continuous from early morning till dusk."

Aeroplanes:

- 1935 Avro 504N G-ADGB

and possibly one of:

- 1935 Avro 504N G-ADGC;

- 1935 Avro 504N G-ADGM;

- 1935 Avro 504N G-ADGN 

England-Australia (solo) 1931

C.W.A. Scott on a DH 'Moth' ('Gypsy II'). 

Left Lympne April 1. Arrived Port Darwin April 10.

10,500 miles in 9 days 4hr 11 min. Record

England-Australia (solo) 1931

G. P. Fairbairn on a Spartan "Arrow" ("Gipsy II”)

Left Hanworth February 19. Arrived Port Darwin April 18.

 Miss Hilda Hope McMaugh

Royal Aero Club Certificate No. 7818 (15 Nov 1919)

b. 11 Mar 1891 in NSW, Australia; a nursing sister with the Australian Army Nursing Service.

photos: 1919, aged 28

See the movie here

4th woman to get an RAec Certificate (No 7818) on 15 Nov 1919

 England-Australia. 1920.—Lt R Parer and Lt. J. Mclntosh on a D.H.9 biplane.

Left Hounslow January 9. Arrived Port Darwin August 2. 

Ray Parer and John Cowie Macintosh persuaded Scottish millionaire distiller Peter Dawson to give them the money for an aeroplane, but only dared ask enough for an F.E.2b (although they would have preferred a DH.9). When Mr Dawson heard this, he scolded them and gave them another cheque. Battling their way through delays, innumerable forced landings and hair-raising exploits, they finally arrived nearly 8 months later, skint and with empty fuel tanks, only the second crew ever to make the journey. They missed out on the £10,000 prize for the first flight in under 30 days, but were given £1,000 as a consolation.

 1920

Capt Stanley Cockerell and Capt Frank Crossley Griffiths Broome (pilots), Dr Chalmers Mitchell (Secretary of the Zoological Society) and two mechanics in a Vickers Vimy Commercial [K-107, G-EAAV].

On February 27 the starboard engine failed just as the machine had reached flying speed in taking-off from Tabora, Tanganyika. The aeroplane crashed,  settled on an anthill and almost turned over, the undercarriage being forced through the lower wing. Capt. Cockerell's wrist was sprained and Mr. Corby's leg was bruised, but otherwise the occupants of the machine escaped injury.

The framework and cabin of the wrecked Vimy were taken over by the Tabora Sporting Club "for use as a pavilion", but the engines were sent back to England.

1920

Flt-Lt Christopher Joseph Quintin Brand and Lt-Col Pierre van Ryneveld, in:

1) a Vickers FB.27 Vimy 'G-UABA, The Silver Queen', which they crashed in Korosko, Egypt on the 11th February;

2) another borrowed Vimy 'F8615, The Silver Queen II', and finally (when they damaged that);

3) a borrowed RAF Airco D.H.9 (H5648, 'Voor-trekker' ('Pioneer')).

Left Brooklands 4 Feb 1920, landed Cape Town 4pm 20 March.

45 days. First journey by air from Cairo to the Cape.

Silver Queen I

1920

Maj Herbert George Brackley and Lt Frederick Tymms in a Handley Page 0/400 (D4624, G-EAMC)

This machine, which left Assuan on February 25, made a forced landing at El Shereik, Sudan, about two-thirds of the way to Khartoum. The machine was damaged beyond repair, but fortunately no one was hurt.

Air Commodore H. G. Brackley C.B.E., D.S.O., D.S.C., F.R.G.S., A.F.R.Ae.S., b. 4 Oct 1894, later Air Superintendent of Imperial Airways, was drowned while sea-bathing near Rio de Janeiro in the autumn of 1948. He was chief executive of British South American Airways at the time.

1930

 Imelda Mary Agnes Trafford

   in June 1920, aged 23

b. London

killed 25 September 1920; passenger in G-EAPC, a Central Centaur IIA twin-engined plane which crashed at Hayes, Middlesex, killing her, the pilot Mr Castleman, and five others.

 The Hon. Elsie Mackay  (a.k.a. Poppy Wyndham)

 1922

b. Simla, India, in 1893, the third daughter (of four, plus one son) of Lord and Lady Inchcape; the "friendly, sociable and unpretentious" Miss Elsie from Glenapp Castle in south-west Scotland.

One of the richest women in Britain, and therefore a member of the Court and Social whirl: e.g. aged 19 or so, she was at Mrs Tennyson d'Eyencourt's dance in 1912: "The drawing room in which the dancing took place was decorated with tulips in different shades of yellow" and all that.

Became a nurse in her mother's hospital for wounded soldiers (this is all sounding a bit Downton Abbey, sorry) and in 1917 nursed a certain wounded South African soldier Mr Dennis Wyndham, in civilian life An Actor. She told her father she wanted to marry him; Daddy strongly opposed the marriage; they ran away to Glasgow (Glasgow??), took apartments and got her landlady and someone else to act as witnesses; went to the registrar... hang on, this is Downton Abbey!

Unfortunately for them, they hadn't been resident in Scotland for the required 15 days, and the marriage was declared null and void. The judge was very put out... "This sort of thing will not do. People must realise this is a solemn act dealing with the question of marriage and the future of a man and woman... I am going to report the whole of this matter to the Lord Advocate".

Elsie reverted to her maiden name, went back to the family home and to the endless balls, dinner-parties, at-homes, receptions, hospital ward-openings, society weddings and cruises. "Miss Mackay wore a Victorian picture dress of pink and gold brocade over an underskirt of silver lace"... She became quite a well-known interior designer for P&O. Lord Inchcape was chairman of P&O but that was just a coincidence, probably.

Meanwhile ... in April 1920 a certain Miss Poppy Wyndham appeared in a horsey silent picture movie called 'A Dead Certainty' ... June 1920, Poppy Wyndham (again on a horse) in "A Great Coup" ... August 1921, Poppy Wyndham in "A Tidal Wave". As 'Poppy', Elsie appeared in at least 8 movies between 1919 and 1921.

 In June 1924, Elsie sold programmes at a charity matinee at the Aldwych Theatre; the following month, presided at the Catholic Stage Guild, and in June 1926, she sold "sweets and programmes under Lady Alexander's direction" at another charity matinee.

On the 9th March 1928, she denied rumours that she was going to accompany one-eyed Imperial Airways pilot Captain Walter George Raymond Hinchliffe on a transatlantic flight; she knew him, of course, but only had "a very small financial interest in [his flight]".

Sure enough, on March 14th, the black and gold Stinson-Detroiter aeroplane 'The Endeavour', containing Capt Hinchliffe and Elsie Mackay, took off from Cranwell. It was spotted 170 miles off the west coast of Ireland, heading out over the Atlantic. They were never seen again...

...except...

1) a note, found in a bottle at Flint, North Wales, saying "Goodbye all. Elsie Mackay and Captain Hinchcliffe. Down in fog and storm". Pity the handwriting was nothing like Elsie's, and the writer spelt Hinchliffe's name wrong, but anyway...

2) A London spiritualist received a message from the dead Mr Hinchliffe in July: "We landed on the water. We did not crash ... I swam for 20 minutes but the currents were too strong and I became unconscious and drowned. Mackay's end was peaceful". I only report this stuff...

3) Finally, in December an identifiable wheel from the aircraft was found washed up in Ireland (which rather settled it).

Lord and Lady Inchcape generously put Elsie's £521,101 13s 4d in trust for the nation for about 50 years, after which time they hoped it "should be used to reduce the National Debt". They also gave Capt Hinchliffe's widow Emilie (sometimes known as Eileen) £10,000, his estate being a rather more modest £32.

In 1977, when the Elsie Mackay Fund matured, it had grown to over £4.5 million; the National Debt had also grown a bit, however. To £66.8 billion. Or, to put it another way, just another 99.993% to go ...

See also:http://www.elsie-mackay.co.uk/ and 'A Flight Too Far', by Jack Hunter/Stranraer and District Local History Trust, 2008.

There is a memorial window to Elsie in Glenapp Church.

[p.s. this is not the same actress, called Elsie Mackay, who was married to actor Lionel Atwill; she was American]

Elsie owned a 1916 Airco DH.6 (C5220, G-EAGF)

  Sophie Elliott-Lynn / Lady Mary Heath

  in 1925

 Lady Heath at Roehampton

b. Sophie Catherine Theresa Mary Pierce-Evans on 10th November 1896 in Knockaderry, Co Limerick, Ireland; her crazed father beat her mother to death (with a stick) and was jailed for life, so she was brought up by her aunts.

A well-known, courageous, determined and forceful sportswoman, an athletic 6-foot tall Irishwoman 'never averse to publicity' (which earned her the nickname 'Lady Hell-of-a-Din') who was elected World Champion Lady Aviator by the USA.

At Stag Lane in 1926, Mrs Elliott-Lynn formed a small group owning a pale blue Moth, but was also the "somewhat erratic" pilot of an S.E.5...

...which she crashed a year later at Brooklands.

In the same year, when Lady Bailey and Mrs Geoffrey de Havilland hit the headlines with a world record climb to 17,283 ft, Avro countered with Mrs Elliott-Lynn climbing to 19,200 and making a 1,300-mile trip in a single day, during which she made 79 landings.

Then, her first husband Major Elliott-Lynn having died off, Sophie married Sir James Heath, Baronet, and thereby became Lady Heath.

"Lady Heath stepped from her tiny aeroplane at Le Bourget after her long flight from the Cape in May 1928, as fresh as a daisy. 'It is so safe that a woman can fly across Africa wearing a Parisian frock and keeping her nose powdered all day.' This was the first solo flight from any overseas Dominion to Britain, and she was the first woman to pilot an aeroplane from Cape Town to London.

Unfortunately, Sophie was not very good with Sir James' money; she was rather too easily persuaded to "buy a lot of things" and send him the bill. Having given her £20,000 as a marriage settlement and bought her an aeroplane, he was eventually obliged to take out a note in the newspapers forbidding her to "pledge his credit". The marriage was dissolved in 1932.

Having fled to America, Sophie finally became plain Mrs Williams; he was an airman from Kentucky.

d. 9 May 1939, aged 42, in London when she fell down the stairs of a tramcar. She left £204.

Sophie owned, at various times:

the 1925 prototype DH.60 Moth (G-EBKT), also
a DH.60 Moth G-EBMV,
an RAF SE5A (D7016, G-EBPA),
a 1927 Avro 594 Avian I  G-EBQLA,
a 1927 Avro 594 Avian IIR3 G-EBRS,
a 1927 Avro 594 Avian IIIR3 G-EBUG 'for the use of Miss Earhart',
a 1928 DH.60X Moth G-EBZC, and
a 1929 DH.60G Gipsy Moth G-AASY.

1925-6

The London-Capetown-London Imperial Airways Survey Flight

Alan C Cobham, with Arthur B. Elliott as engineer and  B. W. G. Emmott as cinematographer in a D.H. 50J.

Set out from Croydon on November 16, reached Cape Town on the evening of February 17, and returned to London 20 Mar 1926

England-Australia, 1926.—Sir Alan Cobham and A. B. Elliott on a D.H.50J biplane seaplane (385 h.p. Armstrong Siddeley "Jaguar").

Left Rochester June 30. Arrived Port Darwin August 5. Time 5 weeks.

At Basra Elliott was fatally shot by an Arab. Flight continued with Sgt. Ward, R.A.F.

At Darwin wheels were fitted and machine flown to Melbourne and back.

1926

The First RAF Cape Flight

Wing Commander C. W. H. Pulford (commanding the flight), with Flt-Lt P.H. Mackworth, Flt-Lt E.J. Linton Hope, F/O W. L.Payne, Flight-Lieut. L.E.M. Gillman (navigator), Flying Officer A.A. Jones (technical), Sgt Hartley (fitter), and Sgt Gardener (rigger).

"They have carried out a flight which is unique in many ways and useful in many ways, and they have done credit to the Royal Air Force and to the British Empire.... there has been no other instance on record of a formation of four aeroplanes flying over 14,000 miles, across two continents, from the northern temperate zone to the southern  temperate zone and back without change of personnel, of aircraft, or of engines."

Conway Waller Heath Pulford, O.B.E., A.F.C., Croix de Guerre, was born in India on January 26, 1892, and joined the Navy as a midshipman in January 1910. He transferred to the R.N.A.S. as a  Flight Lieutenant and then to the RAF in August 1, 1919 as a Squadron Leader. Later promoted to Air Vice Marshal.

He was killed in WWII; 10 Mar 1942 when he and his naval counterpart, Rear Admiral Spooner, were amongst the last to leave Indonesia when the Japanese overran it. Their motor boat was hit and forced to run aground on an uninhabited, malaria-infested island called Chibia. The survivors managed to hold out for two months before being forced to  surrender to the Japanese, but Pulford and Spooner had both died of  exhaustion and malaria.

Australia-England, 1926

Sir Alan Cobham, Sergt. Ward and C. S. Capel. Return flight.

Left Darwin September 4. Arrived Thames, Westminster, October 1.

Time 3 weeks 6 days. Total 28,000 miles in 78 days.

 Sicele Julia Mary Annette O'Brien

   1926, aged 39

b. 1 Apr 1887 in London [or Limerick?], daughter of Sir Timothy O'Brien, a well-known cricketer (it says here). She was an ambulance driver during WWI, and later a tennis player.

In 1927, the second woman to get a 'B' [Commercial] Licence. Supposedly, her parents were against her taking flying lessons, and the first they heard about it was when they saw a newspaper report.

Lost a leg in a crash (onto a golf course in Mill Hill, interrupting a four-ball match) a year later, but continued with an artificial limb."It was worth it", she said, "One has to take risks for anything that is worth while".

With Lady Heath, set a British altitude record of 13,400 ft in 1928.

l to r: Sicele, the Hon Miss Leath, Mr Cords, Mr Cooke, Lady Heath and her secretary.

Killed 18 June 1931 aged 44 in her Blackburn Bluebird III G-AABF, which crashed when taking off at Hatfield.

Sicele owned:

a 1926 DH.60 Moth (G-EBOS) (the aeroplane which she crashed onto a golf course in Mill Hill), and

a 1928 Blackburn L.1B Bluebird III G-AABF (which is the aeroplane in which she and co-owner Enid Merlin Gordon Gallien were killed).

 Doreen Vionee Ranald

b. Semastipor, India, 8 Feb 1907

Wife of Lieut. Ranald, R.N.; in September 1937 the Hampshire Aeroplane Club reported that "We had a visit on Sunday, the 21st, of Lieut. Ranald, R.N., and Mrs. Ranald. Mrs. Ranald holds the Royal Aero Club certificate and has now joined this club for the purpose of obtaining her "B" licence."

"We are always happy to receive visits from the members of any of the clubs."

Hon. Lady Mary Bailey

1930, aged 40

  The Hon. Mary Westenra, b. 1 December 1890 in London but brought up mainly in County Monaghan, Ireland.

Her family's home was Rossmore Castle, which was a grand affair built in the 1820s, with turrets, a vast drawing room and servants' quarters, not to mention about 20 cottages on the estate:

 www.monaghan.ie/museum

Here she is, with her brother Willie, and parents (Mittie and Derry) on a set of steps by the house, in 1913:

 Throttle Full Open

I visited County Monaghan in 2014 and asked in the local museum if they knew where the house was. 'Oh yes' they said, 'but it was demolished forty years ago'. It seems that it became severely infested with dry rot in the 1940s, was abandoned and, indeed, demolished in 1975.

Anyway, here's all that's left of it now:

Mary married South African mining magnate and white suprematist politician Sir Abe Bailey in September 1911 (so, she was 21, he was nearly 47; his first wife had died in 1902 and he already had two children). They then had five more children - 2 boys and 3 girls.

She learnt to fly at the London Aeroplane Club in 1926. She was the first woman to fly across the Irish Sea 'by the long route' from Chester to Dublin, the following August.

The following March (1928) she began a solo tour to Cape Town, via Malta and then Cairo. Here, her plane was locked away by order of the Governor-General of the Sudan to prevent her from continuing alone, so she contacted Dick Bentley (who had flown to the Cape a few weeks before) to escort her in his own aeroplane over the "dangerous area of the southern Sudan". She then crashed in Tanganyika, writing off her aeroplane (she said it was her fault), but Abe made arrangements for a replacement Moth to be delivered from Pretoria and she continued, despite having 'flu. Abe was there to meet her when she arrived at the end of April. 

The return journey was made via the western 'French' route - the Belgian Congo, Angola and the French Congo. She finally arrived back at Croydon on 16 January, 1929, 10 months after she left. It was "undoubtedly one of the finest performances ever put up by a woman pilot." 

Lady Bailey was "so modest, so vague and so charming", and was "surprised that anyone should make a fuss about her journey". 

A Director of National Flying Services in 1929, (with Frederick Guest, Colonel the Master of Sempill, Alan Cobham, etc); she was also awarded the Brittania Trophy by the Royal Aero Club, and then made a Dame of the British Empire in 1930 for "services to aviation".

At the Chateau d'Ardennes in 1930

She was a guest at Amelia Earhart's reception at the Royal Aero Club in May 1932.

In early 1933 she gave everyone a scare by disappearing for several days on another solo flight to Cape Town; thankfully, she had only got lost, run low on fuel and landed safely in the Sahara. [Bert Hinkler, who disappeared at about the same time, was killed in the Alps]. She then flew back to England and almost immediately went down with a bout of typhoid, but recovered in time to compete in the King's Cup later in the year.

After that, she concentrated on looking after their horses, giving and attending loads more balls and receptions, and marrying off their many children.

When Abe died in 1940, she settled near Cape Town (still keeping a house in Rutland) and died there 29th August 1960 aged 69.

Lady Mary's aeroplanes were:

a 1926 DH.60 Moth (G-EBPU),

a 1927 DH.60X Moth (G-EBSF, the one she crashed in Tanganyika),

the replacement DH.60X Moth (G-EBTG, which Abe bought in Nairobi);

a 1928 DH.60G Gipsy Moth (G-AABN);

a 1929 DH.60G Gipsy Moth (G-AAEE) and

a 1930 DH.80A Puss Moth, G-AAYA.

Air Transport Auxiliary in WWII

 Constance Ruth Leathart

  in 1927, aged 24

b. 7 December 1903 in Low Fell, County Durham; known as 'Connie'.

"Five foot three and of generous proportions" (Lettice Curtis);

[Check]

"a very experienced pre-war racing pilot and ... looked like George Robey" (Mary du Bunsen).

[I'm not so sure this is fair ... here's a picture of George Robey for comparison:

Hmmm...]

"One of the first 20 British women pilots to obtain the RAeC certificate"

[Amazing - as Connie got her certificate No. 8,085 in 1927, 14 years after the first woman pilot Hilda Hewlett - but true; she was only the 12th woman to get an RAeC certificate]

l to r Edith Chalmers, Adelaide Cleaver, Sir Sefton Brancker, Rosalind Norman and Connie before the start of the 1930 Heston Spring Flying Cruise to Germany

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, with Leslie Runciman (q.v.), she ran Cramlington Aircraft, a company which repaired damaged aeroplanes. She also designed and flew her own glider.

Leslie Runciman and Connie (centre)

She was educated at Cheltenham Ladies College, and then Ethelburgas School back in Newcastle. By 1939, her mother had moved to Ottery St Mary in Devon, but Connie was still in the north-east, at Morpeth in Northumberland.

In December 1939, aged 35, working in the map department at Bristol Airport, she applied to join the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA). Her experience at the time was over 700 hours, making her one of the most experienced women pilots in the UK, so she started as soon as they could sort themselves out (Pauline Gower was only allowed to take on 8 women to begin with) ... which turned out to be August 1940. She was 'W.13' - the 13th woman pilot taken on by the ATA.

Air Transport Auxiliary in WWII

---

The Times wrote "She continued flying until 1958 when, reluctantly, she finally disposed of the last of her aeroplanes.

Connie Leathart remained a reserved, private person who shunned any form of publicity. In a sense this was a pity as many of her feats went unremarked. In retirement she farmed in Northumberland, where she bred Kyloe cattle [actually, it seems that "she did not breed Kyloe cattle; she did once have a couple of them, but both were bullocks"] and raised sheep. An accomplished horsewoman throughout her life, she continued into her fifties to ride regularly to hounds with the Morpeth and Tynedale hunts. She never married."

A friend of hers tells me: "I knew her for the last 20 years of her life, she was my parents' employer and my grandparents' before them. An amazing and eccentric and very kind lady."

Died 4 November 1993 in Northumberland, aged 89

...

and John G D 'Jack' Armour (q.v.), who was her first flying instructor in the ATA, was her cousin(!)

Connie owned

 RAeC

the 1922 Sopwith Grasshopper (WO 2698, G-EAIN, the only one ever built, which she acquired in 1928),

a 1927 DH.60 Moth (G-EBRX, later PH-KLG),

a 1929 Westland Widgeon IIIa (WA1776, G-AAJF), and

a 1932 Comper Swift, G-ABUU.

 Mrs Mary Teston Luis Bell

  1927

b. Launceston, Tasmania, 3 Dec 1903

1927

The Second RAF Cape Flight

The Cairo-Cape flight ended on April 21, when the R.A.F. machines, under the command of Air-Commodore C. R. Samson, arrived at Cape Town about noon, 22 days after leaving Cairo.

C. R. Samson C.M.G., D.S.O. (and Bar), A.F.C., was a picturesque figure, who captured the popular imagination, "chiefly because of his wholehearted love of fighting and adventure."

He published an account of this flight in his book called (as you might rather expect), "A Flight from Cairo to Capetown and Back".

d. Feb 1931, aged 47

 Miss Winifred Sawley Brown

Royal Aero Club Certificate No. 8091 (6 Apr 1927)

   photo: 1927, aged 28  

 b. 26 November 1899 in Brooklands, Cheshire; her father was director of a firm of butchers.

She said she learnt to roll her own cigarettes at the age of five; expelled from school at age fourteen (for writing 'the headmistress can go to hell' on the toilet wall), she made her first flight in 1919 from Blackpool sands.

  "A Well-known English Pilot" - The Sketch, 1929

First woman to win the King’s Cup (in 1930); well known in Lancashire as a hockey player who kept goal for the county and toured Australia with an English team; also a pretty good golfer, sailor and tennis player.

To see her being thoroughly embarrassed by her reception back at the Lancs Aero Club after winning the King's Cup, and to hear her say “Thank you for this welcome, it’s awfully good of you and I’m awfully happy to be back again in Lancashire, at the aerodrome where Captain Brown taught me to fly…. I’m delighted to have won the race and, well, thank you all very very much, I can’t say any more”, see here

Her son, Tony, b. 11 December 1940 in Angelsey, is "loved and remembered by millions as slippery Adam Chance in Crossroads".

She owned:

the 1928 Avro 594 Avian III, G-EBVZ - which her father bought for £500 - in which she won the King's Cup in 1930, then

a 1930 Avro 616 Sports Avian, G-ABED.

'Win' died in July 1984 in Hove, Sussex.

And you can now get a proper biography, entitled "WINIFRED BROWN: Britain's Adventure Girl No. 1", written by King's Lynn's most famous living author, Geoff Meggitt.

See www.pitchpole.co.uk for details!

 Miss Winifred Evelyn Spooner

'Bad luck Wimpey' was one of the best-known women aviators of the time, and the one generally regarded as the best. She was awarded the International League of Aviation's Trophy for women aviators in 1929, and in 1930 Capt C D Barnard described her as 'the finest woman pilot in the world' (He went on to say that Lady Bailey was regarded as the 'second finest airwoman in the world', and we don't know what she thought about that...)

Learnt to fly in 1926 and took it 'more seriously than most' - in her first race in April 1928, she won the Suffolk Handicap (21 miles at 78mph), ahead of Neville Stack and four other male rivals; she won the 'heavy' category in the Round Europe Contest for Touring Aircraft in 1930 - covering 4,700 miles at 102mph, ("a very fine performance indeed", said The Times) and also competed in the Ladies event at Reading (May, 1931) -  the other competitors were Amy Johnson, Grace Aitken, Pauline Gower, Dorothy Spicer, Susan Slade, Gabrielle Burr, Christina Young, and Fidelia Crossley - a historic gathering indeed.

Photo here

She soon took her 'B' (Commercial) Licence, and at one stage was the only professional woman pilot in the country.

In September 1927 her first flight abroad was to Venice to support the British Team in the Schneider Cup in Venice. Alan Butler (with Peter Hoare as passenger), and Hubert Broad, who took Maia Carberry, also went and, in case you were wondering, "Mrs. Carberry wore a pale blue leather flying helmet to match the colour of her Moth aeroplane."

She soon became regarded as 'one of the few women who matter in the air world'; in March 1928, when King Amanullah of Afghanistan was on a state visit to London, he inspected "the latest types of Imperial Airways passenger machines and a number of small Moth machines in private ownership. He carried on, through an interpreter, an animated conversation with Miss Winifred Brown, of Manchester, and Miss Spooner, of London, both of whom own and fly small two-seater machines."

In the 'Woman's World' section of the Inverness Courier of April 1928, this description of Winifred appeared: "[she] has not flown for very long, for it was only about three years ago that I knew her in Cologne, when she then drove, instead of an aeroplane, a two-seater car, through the crowded streets of Cologne, at a speed which most people would have been terrified to attempt. She was always, however, extremely cool and composed, and though her passengers were sometimes nervous she never seemed so. She was always very sporting, and played an excellent game of tennis. A good-looking, typically English girl, she made many friends among the British army in Cologne when doing voluntary work with the Y.M.C.A. there. [Winifred was with the 'Army of Occupation' in Germany at the time]"

She did have what she later described as her 'greatest air thrill' on Marlborough Common in May 1929; "she had been taking passengers up all day when, after one flight, she said she was not quite satisfied with the controls, and refused to take the next man until she had attended to the aeroplane. After doing so she started the propeller, and as she walked away from it the machine suddenly moved forward. Pluckily, Miss Spooner jumped and caught hold of the wing, her idea being to clamber into the cockpit and stop the engine. The machine quickly gathered speed, and she was dragged 40 or 50 yards [she later reckoned it was about 30 yards], when to the horror of the crowd the plane turned and buried its nose in the ground, hurling Miss Spooner some distance. She was unconscious. Doctors were sent for and she was taken to hospital. 'We thought she must have been killed,' an eye-witness told our representative."

She was taken to Savernake Hospital suffering from a sprained wrist, cuts, and slight concussion.

She does seem to have had quite a few run-ins with the local Constabulary; firstly in January 1929 for failing to keep her Alsatian dog under proper control (it had attacked another dog which "had no chance"), then in August 1929 for failing to produce a car driving licence (she said she had forgotten about it and flew to France the following day); then in 1931, she was fined £35 for leaving her motor car unattended and for failing to have lights on it. When she was told that she would be reported, she said: "I am used to it." A police-superintendent said there were no previous convictions recorded against her, as far as Reading was concerned. The Chairman then asked 'And none in the air? She replied 'There are no policemen in the air. That is why I like it.'"

I'm certainly sorry I missed her talk, given in April 1928 at Harrods in Brompton Road, on "Flying as a New Delight for Womankind".  Later, in the early thirties, she wrote for "Good Housekeeping" on, of course, "Flying for Women", alongside such luminaries as John Galsworthy, Kate O'Brien, and Hugh Walpole.

September 1929 saw her accompanying NFS's chairman Freddie Guest (q.v.) to Nairobi, to inaugurate an air taxi service and give flying lessons. They took 3 aeroplanes with them, and flew them back (via South Africa) in February 1930.

She and E C T 'Cecil' Edwards tried to fly a Desoutter to Cape Town and back in December 1930, but this expedition ended up in a forced landing in the sea off southern Italy; Cecil and Winifred had to swim a couple of miles to shore.

She regularly competed in the King's Cup - coming 3rd in 1928 - and was a guest at Amelia Earhart's reception at the Royal Aero Club in May 1932.

She was personal pilot to Leicestershire M.P. Lyndsey Everard from February 1931 - they are seen here with Nigel Norman.

And then, suddenly, on 13 January 1933, she was dead - not in an air crash, but as a result of a cold which rapidly worsened into pneumonia. Only few days before, in conversation with a friend, she had mentioned that her mother had died from influenza in 1918. "The deaths of both mother and daughter occurred with the same suddenness."

They are buried together in Hinton Parva: see http://www.earlyaviators.com/espoone5.htm

She left £1,357 0s 8d, and her brother, Capt. Frank Vivian Spooner, Indian Army (retd) was appointed administrator. She hadn't got round to writing a will.

There is a scholarship in her memory at Sherborne School for Girls.

"In the passing of Winifred Spooner the world has lost a great woman... she stood out as a woman of indomitable courage".
 

Winifred owned:

a 1926 DH.60 Moth (G-EBOT),

a 1928 DH.60G Gipsy Moth (G-AAAL, which she sold to Elise Battye);

a 1930 Desoutter IID (G-ABCU - this is the aeroplane she and E.C.T. Edwards ditched in the sea off Naples in December 1930), and later

a 1932 Breda 33 (G-ABXK), which was sold in Italy just 3 months before her death.

Winifred's brother Tony was chief flying instructor at the Montreal Flying Club in 1931. He was killed in March 1935 in Egypt when piloting a D.H. 84 Dragon, SU-ABI belonging to Misr Airwork, when it was caught up in a sandstorm and both engines failed.

 Madeleine Constance Mary Woodhead

 Isabella Heslop

  1927

1927-8

Flt-Lt Richard 'Dick' Read Bentley, S.A.A.F in D.H. Moth 60X G-EBSO 'Dorys'

'Dick' was a South African Air Force instructor at Roberts Heights, the headquarters of the S.A.A.F.; he was an adopted South African, born in England. He had also spent about three years in Canada.

Lady Bailey christened the Moth at Stag Lane with the name of 'Dorys', after his then-fiancee. The movie is here, although they seem to think the aeroplane was called the 'Johannesburg Star'...

The aeroplane was a standard production model, the only change being an extra fuel tank instead of the passenger's seat.

He was awarded the Britannia Trophy for the most meritorious performance of the year.

First solo England-Cape Town flight.

Left Stag Lane 10:30 am September 1. Arrived 2:20pm September 28.

He then became the first pilot to fly to Cape Town from England and back in a light aeroplane; the return flight was his "admirable method of spending a honeymoon".

Left Cape Town March 3, arrived Croydon (with his new wife, Dorys) on May 12.

He then became instructor to the Liverpool and District Aero Club from June to September.

Lady Bailey christens Dorys, with Dick in the background

 Dafny Hansen Berger

Left Croydon October 14. Crashed Muntok, D. East Indies, January 10, 1928.

Resumed flight March 12, 1928. Arrived Port Darwin March 19, 1928.

1927-8

The Sir Charles Wakefield African survey expedition

Sir Alan Cobham in the Short S.5 Singapore flying-boat N-179 G-EBUP.

Started from Rochester on November 17. The flying-boat landed on Lake Victoria on February 5; it was the first flying boat to do so.

They completed the outward journey from England to Cape Town on March 30.

The return journey up the West African Coast was started on April 3.

Left Croydon February 7 (0.48 a.m.). Arrived Port Darwin February 22 (6 a.m.).

Time 15 days. Distance 11,000 miles. Record.

1928

First solo light plane flight from Cape Town to England

Lady Heath in an Avro Avian III

Reached Cape Town (by sea) December 6, 1927

She also enlisted the help of Dick Bentley to fly over the Sudan.

Left Pretoria on February 25, reached Croydon May 17.

The aeroplane was later sold to Amelia Earhart, and taken to America.

1928-9

Lady Bailey in a couple of DH Moths

She only took two small suit-cases with her when she took off, in March 1928. In Cairo, her plane was locked away by order of the Governor-General of the Sudan to prevent her from continuing alone, so she contacted Dick Bentley (who had flown to the Cape a few weeks before) to escort her in his own aeroplane over the "dangerous area of the southern Sudan". She then crashed in Tanganyika, writing off her aeroplane (she said it was her fault), but her husband Abe made arrangements for a replacement Moth to be delivered from Pretoria and she continued, despite having 'flu. Abe was there to meet her when she arrived at the end of April.

The return journey was made via the western 'French' route - the Belgian Congo, Angola and the French Congo. She finally arrived back at Croydon on 16 January, 1929, 10 months after she left. It was "undoubtedly one of the finest performances ever put up by a woman pilot."

 Edna Baerlein

 Alice Bessie Grace

1928

Record flight

Lieut. Pat Murdoch, SAAF,  in an Avro Avian III G-EBVU

Started from Croydon at 5 p.m. on July 29

Time: 14 days.

"We understand that before his departure Lieut. Murdock consulted Sir Alan Cobham regarding the flight."

Took off  September 12 to make his way back, but crashed at Elizabethville, Belgian Congo, on October 18; he was uninjured, but wrote off the aeroplane.

 Olive Muriel Tremague Miles

 Eleanor Isabella 'Susan' Slade

 in 1928

The Bystander Special Aviation Edition, 1933

b. 10 January 1904 in Hong Kong

  The Sketch - October 1929

"The popular secretary of Airwork, Heston Air Park - Miss Eleanor Slade"

"Efficiently managing the day-to-day business [of the King's Cup] was dynamic little Susan Slade... herself a pilot of considerable ability who has her own Moth".

C G Grey

In Holland, with Lyndsey Everard et al

On one flight with her elder sister Betsy in 1938 over Germany, having missed their destination, they came down at the Berchtesgaden; Herr Hitler was away at the time, but the servants gave them a conducted tour.

Rallye Aerien, Chateau d'Ardenne 17-19 May 1930 with Adelaide Cleaver

She won the first All-Ladies Race at Sywell, Northants in September 1931 (the Hon. Mrs Victor Bruce was second).

Air Transport Auxiliary in WWII

Even with her perceived limitations as a pilot, Susan Slade was a hard-working and trusted administrator, and an extraordinary, talented and much-loved lady.
 

r., with ??, Connie Leathart, Lady Runciman, HH Leech, Flt Lt Clarkson

Susan lived at Mallard's Court, Stokenchurch and is buried in Stokenchurch..

She owned:

a 1927  DH.60X Moth (G-EBSA), then

a 1929 DH.60G Gipsy Moth (G-AAIW), and

a 1931 DH.80A Puss Moth (G-ABLX).

 Mary Hicks

  1928

 Dorothy Brewster Fletcher

Royal Aero Club Certificate No. 8438 (12 Oct 1928)

  1928

b. Workington, 16 Feb 1892; her father James was a joiner.

An Administrative Assistant in the Women's RAF in October 1919.

Dorothy's great-nephew tells me that "Dorothy took part in the Blackpool Air pageant in 1928, as co-pilot to Sicele O'Brien.
Her instructor at Stag Lane was Capt F G M Sparks. He performed a  "breathtaking display of aerobatic stunts in her honour whilst accompanying her ship on its passage down the St Lawrence river. This display naturally delighted the other passengers aboard."   

She sailed back from Montreal to Southampton in September 1930.

A scientist with a particular interest in electronics; in 1924, she collaborated with Sydney Brydon and they patented "Improvements in and relating to the employment of thermionic valve circuits"; later, in 1945, she and Edward Victor Golder took out a patent for "Improvements in or relating to piezo-electric crystals having wire connections".

After WWII she was "cited for her wartime work with Gilbert S. Bryden involving detection of magnetic mines at sea".

d. 1970 in Greenwich, London

 Quenelda Anne Naylor

  1928

 Mary Madge Home

b. Jodhpore, India, 13 Aug 1891

d. 3 May 1957, London

 Janet Hendry

  1928

b. Adrossan, Scotland, 23 Oct 1906

England-Australia, 1929.—Fit. Lt. S. James Moir and P/O. Harold C. Owen (both RAAF) on G-EBYX, a Vickers " Vellore" (460 h.p. Armstrong- Siddeley "Jaguar").

Left Brooklands March 18. Arrived Cape Don Lighthouse, N. Australia, May 26.

Moir and Owen either mistook the Cape Don lighthouse for Port Darwin, or were forced down by engine failure, and landed there in the dark on May 18th with shark-filled seas on one side and crocodile-infested lagoons on the other. They then lived at the lighthouse until they were found on May 26th.

They had also had a bit of an incident in Egypt on March 23rd, making a forced landing at Mersa Matruh, about 160 miles west of Alexandria.

Here is Owen (I think) examining some broken bits, 

 Edna Mary Yendall

Royal Aero Club Certificate: 8544 (31 Mar 1929)

 Elileen May Scott

Royal Aero Club Certificate: 8554 (16 Apr 1929)

  1929

b. 21 May 1903, from Barnsley, who owned:

• a 1928 Avro 594 Avian III, G-EBYO, which she later sold to Vera Brailey, then a

• 1929 Blackburn L.1C Bluebird IV, previously G-AAOC, registered EC-UUU in Madrid in December 1933

 Florence Margaret Wood

Royal Aero Club Certificate: 8572 (7 May 1929)

 Mary Stewart Dashwood Wilson

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8583 (13 May 1929)

  1929, aged 43

b. 28 April 1886, from London.

Bought a 1927 DH.60 Moth, (G-EBRY) which she later sold to the Isle of Wight Flying Club.

 Miss Leonore Mary de Chancal Pellier

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8590 (17 May 1929)

b Abbotskerswell, 25 Jun 1905

a 'spinster of independent means'

 Miss Ethel Margaret Ellison

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8612 (21 May 1929)

 Miss Margaret Hughes

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8615 (31 May 1929)

 Mrs Lois Butler

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8634 (14 Jun 1929)

Née Reid

b. 3 Nov 1897 in Montreal, Canada; the "beautiful" [so said Harald Penrose] wife of Alan Butler.

(later, the 'Flying Grandmother', oh well...)

Her first husband having died in 1923, she married Alan Butler in 1925; together they had a daughter and a son.

15th in the Women’s Combined Alpine Skiing at the 1936 Winter Olympics, skating for her native Canada (although she was a member of the British Team before that).

 King's Cup 1933

Post-WWII, the Butlers moved to Rhodesia and bought a tobacco farm, but eventually moved back to Studham Hall, Bedfordshire.

She owned a 1930 DH.80A Puss Moth G-ABGX, which was sold in France in December 1934, re-registered as F-AMRX and whose registration was finally cancelled in 1936.

d. 17 Aug 1970 in Piraeus, Attiki, Greece from a heart attack while on holiday, and is buried in Studham.

Air Transport Auxiliary in WWII

 Miss Joyce Maude Pike

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8661 (23 Jun 1929)

Australia-England, 1929.—Sqd. Ldr. C. E. Kingsford-Smith, C. T. P. Ulm, T. McWilliams and H. A. Litchfield, on a Fokker monoplane Southern Cross (three Wright " Whirlwind").

Left Sydney June 25. Arrived Croydon July 10.

12,000 miles in 12 days 14 hr. 18 min.. (Ex. Derby.) Record.

 Miss Elizabeth Ann Roche Anderson

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8735 (26 Jun 1929)

The Sketch - 1929

b. Dullatur Scotland, 18 Aug 1908

A Masseuse

Amy Johnson (Amy Mollison)

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8662 (28 Jun 1929)

  1929

1934

Amy Johnson, Hull's Finest

a.k.a. Amy Mollison

Born 1^st July 1903 in Kingston upon Hull;  Amy was 'a slight young woman with heavily lidded eyes, dentured teeth, a shy smile and a soft Yorkshire accent' [she later developed a rather fake upper-class BBC one, possibly under her husband Jim's influence].

 By 1929, a secretary (albeit one with an economics degree, and an engineer's licence to go with her aviator's certificate) turned solo record-breaking pilot and all-round nation's sweetheart. Married for six years to Jim Mollison (which was a Big Mistake).

On May 26th, 1932, after her solo flight from America, Amelia Earhart was the guest of the Royal Aero Club in London, and amongst the ladies in attendance were Lady Bailey, Amy, and Winifred Spooner (less than a year before her untimely death).

Air Transport Auxiliary in WWII (Died in Service)

Amy's aircraft included:

a 1928 DH.60G Gipsy Moth (G-AAAH) which she named 'Jason', and is now in the Science Museum;

a 1930 DH.80A Puss Moth, G-AAZV, 'Jason II';

a 1930 DH.60G Gipsy Moth, G-ABDV, er, 'Jason III'.

After 1930 she owned:

a 1932 DH.60G III Moth Major, G-ABVW, ... ummm, let me guess... yes... 'Jason 4', and

a 1932 DH.80A Puss Moth, G-ACAB, 'The Desert Cloud'.

 Miss Gladys Mary Grace

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8669 (7 Jul 1929)

 Lady Daisy Finola Somers

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8778 (17 Jul 1929)

Lady Somers of Eastnor Castle, Ledbury, Herefordshire.

Daisy Finola Meeking as was; b. Dublin, 9 Sep 1896, married Lt-Col Arthur Herbert, 6th Baron Somers in April 1921 (the King and Queen sent a pair of diamond sleeve links, which was nice).

He became Governor of the State of Victoria in 1926 - here they are at the railway station on their way to Melbourne:

(isn't that the same hat?)

On the journey, however, he slipped on the steamer's deck and had to have an operation for a "misplaced cartilage of the knee". Which sounds v. painful...

They were there on 13 June 1928 when Kingsford-Smith and Ulm arrived in the 'Southern Cross', having crossed the Pacific.

Lord Somers came back to England in May 1929 "to join Lady Somers"; they were up in Scotland for the grouse-shooting in August, so Finola must have been having flying lessons up to then. They then went back to Australia in October; he to sort out a new government, she to do a 4,700 mile flight in her D.H. 60M Moth VH-UND, to Alice Springs and Darwin and then back down the east coast to Melbourne. She flew with a Flt-Lt. F. M. Denny, who was on her husband's staff, "piloting the aircraft herself for several long stages".

She sold the aeroplane in February 1931.

After a short period as Acting Governor-General of Australia, Lord Somers finished his highly-successful stint as Governor of Victoria in October 1931, and returned to Eastnor. He later became President of the M.C.C, then Chief Scout after the death of Baden-Powell, but died in June 1944 from throat cancer. Sadly for Lady Somers, two-thirds of the money he left was swallowed up by death duties.

She was Chief Commissioner of the Girl Guides until 1949 when she resigned due to ill-health; she was awarded the CBE in 1950. She moved back into Eastnor Castle (actually, into the servants' quarters), lived there "in much reduced circumstances" until 1949, when she moved into the former head gardener’s cottage to make way for her only daughter, Elizabeth, and her son-in-law, Ben Hervey-Bathurst.

She attended Lady Mary Bailey's funeral in 1960, and died 6 Oct 1981 in Hereford, aged 85.

Eastnor Castle survives and is now thriving under the stewardship of her grandsons - one of whom tells me that she took him to see Capt Denny once, "who was retired in Burford."

http://www.eastnorcastle.com/

 Mrs Andree Peyre Turner

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8701 (25 Jul 1929)

 Audrey Florid Durell Drummond Sale-Barker

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8731 (13 Aug 1929)

 The eldest daughter of Maurice Drummond-Sale-Barker.

Air Transport Auxiliary in WWII

Known as 'Wendy'; she married George Nigel Douglas-Hamilton (the Earl of Selkirk) in 1949. They were two of the best British skiers; she was even a women's ski champion for a while.

George died in 1994. They had no children.

 Miss Nora Thornton Trevelyan

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8901 (17 Aug 1929)

b. 3 Jun 1902, from Wooler, Northumberland

She owned a 1929 DH.60G Gipsy Moth, G-AAIB, but she crashed it at Renfrew following engine failure on the 15 May 1930; she and her passenger Mr Spencer escaped with minor injuries.

She married William Eric Davies in July 1931.

 Mrs Margaret Helen Saunders

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8737 (20 Aug 1929)

 Hon. Mrs Mildred Katherine Leith

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8744 (21 Aug 1929)

b. St Andrews, Scotland, 22 Mar 1894

A Company Director

 Dulcis Marie Miriam Margaret Mendoza Eills

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8753 (24 Aug 1929)

b. Waterloo, nr Liverpool, 7 Aug 1897

A Housewife

 Miss Diana Guest

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8756 (27 Aug 1929)

photo: 1929, aged 20

Frederick's daughter; later sculptress Diana Guest Manning. [Mr Manning was one of her 3 husbands].

"I was born and brought up in the country in England. My parents, Amy Phipps and Frederick Guest, met in India and married a year later in London. They settled in a beautiful Queen Anne house near Oakham named Burley on the Hill".

"AN ATALANTA OF THE AIR - MISS DIANA GUEST, CAPTAIN "FREDDIE" GUEST'S PILOT DAUGHTER. 

Miss Diana Guest, the young daughter of Captain the Hon. Freddie Guest, P.C., C.B.E., D.S.O., etc., Chairman of the National Flying Services, was born in 1909, and recently made her debut in society. She has also just made her debut in the air, and took her pilot's A certificate recently. She and her father had their flying lessons at the same time, and took their respective tickets simultaneously for although Captain Guest, who was born in 1875, has long been interested in flying, and was Secretary of State for Air from 1921-1922, he was not the holder of a pilot's A certificate. "

The Sketch, 1929

In 1981 "Miss Guest, who divides her time between Paris and Palm Beach, Fla., and whose works have been exhibited in museums around the world, has donated 27 pieces of her sculpture to Old Westbury Gardens".

Diana owned:

• 1929 Hawker Tomtit G-AALL, then
• 1930 DH.80A Puss Moth, G-AAZP, which later became SU-AAC in Egypt and was impressed in WWII as HL537.

d. 1994

 Mrs Christina Mitchell Young

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8779 (8 Sep 1929)

  1929, aged 38

from Suffolk, but born in Edinburgh.

  Rosamond Vereker

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8803 (12 Sep 1929)

 Miss Isabel Surtees

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8816 (27 Sep 1929)

  Miss Mary Agnes Geraldine Stanford

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8858 (22 Oct 1929)

 Mrs Mary Margaret Carter

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8871 (27 Oct 1929)

 Mrs Elsa Elvine Lindbergh Lovell

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8899 (22 Nov 1929)

 Violet Baring

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8932 (17 Dec 1929)

  1929

 b. 1900

b. Violetta Mary Archer in Reading, "A niece of Lady George Dundas, of Newmarket, and also of the Marquess of Zetland."

Married Richard Baring in Jan 1921 but 'divorced him'.

Violet was killed in July 1931 when she and her 'old friend' Philip Noble (to whom she had just sold the aeroplane) crashed in G-EBYK while attempting a forced landing near Wokingham, Berks:

"The woman pilot, who was well-known in Society, and her passenger, a director of Lloyds Bank, who was also an enthusiastic flyer, were killed instantly; both receiving terrible injuries."

John Dennis Turner (q.v.), who said he was engaged to be married to Violet, identified the body and gave evidence at the inquest.

Her house at 23 Earl's Court Square, London, was for sale 'at a low price' by the following January.

 Miss Margory Penrose-Thackwell

Royal Aero Club Certificate 8926 (19 Dec 1929)

England-Australia (solo), 1929-30 —Francis C. Chichester on a D.H. "Moth" ("Gipsy").

Left Croydon December 20. Arrived Port Darwin January 25 (or 27).

Time 5 weeks.

England-Australia, 1930 —F/O Harold L. Piper and F/O C Kay on a Desoutter monoplane ("Cirrus Hermes").

Left Croydon February 9. Arrived Port Darwin March 23.

Time 7 weeks.

Left Croydon May 5. Arrived Port Darwin May 24.

9,900 miles in 19 days.

Amy's first long-distance flight (she had gained her RAeC certificate only the previous June, and hadn't flown more than 200 miles before this). She bought a second-hand Moth from Wally Hope, painted it green and called it "Jason".

She crashed a few times on the way - mostly because her landings were "often atrocious", but became the world's heroine.

  Ancestry

b. 5 Aug1895, Bickley, Kent

Father: Robert Bruce Aitken, a solicitor (qualified 1885), mother Harriot(t) (Soames, d. 1963 aged 100). They married 12 Jun 1894.

Sister Kathleen Maud, b. 1897

Robert was an RAF 2^nd Lieut 1917-18, and d. 21 Nov 1942 in Llandudno.

In the 1911 Census Robert and Harriot lived in Tunbridge Wells with their 4 servants; Grace, age 15, meanwhile was at boarding school - St Felix School, Clogle House, Reydon, Southwold.

Grace qualified as a masseuse (in Medical Gymnastics and Medical Electricity) and travelled to Quebec in 1926, New Zealand in 1927, and Hawaii and the USA for three weeks in 1928.

Her address by then was Masons Bridge Hall, Salfords, Horley, Surrey (which is near Redhill Aerodrome).

'Flight' Magazine recorded the start of her aviation career in October 1929: "During this week, three new lady members commenced instruction; they were Miss M. M. Noakes and Miss M. J. M. Turner, of Maidstone, and Miss G. E. Aitken, of Horley, Surrey. It is very encouraging to see the increasing interest and enthusiasm with which ladies are taking up flying."

The following year, she gained her Royal Aero Club Certificate No 9123, at the Cinque Ports Flying Club based in Lympne, Kent

She acquired a 1930 DH.60M Moth, G-AAWX, from Sir Piers GJ Mostyn.

For the next couple of years, she was an ever-present face in aviation circles, and 'Flight' recorded her various activities and triumphs:

May 1931: "The chief event of the afternoon was a race for ladies, this was divided into heats with Miss Aitken, Miss Crossley and Miss Amy Johnson in the first, and Miss Burr, Miss Gower, Miss Giles, Mrs. Young, Miss Slade, and Miss Spooner in the second. The winner of the first heat was Miss Amy Johnson, with Miss Aitken second, and of the second heat Miss Burr, followed by Miss Gower.

Amy, Pauline, Dorothy, Gabrielle, Susan, Winifred, and Delia

These four then took part in the final, which was a victory for Miss Aitken, with Miss Gower second, Miss Johnson third, and Miss Burr fourth. Capt. Dancy', that king of handicappers, was once again to be seen, complete with stop watch, red flag, and gum boots, and his work augured well for future races this year. Only a few seconds separated the winners in each heat, although the speeds of the machines varied widely, and the final was a masterpiece of handicapping, only ten seconds covering those racing.

The course was a triangular one around Wokingham Church and Twvford Station, the heats being one and the final two laps, the latter being about 20 miles."

July 1931: "Two of the Club's lady private owners, Miss Aitken and Miss Giles, left for Paris on Thursday in their two Gipsy Moths. It was originally their intention to tour Germany, but the political and financial situation there made this inadvisable."

 Joanna Elder Giles

August 1931: "A remarkably good performance was put up by two of the Club’s lady private owners, Miss Aitken and Miss Giles, who returned on Thursday July 30, from a fortnight’s flying four of France, covering a very big mileage during the period. They expressed themselves very pleased with the courtesy extended to them on all the friendly aerodromes on which they landed, and were particularly impressed by the French Meteorological Service."

September 1931: "In the last week’s report reference was made to Miss Aitken. one of the lady private owner members, and the hope was expressed that she had won the Ladies’ Cup at the St. Hubert Rally; this has proved to be the case, and, in addition, she has won the Challenge Cup, to be held by the Club for 12 months; this is an extremely meritorious performance and the Club offers her its sincere congratulations."

October 1931: "Lt. Com. T. S. B. Gubbins inaugurated his new flying field at Barham, and the informal opening was attended by Miss Aitken in her own aircraft."

November 1931: "On Sunday a party was held to celebrate the arrival of the ‘Coupe Challenge Internationale" - won recently by Miss Grace Aitken, of this club, on the occasion of the Second International Rallye at St. Hubert, Belgium. The cup, which stands ever 2 ft 6 in, high, is of solid silver on a marble plinth, and is held by the Club for a year; a replica is held by the winner.

Miss Aitken was the Club’s first lady ‘A’ licence pilot, and deserves the hearty congratulations of all on her extremely meritorious performance and her successful efforts to uphold the prestige of British amateur aviation on the Continent of Europe. Among those present at the celebrations were Miss J. E. Giles, Miss M. Noaks, Mrs. Hammond Davis, Mrs. H. E. Twaites, Lt. Com. G. S, B. Gubbins, Messrs, Drake, Marriage, Searle, Waller, Morris and Twaites, and other members and friends. The cups referred to were collected by aeroplane from the town of St. Hubert on the 18th ult. by Miss Aitken in person."

May 1932: "Several club members went over to the Antwerp meeting, including the Misses Aitken and Giles and Messrs. Trewlawny, Waller and Gubbins."

August 1932, the "GOSSIP FROM GATWICK" was that "The feminine element was well to the fore during the last week. Miss Aitken did her first taxi trip, when she conveyed Miss Sewell to Heston to collect her machine, in which she put up such a very good show when she flew it out solo to Transjordania."

September 1932: "A WOMEN'S FLYING MEETING

The Womens Engineering Society, who at the suggestion of Lady Bailey have formed an aviation section, held an air meeting in connection with their Tenth Annual Conference at Atlantic Park, Eastleigh, near Southampton, on Sunday, September I5. Owing to a very regrettable streak of misplaced Puritanism on the part of the municipal authorities, the organisers were not allowed to bring the general public into the meeting, except free of charge, with the result that they had to content themselves to a small but select party of invited guests.

Atlantic Park is quite an excellent aerodrome, and we hear rumours that it may shortly be the home of one of the well-known South Coast flying clubs. The hangars are still in reasonably good repair and bear romantic evidence, in the shape of notices in many languages, of the days when the shipping companies had perforce to use it as a dumping camp for the crowds of European emigrants who fled their own countries after the war to seek fortunes in the USA. (who knows but what it may have sheltered Scarface Al or others of his ilk!). Visitors by air had, we gathered a very sticky trip, as the clouds were down on the hills in most parts of the country and this kept the numbers of aircraft very low, but those who came by road fared better for despite rain which made things unpleasant they had no difficulty in finding the way ; AA notices at every corner led them straight to the aerodrome. — Mr. Ivor McClure, who has made the aviation department of the A. A. what it is, surely deserves recognition as one of aviation's benefactors.

The Dowager Lady Swaythling opened the meeting and the women who had flown down were presented to her. These included Miss Aitken Mrs. Victor Bruce, Mrs, Chalmers, Miss Spicer, and Lady Bailey. Mrs. Shelmerdine, who had nobly come all the way from London by road, Mrs, Mollison, who arrived somewhat later in her special 'Moth' and last, but not least Miss Mollie Ofley, of the Northamptonshire Aero Club, to whom had been entrusted the organisation of the dying programme of the meeting."

In September 1932, there was a "LADIES’ PARTY AT SYWELL

On Sunday, September 25, the ladies of the Northamptonshire Aero Club held the second of their annual flying meetings. This year the meeting, once more ably organised by Miss Mollie Ofley, was more in the nature of a garden party, the general public not therefore being invited. Some dozen visiting machines arrived at the aerodrome during the afternoon, quite a large proportion of which were flown by lady pilots. Unfortunately, other meetings in the country clashed with this gathering, thereby lessening the number of visitors. Last year the handsome cup presented by Mr. Lee Champion, was won by Miss 'Susan' Slade in a race which, it will be remembered, was distinctive for its somewhat exciting(!) finish. This year however, the idea of a race was abandoned and a competition substituted. The cup, it was decided should still be presented to the winner and therefore Miss Slade had perforce to fly up from Cornwall w ith this 'utensil' which she managed to do despite the execrable weather. Miss Slade told us that she explored every valley in Somerset in an endeavour to get north from Cornwall on the first day of her attempt before returning to a field belonging to some friends in Taunton. On the second day she was more lucky, and by avoiding the hills she was able to get through.

The competition took the form of a test of the pilot's ability to fly accurately by compass without the aid of a map. All entrants were given maps. but these were sealed and the breaking of the seal entailed disqualification. Four bearings and distances were given with landmarks, which had to be noted at each comer, observers being stationed at these marks. As a precaution against the eventuality of several competitors getting round the course correctly they had, on their return to the aerodrome to land, finishing their landing run with their wheels as near to a line of flags as possible. Points being deducted according to the distance they were from these flags.

The entrants included Miss Susan Slade, Lady Bailey, Miss Giles, Miss Muntz and Miss Aitken.

A scientific scheme of marking was evolved by several of the enthusiastic male members of the club, and the result of their labours was to award Lady Bailey 66.25, Miss Giles 63.5, Miss Slade 62,5, and Miss Muntz 61.25. Unfortunately, Miss Aitken decided that if she continued looking for the landing marks any longer she would be in danger of losing her tea, and she therefore opened her maps, which, of course, entailed her disqualification."

And then her flying career seems to have ended. She sold the Moth to Robert Christian 'Bob' Ramsay ...

... and in 1933, she married Kenneth Minshull Robathan (1 Sep 1889 – 2 Feb 1965) who was an English first-class cricketer, British Indian Army officer and clergyman, and held ecclesiastical appointments at Dethick, Lea and Holloway in Derbyshire, Lee-on-Solent in Hampshire, and Potterne in Wiltshire. He  died in February 1965 at Ringwood, Hampshire.

They had 2(?) children.

Grace was still practising as a masseuse in Matlock, Derbyshire, in 1946.

She died 14 Feb 1979 giving her address as Camel Cross Motors, West Camel, Yeovil Somerset, leaving £78,183

 Adelaide Franklin Cleaver

b. Adelaide Pollock in Northern Ireland in c.1885, the daughter of the Minister of Finance.

Adelaide (a.k.a. Mrs Hylton Spenser Cleaver) spent 3 months in 1929 flying to India and back, in her DH60G Gispy Moth G-AAEA. She was piloted by Captain Donald Drew, of Imperial Airways, and arrived back at Croydon on June 10th.

Here they are, lunching in the desert:

They had travelled as far as Egypt with Leonard Slatter, who was flying his newly-delivered Bluebird to Cape Town.

She didn't get her RAeC Certificate until June 1930, so I suspect he did most of the flying on that trip. However in Ocotber 1930 she made probably her greatest achievement  - her flight from New York to Hollywood in her Moth, which she took with her on a steamship.

In July 1933, she was responsible for a "well-organised Flying Display which was held at Aldergrove Aerodrome, Co. Antrim. Her avowed intention was to stimulate air-mindedness in Ulster, and from the number of spectators who went to see the Display there is little doubt that she succeeded. We gather that from every point of view it was a great success."

In 1934, Mary de Bunsen wrote that "Mrs Spencer Cleaver makes the usually fatiguing journey to Northern Ireland three or four times a year in her own aeroplane, and, fitted with extra tanks to save refuelling during the day, it has many times enabled her to breakfast in London, shop in Paris from 11 to 1, and return in plenty of time for dinner at her house in London."

She owned:

a 1929 DH.60G Gipsy Moth, G-AAEA, which she sold to Venetia Montagu;

a 1930 DH.60G Gipsy Moth G-AAVY, which she sold to Lady Howard de Walden;

a 1930 DH.80A Puss Moth, G-ABFV, and

a 1933 Percival D.2 Gull Four IID, G-ACIP.

d. 14 August 1939 at Cooden, Sussex 'after a long illness', aged 54.

Eastern Air Services / Eastern Air Transport Ltd (1930-33)

  Michael David Llewellyn Scott

"M. D. L. Scott, secretary of the Skegness Aero Club, offered to take sun-starved midlanders to be braced up a bit in Skegness; 25 bob return from Nottingham or Leicester, 35 shillings from Birmingham: "Nottingham people will be able to fly to Skegness again this summer at fares which will actually be cheaper than the first-class railway rates. This enterprising venture, which was inaugurated last year, is to be resumed again at Easter on a very much bigger scale... The service is to be conducted Mr. M. D. L. Scott, of Eastern Air Services, Skegness".

The Eastern Air Transport Company carried 30,000 passengers in the 4 years to 1933 without serious incident.

 Mrs Mildred Mary Bruce

   in 1930

The Hon. Mrs Victor Bruce

b. Mildred Petre on 10 November 1895 in Chelmsford, and married the Hon Victor Bruce in 1926 (although they divorced in 1941).

Raced motor cars, speedboats and aeroplanes, and became a millionaire in her own right through her business interests.

In 1927, published her 'lively holiday narrative' called 'Nine thousand miles in eight weeks' about her journey by motor-car from John o'Groats through England, France, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. [51 photographs, 12/6d net.]

She then did 6,000 miles in Sweden and the Arctic, and drove from Cairo to Cape Town, but was fined 10 shillings for careless driving when she got back to London. She ignored a policeman's signal and got in the way of other traffic; the officer was of the opinion that she "shouldn't be in charge of a car". She was also probably the first woman ever arrested for speeding.

She then set the record for a double crossing of the English Channel in 1928, getting to Calais and back to Dover in 1hr 47min in a speedboat.

Two months after getting her RAeC Certificate, having only flown 40 hours or so and having had 5 lessons in navigation, she flew solo round the world in her Bluebird IV G-ABDS in 1930-1 (although she sensibly went across the Pacific and Atlantic by ship), and then  tried to fly to Cape Town in an autogyro in 1934, but only got as far as France.

To see the (silent, unfortunately) video of her starting her round-the-world trip and getting a goodbye kiss from (I think we must assume) the Hon Victor Bruce  -  click here.

[One of the Bluebird's engineers reckoned that G-ABDS stood for 'A Bloody Daft Stunt'].

And to hear her speak, see the latter half of this video here.

Founder and joint managing director of Air Dispatch Ltd from 1934, which carried freight and passengers between London and Paris using D.H. Dragonflies.

She owned, at various times:

• a 1930 DH.80A Puss Moth, G-AAZO which was taken over by the RAF in 1940 but 'hit a tarsprayer' in June 1941;
• a 1930 DH.80A Puss Moth, G-ABDG (scrapped in 1943);
• the 1930 Blackburn L.1C Bluebird IV, G-ABDS, in which she performed 'A Bloody Daft Stunt' in 1930-1 of flying solo round the world;
• a 1930 DH.80A Puss Moth, G-ABGS, which she bought from Emma Bettina Elizabeth Amy Malcolm;
• a 1931 Blackburn L.1C Bluebird IV, G-ABMI;
• a Bristol F.2B Fighter, formerly J8258, registerd G-ABXA in 1932;
• a 1933 DH.84 Dragon, G-ACDL, and
• a 1933 DH.60X Moth, G-ACMB.

d. 21 May 1990 aged 94; her ashes were scattered in Golders Green Crematorium

England- Australia (solo) 1930 —Capt F R Matthews on a D.H. " Puss Moth " ("Gipsy III").

Left Croydon September 16. Arrived Port Darwin October 18.

Time 4 weeks 4 days.

England-Australia (solo), 1930

Flt Lt Cedrick Waters Hill, from RAF Henlow, on a D.H. "Moth" ("Gipsy").

Left Lympne October 5. Crashed near Atamboea October 17.

Resumed flight December 9, reached Port Darwin December 10.

Time 7 weeks 5 days.

His Gypsy Moth, G-ABEN, was sold in Australia the following March and became VH-UPV; Mrs Lores Bonney then used it to make a solo Australia-England flight 10.4.33-21.6.33.

England-Australia (solo), 1930 —Wing Cmdr C. E. Kingsford-Smith on an Avro "Avian Sports" ("Gipsy II" ) , Southern Cross Junior.

Left Heston October 9. Arrived Port Darwin October 19.

10,000 miles in 9 days 21 hr. 40 min. Record.

England-Australia (solo), 1930 —Oscar Garden on a D.H. "Moth" ("Gipsy"), Kia Ora.

Left Lympne October 17. Arrived Wyndham November 4.

Time 18 days.

  Mrs Elise Battye

 photo: 1931, aged 39  

"On an income of £1,000 a year, Mrs Elise Battye keeps a small house within thirty miles of London, a Morris Minor as an essential adjunct to the scheme, and a Moth aeroplane. In the latter she flies 180 to 200 hours a year for under £250 all told.

She flies constantly to the Isle of Wight, Gloucestershire and Norfolk - to the last two as many as three times a month - and all these places are unpleasant to get to by any other means." [this is still true, of course]

[The average salary in 1934 was less than £200 a year]

Elise owned:

- a 1930 DH.60G Gipsy Moth G-AAYL, and then

- a 1935 Miles M.2H Hawk Major, G-ADLA, which was sold to South Africa in 1939.

 in 1931

Australia-England (solo), 1931 — C.W.A. Scott on a D.H. "Moth" ("Gipsy II").

Left Wyndham May 26. Arrived Lympne June 5. Time 10 days 13 hr. Record

Australia-England 1931 - J.A. Mollison on a D.H. Moth. July-August.

8 days 22hr 35min. Record.

 nee Laycock, b. 28 Jun 1908, from Melton Mowbray, owned:

- a 1930 DH.60M Moth, G-AAVE, later sold and re-registered VT-ANS

- a 1931 DH.80A Puss Moth G-ABLC, Sold abroad in 1938

England-Australia (solo), 1931 - C A Butler, on a Comper "Swift" (Pobjoy).

Left Lympne Oct 31. Arrived Port Darwin Nov 9.

9 days 2hr 29min. Record.

in 1932, aged 22.

Mary was born 29 May 1910 in Madrid, the daughter of Sir Maurice, the British Ambassador there.

She had been dragged round dances and hunt balls by her parents in the hope of finding her a suitable husband - these were, of course, in short supply after the carnage of WWI.

"I was far too innocent to realise... that with a lame leg [after a childhood attack of polio] and horn-rimmed glasses I stood no chance whatever". 

She contributed many articles to aeronautical journals during the 1930s.

Her autobiography is called "Mount up with Wings"

d. 1982 in Dorset.

Air Transport Auxiliary in WWII

England-Australia (solo) 1933 -Jean Batten

Left Lympne May 9th. Arrived Darwin 24th May 1934.

14 days 23hr 25min. Record.

Jean had tried the journey the previous April, but had crashed (twice) near Karachi, the second time writing off the aeroplane.

On her second attempt in April 1934, she also had a forced landing near Rome (escaping with a cut lip, and shock), and returned to England.

1933 - C. T. P Ulm, G. Allen, and P. Taylor (Avro " Ten " ) : Harmondsworth to Derby (Australia)

6 days 17 hr. 45 min. Record.

Scotty Allan, Charles Ulm, P.G. Taylor and J.A.W. Edwards in front of Faith in Australia, Avro X monoplane VH-UXX at Heston Aerodrome, England, 25 July 1933

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-147683669

 Margaret Macdonald Cunnison

  in 1933

 b. 29 May 1914 in Bourneville, Birmingham, but educated at Laurel Bank School, Glasgow.

Father: James Cunnison, of 19 Montrose Gardens, Milngavie, Dumbartonshire.

5 foot 2, eyes of, er, hazel.

From May 1937, Chief Flying Instructor with the Strathtay Aero Club, Perth (the one in Scotland). She was only the second woman in Scotland to gain a commercial pilot’s licence, and the first to become a flying instructor.

She then became one of the 'First 8' women ATA pilots, joining on the 1st January 1940 as a Second Officer.

Air Transport Auxiliary in WWII

She married Major Geoffrey B Ebbage, an ophthalmic surgeon with the RAMC, in 1941.

d: 4 January, 2004, in Haddington, aged 89

England-Australia 1933 (solo).- C.E. Kingsford-Smith on a Percival Gull ("Gipsy Major").

Left Lympne Oct 4. Reached Wyndham Oct 11.

7 days 4hr 44min. Record.

Australia-England 1934.-Bernard Rubin and Ken Waller in a D.H. Leopard Moth.

April. 8 days 12hr. Record

 England-Australia 1934 - C.W.A. Scott and T Campbell Black. MacRobertson Race.

Record.

Australia-England 1934 - O. Cathcart Jones and K.F.H. Waller.

Left Melbourne 09:10 a.m. October 28. Delayed by bad weather in Athens. Arrived Lympne 1:12 p.m. 2 November.

6 days 16hr 10min. Record.

Australia-England (solo) 1935- H.L. Brook in a Miles Falcon.

March.

7 days 19hr 50min. Record.

Harold "I'm not a 38 year old accountant" Brook explains to a less-than-fascinated audience that "Flying to Australia is not the er, terrible thing that um, a lot of people seem to, seem to suppose it is, although it naturally requires a good deal of careful preparation and, erm, or-organisation. This is, this is um, this is the machine I used in, in the air race but unfortunately we didn't um... we didn't um..." [zzzz]

 Jennie Broad

  in 1935

 b. 28 June 1912 in Cape Town.

Flight, April 1937:   "The chief attraction of the weekend was a demonstration of the Hillson Praga monoplane by Miss Jennie Broad. After she had put the machine through its paces, numerous members took the opportunity offered of going up with her in the machine."

According to the Blue Mountains Advertiser (Katoomba, NSW), Fri 18 Nov 1949: “Miss Jennie Broad first graduated as a pilot in 1934, and to add to her experience qualified as a ground engineer. By this she helped to meet her flying instruction expenses in overhauling engines for airline companies and working as a club engineer. She had many jobs in aviation, including flying passengers to air rallies in Holland and Belgium and demonstrating and selling light aircraft. Through the experience she gained in this field, she became England's first woman test pilot.

Air Transport Auxiliary in WWII

 England-Australia 1935 -H F Broadbent. 6 days 21hrs 19min. Record.

On 2 November 1935, he took off from Croydon in Percival Gull Six (VH-UVA) in an attempt to break the England to Australia record, which he achieved after arriving at Darwin after 6 days 21 hours 19 minutes.

He was awarded the Oswald Watt Gold Medal for 1935

  RAeC 1937

 b 23 September 1901 in Northumberland, the eldest daughter of Lord Walter and Lady Hilda Runciman.

Her brother Walter (co-Director, with Connie Leathart (q.v.), of Cramlington Aircraft, First Director-General of BOAC, Commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron, OBE, etc, etc) became the 2nd Viscount Runciman of Doxford, and her sister Katherine ('Kitty') was adjutant for the Women's Section of the ATA from March 1941.

I sometimes feel that Margie gets a bad press; she was, apparently, quiet and rather withdrawn, (nicknamed 'Mrs Cold Front') and, in photos, always seems to have that far-away look in her (green, btw) eyes. But, her ability, and her devotion to duty and to her friends, were never in doubt.

She got her RAeC certificate in 1937. In fact, she acquired her first aeroplane from her brother Walter; a 1931-reg D.H. Puss Moth G-ABLG, which he had flown in two King's Cup races.

She had married Roderick Nettleton King-Farlow in July 1925. Their daughter Ann was born in 1931, but they divorced in 1936, and she then married Douglas Keith Fairweather in March 1938. He was a businessman from Glasgow, and her complete opposite - outgoing, irreverent, and very eccentric. 

Margie then sold her aeroplane, and she and Douglas re-registered his Puss Moth G-ABYP in their joint names. Later they also bought a Leopard Moth, G-ACXH.

She had a horrible experience in 1939 when her friend, Dr. Elizabeth Cook, was killed by walking into the propeller of the aeroplane Margaret was about to pilot; they were going to fly to Paris for a holiday, and the plane was standing with the engine ticking over.

 FAI 1939

So, prior to WWII she was one of the most experienced women pilots in the country, with 1,050 hours of civilian flying, and (from late 1937) was an instructor with the Scottish Flying Club. She had flown Miles Whitney Straights, D.H. Moths, Puss Moths, Tiger Moths, Fox Moths, Leopard Moths, Hornet Moths, Dart Kitten, Taylor Cub, Potez, and Percival Vega Gull, in Belgium, Holland, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, France Switzerland and Austria.

Not surprisingly then, she was one of the 'First Eight' Women ATA pilots at Hatfield, starting in January 1940. 

Here story continues here:  Fairweather, Margaret (W.7) (ata-ferry-pilots.org)

Australia-England 1937 (solo)

H F 'Jim' Broadbent in a D.H. Leopard Moth.

May

6 days 8hrs 25min.Record.

Australia-England 1937 (solo).-Jean Batten in a Percival Gull.

October.

 1930

In November 1931 he was pilot of 'Horsa', the first H.P. 42, on a leisurely trip to Heliopolis via Paris, Lyons, Marseilles, Pisa, Rome, Naples, Catania, Malta, Tripoli, Sirte and Marsah Mutra. "Ample time will be spent at each stopping place". The flight took seven days.

Awarded Master Pilot's Certificate in 1934

September 1934: "Captain Alcock is a younger brother of the late Sir John Alcock, who made the first Atlantic flight in 1919. After a period of service in the Royal Air Force, Capt. Alcock joined Imperial Airways in 1929, and has now flown a distance of more than 750,000 miles"

Promoted to Senior Master in October 1938

d. 1974 in Surrey

b c1907. From Edinburgh.

Established a world's land plane record in an RAF Hawker Hurricane on February 10, 1938; flying "blind", he covered the 327 miles from Edinburgh to London in 48 minutes, an average speed of 408.75mph. This feat earned him the nickname of 'Downwind Gillan'.

AFC in January 1939 as Sqn Ldr.

Killed in WWII: 29th August 1941, when a Wing Commander (pilot) RAF; buried Dunkirk.

 b. 29 April 1906 in Neutral Bay, Sydney

Died on 23^rd October 1934 in Italy (crashed during the MacRobertson Race), aged 28

"Flt. Lt. Gilman took his "A" in 1926 with the Auckland Aero Club. Shortly afterwards he joined the N.Z. Staff Corps and was sent to Aldershot in 1928 on attachment to the Suffolk Regiment. In 1929 he was transferred to the R.A.F. "Refreshed" at No. 2 F.T.S. (Digby), he was posted to No. 101 (Bomber) Sqd. at Andover, under Wing Com. F. H. Coleman, whose adjutant he remained until 1933. Gilman took part in all squadron experiments, including the high-precision bombing of H.M.S. Centurion. Last year, on conclusion of the annual Combined Exercises, he was sent as assistant adjutant to No. 600 (City of London) Sqd. under the late Sqd. Leader S. B. Collett. Finally, after brief attachment to the C.F.S. (Wittering), he was posted to the newly formed No. 15 (Bomber) Sqd. at Abingdon, of which he commands "B" Flight. His log-books show 1,560 hr.

Gilman has been granted special leave to accompany Baines in the race to Australia."

photo: 1927, aged 28

From Norwich, a 'cardboard and container manufacturer'. Joined the RFC as a private in 1916.

Manager of the Norfolk and Norwich Aero Club from 1927.

   1930

b. 22nd July 1910 in Tunbridge Wells; younger daughter of Sir Robert Gower, M.P for Gillingham, Kent.

5 feet 5 in height, in case you wondered.

The Bystander Special Aviation Edition, 1933

"In England you can count on one hand the women who are making a living directly from flying. Probably foremost among them are the two girl flyers, Pauline Gower and Dorothy Spicer, who work in partnership at joy-riding. Miss Gower is the pilot and Miss Spicer the mechanic." - Amy Mollison, writing in 1934

"Pauline Gower, one of the few women who has already achieved a successful commercial flying career, did joyriding last year in 185 different towns with a travelling air circus." - Mary Bertha de Bunsen

  1932

She was fined £222 in 1933, having taxied her Spartan into a stationary Moth at Cardiff while giving joy-rides in an air pageant (although she reckoned it had definitely moved since she checked where it was). Three years later, she was taken to hospital suffering from concussion and 'lacerations of the scalp' after she ... collided with another aeroplane on the ground, this time at Coventry airport.

During her air-taxi career, she was reckoned to have piloted more than 33,000 passengers.

In 1937 she, Amy Johnson and Dorothy Spicer invited "all women pilots interested in the idea of a central meeting-place for women aviators in London" to write to them, but I don't think it ever happened.

Founder and first Commandant of the Women's Section of the Air Transport Auxiliary in 1940; from 1943, a board member of BOAC. She had a narrow escape in August 1943 when 'Fortuna', an old Imperial Airways airliner, with her and 7 other BOAC officers aboard, made a forced landing near Shannon and was written off.

See here for more: Gower, Pauline Mary de Peauly (W.25) (ata-ferry-pilots.org)

Married Wing Commander William Cusack Fahie in June 1945, but died of a heart attack in March 1947 giving birth to twin boys, one of whom, Michael, later published 'A Harvest of Memories' about her.

She owned:

a 1929 Simmonds Spartan, G-AAGO, (the one which she wrote off in the taxying accident in Cardiff in August 1933), and then

a 1931 Spartan Three Seater, G-ABKK, the one which she wrote off in the taxying accident at Coventry in May 1936.

photo: 1911, when a Lieut in the Royal Navy, aged 22

born in Rio de Janeiro; later a Wing Commander; DSM, Order of Leopold of Belgium, Croix de Guerre.

Died in 1937

Spenser Grey - Wikipedia

b. 1 Jul 1903, Bakewell, Matlock, Derbys,

RAF 1924-29

Flying Instructor, de Havilland, Stag Lane, 1929

RAF, 1940-45

d. 29 Apr 1989 - Hindhead, Surrey

Research: thanks to Steve Brew

Having joined the RAF but then regretted it, John tried to resign in 1931. However, his resignation being refused, he smuggled himself from where he was stationed in India into his D.H.60G Moth 'Rouge et Noir' (which he had bought from Glen Kidston, and which was painted red one side and - you guessed it - black the other), and flew home, making long hops to avoid R.A.F. aerodromes. "The business was settled in the end without a courtmartial, though not without a period of open arrest".

Next came a solo flight of 9,000 miles round Russia, and then an abortive attempt on the Arctic air route in Rouge et Noir equipped as a seaplane; a nose-over into a choppy sea at Reykjavik put paid to the attempt.

Rebuilt, and fitted with wheels and ski equipment, the little Moth finally carried Mr. Grierson round Eastern Europe in mid-winter.

Then, in 1934, he made a successful westbound Atlantic flight via Iceland in his de Havilland Fox Moth 'Robert Bruce'.

Transferred to Hawker and then Gloster as a test pilot; he was one of four pilots to fly Britain's first jet aircraft, the Gloster/ Whittle E.28/39.

Wing commander after WWII, then a Member of the Council of the Royal Geographical Society.

d. 21 May 1977 in Washington DC, aged 68. He was addressing a symposium at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum to mark the 50th anniversary of Lindbergh's transatlantic flight when he was taken ill; he died a few hours later in hospital.

  1929, aged 54

b. 14 June 1875 in London.

'Freddie', Winston Churchill's cousin; Diana's (q.v.) father; Liberal then Conservative politician (Secretary of State for Air in 1920-22, despite the fact that, at the time, he knew "very little about aviation, but it is to his credit that he does not pretend to know").

Died 28 April 1937.

 1935, aged 19

 1936

Shown here, for comparison, just before, and just after, he grew his moustache.

"Giles Guthrie is the only son of Sir Connop and Lady Guthrie. His enthusiasm for flying has roused his father's active interest in the aviation industry. Only 20 years of age, he is the youngest pilot and the only undergraduate to take part in a long distance air race. For the Johannesburg race, the Cambridge University authorities gave him special leave of absence.

Despite his youth, he is a pilot of considerable experience. The Percival Vega Gull in which Charles Scott and he won the Johannesburg race, first tasted victory in the King's Cup this year. Giles Guthrie then flew as co-pilot with Charles E Gardner .

When Sir Connop decided to enter the machine in the Johannesburg race and chose Charles Scott to fly it, one condition was that Scott should take young Giles with him."

- from the Celebration Dinner programme after the race (October 14th 1936 at Claridge's Hotel).

Had used his Vega Gull for a "good deal of continental touring".

Later Sir Giles, J.P., merchant banker.

Died 1979

  1915, when a Corporal, aged 23

  1936, aged 44

 b. 6th December 1892 in Queenstown, South Africa.

Learnt to fly during WWI, and by 1936 was a flying instructor at the Johannesburg Light Plane Club. Two members (Rex Hull and George Albu) put up the £1,800 required to buy the Mew Gull to enter for the Schlesinger Race. Presumably, that was the last they saw of their money.

Stanley dislocated his elbow in the subsequent crash, and much later found out that three of his vertebrae had telescoped.

  1920

b 6 Feb 1896 in Guildford, W Australia.

Studied mechanical engineering before WWI, commonwealth commission then transferred to the RFC in June 1916. Served with 60 Sqn in France, where he was awarded the MC for gallantry in leading patrols. Ended the war with 11 victories, despite his SE.5 being damaged and forced down by German ace Werner Voss in September 1917.

Awarded a permanent RAF commission in 1926, then promoted to Wing Commander in 1938 as Chief Instructor to the London University Air Squadron.

d. 1967

A stunt pilot known as the 'Flying Gypsy'; RAF in WWI (6 victories in Greece) who was Princess Anne Lowenstein-Wortheim's pilot after the war.

He and his friends piled into his Vickers Viking flying-boat G-EBED in 1927 (the same year it was written off, btw) to fly from the Swiss Winter Sports' Season to spend a holiday on the French Riviera." - see the video here: By Air To Anywhere - British Pathé (britishpathe.com)

They, together with Fred Minchin (left), were killed when trying to cross the Atlantic from East to West in 1927.

For a video of them and the aeroplane, see the middle bit here: Old Flying Stories - British Pathé (britishpathe.com)

[The rest of it shows Walter Hinchliffe's preparations for a planned similar flight with Charles Levine (qv)].

 b. 14 January, 1903

Trained as a pilot in the Danish Army Air Force in 1927. Just before the MacRobertson Race, had competed in an aerobatic championship in Paris.

He flew with mechanic Daniel Jensen, who crouched under the main petrol tank which was fitted instead of the passenger seat. The Desoutter was already over 3 years old by 1934.

----------------

BRITISH AEROPLANES FOR DENMARK

Eight De Havilland Machines for Danish Air Force WITHIN the next few days a fleet of eight de Havilland aeroplanes will leave Harfield aerodrome to fly to Copenhagen in charge of officers of the Danish Air Force. The flight will be under the command of Capt. C. C. Larsen, who will pilot the "odd" machine of the flight, a de Havilland "Dragon." The other seven machines are "Tiger Moths."

The seven " Tiger Moths " will be used for the instruction of Danish pilots in the art of military air manoeuvres, and the equipment of the machines includes all the instruments necessary for "blind flying." Instrument flying is a relatively recent development of military flying training, and Great Britain has, perhaps, done more than any other nation to perfect the equipment. Following the adoption of instrument flying by the British Royal Air Force, nearly all other nations are adding it to their curricula.

The "Dragon" bought by the Danish Air Force is equipped for military purposes, and will also be used for light transport and for aerial survey. All the machines of the batch are fitted with de Havilland "Gipsy Major" engines.

WAITING TO GO : Seven "Tiger Moths" and one "Dragon" at Hatfield, ready to start for Copenhagen. The Danish crews include Capt. C. C. Larsen, Lts.  Clausen, Meincke and Rydman, Sgts. Eriksen, Petersen and Hansen, and Machine Officer Petersen. (FLIGHT Photo.)

The Hop to Darwin (by Lord Sempill)

1 WAS just preparing to make a start for Darwin when a D.H. " Moth," which had been very kindly sent over by the Vacuum Oil Co., landed to see if I was all right. Apparently the signal sent from Koepang, although it had reached them, had not Been very clear as to my intention to stop the night at Bathurst Island. They brought my mail which, of course, was mostly from Australia, and contained numerous hospitable invitations. Taking off on the short sea crossing, I arrived at Darwin and received a very kind welcome. The aerodrome has a level grass surface, but is, I understood, liable to become boggy after rain. It is 680 yards from north to south and 1,000 yards from east to west. There is a well-equipped meteorological office and a new shed was just being built. The Danish pilot, Lieut. Hansen, who had put up such a good performance in the MacRobertson race in an old Desoutter, was here on his return journey. He was hurrying home as he had only been given leave from his military duties until December 10. He had done some hard flying on the outward trip, putting in, on some sections of the route, sixteen hours a day.

MARCH 7, 1935 - 'Flight'

A British Entry for International Aerobatic Contest ?

ORGANISED by the newspapers Le Petit Parisien and Air Propagande, an international aerobatic competition, named " Coupe Mondiale d'Acrobatie Ae'rienne," will be held at Vincennes, near Paris, on June 9 and 10. The prizes amount to 300,000 francs, of which 100,000 will be awarded to the winner, 75,000 to the second and 50,000 to the third. It is reported that the following entries have been received:—

Detroyat (France), Al Williams (U.S.A.), Fieseler (Germany), Colombo (Italy), Staniland (Great Britain), Orlinsky (Poland), Hansen (Denmark) and Van Damruch (Belgium).

Judging from what we have seen of Staniland's masterly handling of the " Firefly," he should have little to fear from the aerobatic " aces " of other nations.

FLIGHT, FEBRUARY 15, 1934

The Danish Air Society (Det Danske Luftfartselskab) bought the second last manufactured Desoutter Mk.II in 1931. This aircraft was given the registration OY-DOD. In 1934, this aircraft was sold to lieutenant Michael Hansen, and in the following year to the Nordisk Luftrafik company. In 1938 it was sold to Nordjysk Aero Service, but Michael Hansen bought the aircraft back the same year and used it to fly to Cape Town and in the MacRobertson Air Race

Michael Hansen, 14.1.1903-23.3.1987, Danish pilot. Michael Hansen was trained as a pilot in the Army Air Force troops in 1927. Han achieved a seventh place (out of 20 runners aircraft) with a single-engine FK Desoutter højvinget monoplane in October 1934, together with maskinofficiant Daniel Jensen in the famous air racing Mildenhall (England) - Melbourne (Australia) in competition with some of the world's most talented pilots and fastest planes. It was a trip of no less than 19.895 km.

In 1937 flew he and engineer Aage Rasmussen to Cape Town and return with the same aircraft. The following year he participated in a Danish military søfly (De Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth) as islods on Eigil Knuth Dark Northern Expedition to Northeast Greenland. These flights he described in the books "43.000 km through the air" (1935) and "On the Danish wings in South and North "(1941). He was in a number of years president of The Adventure Club and ended his military career in 1963 as a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force. He is buried in Hørsholm Cemetery.

Literature: Michael Hansen: 43.000 km through the air (1935) and the Danish wings in South and North (1941), Ove Hermansen: Since Hansen flew to Melbourne in '34 - 75 years for Danish participation in the world's largest flykapløb from England to Australia (2009).

  1937

b. 31 Jan 1906

'Adviser to the Southern Air Forces in China' in 1937

In June 1938, the Bystander reported that "The first of the Auxiliary Squadrons to undertake co operation with the Army is No. 615, which was formed under Squadron Leader A. V. Harvey at Kenley in June of last year.

Rapid progress has been made during the first twelve months. The Squadron is equipped with nine Hawker Hectors and, in addition, there are two "Harts" and four Avro "Tutors" for training new officers as they join."

He was a British Conservative politician who served as an MP for 26 years.

d. 5 Apr 1994

Arthur Vere Harvey, Baron Harvey of Prestbury - Wikipedia

    Daily News (London) - Friday 20 November 1936

RAF from Feb 1918

"RECORD FLIGHT FROM FRANCE A record flight from Lille (France) London was made last night by British Continental Airways when an air liner their regular dally service completed the 160 miles' Journey In one hour. The machine was piloted by Chief Pilot Captain A. P. K. Hattersley and carried passengers and luggage. Captain Hattersley reported visibility to quite exceptional, and said that the evening light the coast England could be clearly seen before leaving the French side." Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer - Wednesday 20 May 1936

d. 19 Nov 1936 in British Airways (ex-KLM) Fokker F12 G-AEOT, which crashed near Gatwick Airport - "The pilot, Flt Lt A.P.K. Hattersley, was very experienced and had about 5,000 hours logged - he had, however, only done 2 hours in a Fokker F12 prior to the accident."

"Captain Arthur Patrick Kilvington Hattersley was 36 years old and had been flying since the age of 17. He was a flight lieutenant in the R.A.F. during the war. In 1923 he joined the South African Air Force and returned to England in 1926, becoming an R.A.F. instructor. Hattersley became one of the chief pilots of British Continental Airways, which later merged into British Airways. "

in 1917

with Adelaide Cleaver in 1929

b. London 23 Sep 1899

'Aeroplane and Seaplane pilot'

2 July 1930: "AIR PILOT DIVORCED. JUDGE'S COMMENTS ON CO-RESPONDENT. A decree nisi, with costs and custody of the child, was granted in the Divorce Court yesterday to Mrs Arabella Beatrice Angela Drew, who gave her address at the Stafford Hotel, St James's Place, London. She had petitioned for the dissolution of her marriage to Captain Donald Herbert Drew, of the Aerodrome Hotel, Croydon, on the ground of his alleged adultery with Mrs Kathleen Brookie Digby, who offered to write her address, but said she had no permanent home.

Captain Drew, an Imperial Airways pilot, was in charge of the aeroplane from which Captain Loewenstein, the Belgian financier, disappeared over the Channel.

The suit was defended, and Captain Drew and Mrs Digby gave evidence denying the allegation.

Mr Justice Hill, giving judgment, said that there was evidence that Mrs Digby entertained flying officers at the house and that they went there for tea or cocktails. It was obvious from the evidence that Mrs Digby was a woman who was quite capable of committing adultery with Captain Drew or, indeed, he thought, with anybody else."

He married again, a year later:

9 June 1931: "ROMANTIC MEETING IN AIRPLANE. NOTED ACTRESS AND PILOT TO MARRY.

Miss Betty Eley, the musical comedy actress, who played the part of Lady Mary in " The Vagabond King " at the Winter Garden Theatre, London, has become engaged to Captain Donald Drew, the noted air pilot. Miss Norah Blaney, who was also one of the principals in " The Vagabond King " arranged a tea party in an airplane about four years ago, and Captain Drew piloted the machine over London while the party was in progress. Miss Eley was one of the guests, and she and Captain Drew became friends. About 15 months ago Miss Eley went out to Australia, where she appeared in "Hold Everything," and "Love Lies." She returned to England about six months ago. Miss Eley said to-day: "We shall not be married for some time, as my fiancé will be away for three months." 

d. 1936: "Capt. Donald Drew, for some years an Imperial Airways pilot, died in London today after a long illness at the age of 36.

Capt. Drew was piloting Capt. Lowenstein's private plane when the Belgian millionaire fell from it into the Channel on July 4. 1928. When Capt. Lowenstein offered him a position as a pilot he would not take it until Imperial Airways agreed to lend him to the 'Lowenstein Navy', as the financier's air fleet was called."

Wierdly,  Lowenstein's biographer, a Mr Norris, in 1987 "concluded that Lowenstein had been thrown from the aircraft by Donald Drew, the pilot, at the behest of Madeleine Lowenstein, the motive being to gain control of Lowenstein's fortune. He suggested that the aircraft's rear door was completely removed while in the air and a replacement fitted on the beach at St. Pol."

in 1912, aged 23

b. 22 Jan 1889 in Victoria, Australia; son of a blacksmith, and the co-founder of Hawker Aircraft.

A very early flier - RAeC Certificate No 297, in 1912. The following year, he made 5 flights 'on and off water' in a Sopwith-designed seaplane, which meant that they won the £500 offered by the RAeC. 

An even bigger prize in 1913 was the £5,000 offered by the Daily Mail for a race for seaplanes, to cover nearly 1600 miles in 72 hours round the coast of Britain. Harry (with fellow Australian H Kauper as mechanic) started off in a Sopwith from Southampton on August 16th. They got as far as Yarmouth but Harry felt unwell (later they worked out that he had sunstroke) and had to return to Southampton for another try, which started on the 26th.

Unfortunately, having made good progress on their first day, nearing Dublin on the second his foot slipped off the rudder bar, the aeroplane fell "like a stone" and dumped them in the Irish Sea, whence they had to be rescued by the Coastguard; the machine was wrecked. Harry was unhurt, Mr Kauper injured. The Daily Mail gave them a consolation prize of £1,000 "in recognition of their plucky attempt".

A few weeks later, he wrote off another Sopwith at Brooklands, badly injuring his back. The following year he did it again in almost the same place, this time failing to control a loop and spinning down into some trees. When spectators reached the scene, Harry was standing by the smashed aeroplane, "bewildered but unhurt".

Nothing daunted, he broke the British altitude record by climbing to 18,393ft in 1915, although it took him over an hour and he" suffered greatly from the cold"; he then broke the world record by getting to 24,408ft on 26 April 1916 (which started people wondering about perhaps flying to the top of Everest).

Next, in 1919, the Daily Mail offered £10,000 for a flight across the Atlantic. Harry, with Commander Kenneth Mackenzie Grieve R.N. as navigator, started from Newfoundland on 18th May but the aeroplane had problems with its radiator and they had to put down in the sea after about 800 miles. It was several days before the news emerged that they had been rescued by the small steamer 'Mary', and taken to Thurso. The Nation, having feared the worst, was mightily relieved, and gave them a terrific welcome; "No event since the Armistice has so stirred the popular imagination". Harry and Kenneth got the Air Froce Cross each (despite the fact that Harry wasn't actually in the Air Force), and £2,500 each as a not-inconsiderable consolation prize (although they had agreed to split the original prize 70:30). Before they could try again (on June 15th to be precise), Alcock and Brown had done it (just), been knighted by Mr Churchill and walked off with the cheque for £10k. Damn!

His luck finally ran out when he was killed in the Nieuport Goshawk G-EASK which crashed at Hendon 12 July 1921 while he was preparing for that year's Aerial Derby. The aeroplane burst into flames and spun in; Harry leapt from (or fell out of) the plane and was found some distance from its remains, "quite dead".

Harry Hawker - Wikipedia

 RAF Cranwell, 1922. Twice mentioned in dispatches.

 RAeC Certificate 9698 (1931)

William Helmore - Wikipedia

photo: 1916, when a Lieut in the Worcestershire Regiment, aged 23

Director (with Alan Butler as Chairman) of the 'Aircraft Operating Company'. In 1925, they were air surveying in British Guiana.

In 1923, he flew Alan Butler's DH37 'Sylvia' in the King's Cup, coming 5th (as had Alan himself, the year before), and then borrowed it again in 1925, coming 3rd.

Unfortunately, while he was making a test flight in 1927 in the DH37 (now re-engined and called 'Lois') the aircraft hit a scoring board and crashed. The passenger was killed and Hemming lost an eye and sustained other injuries.

Seen here on the left, in 1940

His grandfather (John) had owned and captained a number of vessels (including the Neville & Costa Rica Packet), but during the 1890’s depression most of the fortune had been lost.

His father, Captain Hemsworth – also (confusingly for us) called Godfrey Ellard – had been instrumental in the exploration of New Guinea during the latter part of the previous century; in 1885, the Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser reported that:

“Godfrey Hemsworth, age 23, of Brisbane, filled the post of nautical sub-leader, and in the event of the death, or serious illness, of the leader he would take his position, except that he would not lead the party on land. He held a master's Certificate, and had been navigating officer of some of the finest steamers, was a member of the Meteorological Society of London, and was qualified to undertake any kind of marine surveying.”

Theodore F Bevan, of the RGSA, wrote about that expedition and the subsequent gold rush in his book ‘Toil, travel and discovery in British New Guinea’.

However, by 1906 Captain Hemsworth was listed as a 'pearler' in the electoral roll for Broome, Coolgardie, living in Weld Street. (A ‘pearler’ (leaving aside its use as an Australian slang word meaning ‘excellent’ or ‘good-looking’!) is someone that ‘dives for, or trades in, pearls’). There was obviously enough money for him to purchase some pearling luggers (in the end he owned 12 including the Blanche –named after his niece - and some others named after his sisters). He left Broome in 1908 and returned to Sydney.

It was while he was in Western Australia that he met Mabel; they married in Feb 1907. She was 'about 30 years younger than her husband' (who would have been about 45 at the time!)

Godfrey's nephew G E Hemsworth told me "Interestingly, I have a journal that a great aunt wrote about her life and that of her parents and siblings. It traces their lives from 1825 to the 1930’s, but not once does she mention Mabel, so obviously the family were not happy!"

Captain Hemsworth died in 1923. His estate amounted to about £12,000, which he left ‘for the benefit of his widow and six children’. Using average earnings, this would be worth over £2 million today.

Before the Race

Godfrey took his A and B pilots’ licences with the local branch of the Australian Aero Club in 1931, and then flew for Parer's New Guinea company. Not without incident, however:

“Mr- Mario Coucoulis, secretary to the Greek Consul-General in Sydney, left Mascot aerodrome on Saturday on a flight to Perth. His idea is to gain experience for a projected flight to Greece later in the year. Mr. Coucoulis and Pilot G. E. Hemsworth, who were flying from Sydney to Perth, made a forced landing near Wagga on Monday. The plane was damaged, but neither occupant was hurt. They intend to proceed when repairs are effected.”

The Queenslander, Thursday 23 July 1931

During the 1930s,when Papua New Guinea was governed by Australia, a quite extraordinary air-based operation was mounted in Bulolo to support the gold mining industry– so much so that New Guinea ‘led the world in commercial aviation’ at the time.

Bulolo during the gold rush days

In 1933 Godfrey and his brother John were living at Wychwood, Condamin Street, Balgowlah, New South Wales (although both were listed as having ‘No Occupation’). Their mother, Mabel, lived nearby in White Street.

Parer and Hemsworth arrived in England from New Guinea on August 6, 1934, breaking the journey at Singapore. The Fairey Fox in which they competed in the Air Race was bought from the Hon. Mrs. Victor Bruce, and was modified at Hanworth by W. S. Shackleton, who ‘cleaned it up very prettily’.

After the Race

“AMBITION TO FLY: Youth Granted Fees from Estate

Application was made in Equity yesterday by Neville Hemsworth, a son of the late Captain Godfrey Hemsworth, retired master mariner, formerly of Campbelltown, for an order for the payment of fees from his father's estate for the purpose of applicant's training as an aviator.

The application was made through the applicant's mother, the testator's widow, a resident of Manly. She said that her son Neville had just left school. He was aged 19, and wished to qualify as an aviator to obtain a pilot's "A" licence, and "B" commercial licence, and wireless and navigation licences. One of his brothers, Godfrey, was a pilot for New Guinea Airways at a salary of £900 a year.

Mr. Justice Nicholas made an order authorising the trustee to pay out of corpus £475 to meet the fees necessary for the purpose indicated, and in addition, £25 for books, instruments, etc.”

"... It’s an interesting story. My grandfather’s will gave the boys their money at 25, the girls were to receive a monthly payment. As Neville wanted to learn to fly he had to have access to the funds earlier and Mabel successfully argued that sufficient funds should be released to enable Neville to obtain his pilots license. When Godfrey died in 1923, the oldest child (John) was 15 and the youngest Hugh only a few months old. Mabel had many fine qualities and was certainly a loving mother however she was not good with money and of course six years later in 1929 the start of another depression and a second fortune lost. This indicates how important it was for Neville to obtain a good job and learning to fly would help achieve that."

…although Godfrey's working for ‘New Guinea Airways’ may not have been as glamorous as it sounds…

RAAF

The Australian government requisitioned two `C` class flying boats and their crews from Qantas, and two Seagull Mk5 amphibians, to form 11 Squadron RAAF. The boats were converted for war use in 5 days and on 25 September left for active service operations in the north of Australia; Godfrey, who had been accepted as a Pilot Officer a month before, was one of the pilots. During the next couple of years, he was promoted to Flying Officer, then Flight Lieutenant and finally Squadron Leader in 20 Squadron, based at Port Moresby, in April 1942.

His RAAF report, written in 1941, describes him as ‘of temperate habits’ and praised his ‘zeal and energy in performance of duties’, but he only scored average marks for his ‘personality, force of character and leadership’. G.W Pearce, the examiner, concluded he was:

“A keen and efficient officer. A good pilot and carries out his flying operations in a competent manner. Lacks the right service outlook. Is inclined to be argumentative with his seniors and has the ‘Qantas’ outlook in that he will not take the slightest risk in flying in case it will jeopardize his position with Qantas Airways after the war. He, however, commands the respect of his crew, and he is well liked by the officers”.

20 Squadron RAAF had an extraordinary history, which is perhaps best appreciated by reading this article reproduced in several newspapers of the time. It was written in April 1943, a year after Godfrey was killed:

"But I think those RAAF Catalina squadrons have done a greater job in this war than anyone else". This tribute from a fighter pilot of famous Squadron 75 is probably the best way in which to begin this story. Before Squadron 75 fought off Japanese bombers and Zeros over Moresby, and attacked them at Lae in March and April last year, the Catalina boys had bombed them hard at Rabaul.

Catalinas were few in number then, but they struck so daringly that the Japs must have believed our Moresby strength was greater and more varied than it was. At any rate, they paused in their southward rush and whenever they came over Moresby in those January days, they flew high and cautiously.

Today Australia's Catalina flying boat squadrons have won world-wide fame. In craft built specially for reconnaissance they have become a formidable striking unit. They have harassed the Jap from Truk to Tulagi. They have flown more than 2,000,000 miles in all weather over the Coral Sea and the Pacific to blow up in the dead of night his ammunition dumps and stores, destroy his grounded aircraft, tear gaping holes in his airstrips, sink his ships, plot his movements.

One lone Catalina actually tried to stop the Japanese task squadron in its descent upon Rabaul. Flt-Lt "Bob" Thompson, on patrol on January 21, spotted the convoy. He signaled that he would attack if it didn't hold back. The Japs continued full steam ahead. Thompson attacked. The Japs shot him down. The crew are believed prisoners in Japan.

That was the Catalinas' first loss in battle. Thompson's impudent daring is the key to the cool courage that has characterized the work of the squadrons ever since. Sometimes they have made newspaper headlines. But mostly they have plodded ahead quietly and doggedly. Theirs is not the swift dramatic flash of the fighter plane, told in short dynamic sentences. Theirs is the hard 18 to 22-hour mission to pin-pointed targets, their reward high flames, explosions, and billowing smoke.

But you can get drama only secondhand from the Catalina boys. They will tell you stories about others, never about themselves.

When I was there, the Cats had just returned from their big "bash" at Ballale in the Solomons Buin-Faisi area. As at other places, they had destroyed ammunition and fuel dumps, stores, and grounded planes, and young Sq-Ldr Stokes was credited with "the biggest fire since Makambo." Today in the mess they sing to the tune of 'The Man on the Flying Trapeze":

'They head her for home and the skipper retires

To dream of the headlines next day the "the fires

Were visible 90 miles distant" - the liars.

The Cat boats are flying tonight.'

That's the other side of the Catalina boys. Light hearted over their parodies in the mess - deadly serious in their job.

Pioneer Pilots

Beginnings of the Catalina squadrons go back to Empire Fying boat days. With German raiders in the Pacific, reconnaissance on a much wider scale was essential. While orders for Catalinas were placed in America, Qantas flying boats were taken over by the Commonwealth.

The names of Sims, Gurney, Purton, and Hemsworth, all Qantas pilots, began to dot the islands of New Guinea and the Solomons. They plotted fuel 'hide-outs" and secret operational bases. Sims is back with Qantas now. Gurney was killed in an American bomber returning from Rabaul (a New Guinea airstrip bears his name); Purton is missing from early Japanese operations in the north-west; Hemsworth was shot down in the Coral Sea battle. Al Norman, second-pilot with Gurney on the first Catalinas, also went in the Coral Sea.

Godfrey Hemsworth's is one of the first names you hear when you visit the Catalinas. It is an indication of a good pilot and a strong character. He could have come home another way from his shadowing of the Japanese Coral Sea invasion fleet, instead, he chose to make an even more thorough job of his search. Enemy floatplanes got him.

They tell this story of Hemsworth in the mess:

"He was on a night raid to Rabaul. That was early in the 'piece.' Second 'dick' was Bill Miller, DFM. They were attacked by five Zeros just as they were making their run. Their port engine was disabled and the old crate was holed in 157 places, including the petrol tank. One Zero was shot down.

"It was a tough spot, but with guns blazing, 'Goff' got away on one engine. They were forced down at Salamaua to get petrol. 'Goff' got her off again, still on one motor, and reached Moresby all out. Flying time home was 15 hours."

" 'Goff' had all the 'guts' in the world." they say.

A24-18, which was shot down on 4th May 1942, with a loss of nine aircrew, was piloted by Godfrey Hemsworth, whose brother Neville, also a WW2 RAAF veteran, dedicated the Museum on 8th May, 1992. The other aircraft is A24-20 shot down on 6th May. Both these aircraft were shadowing the approaching Japanese Fleet. A24-18 is credited with first locating the Fleet, and was subsequently ordered to identify and report back the size and content of the fleet. The plane did so and was not heard from again.

As to what happened then, 'there is no certain answer. We [the family] know he was shot down and that he and his crew were picked up; after that it becomes conjecture but there seem to be three theories:
1) picked up and then either clubbed to death or beheaded;
2) taken by ship to Rabaul and there killed, or
3) taken to Rabaul and transferred to a ship going to Japan that was then sunk by the Americans at some stage.

Hugh told me that Godfrey was killed on board the ship which picked him up but there is no actual proof, no records as to what actually happened.'

His mother Mabel received his Air Force Cross from His Excellency the Governor-General, Lord Gowrie, at Admiralty House on the 25^th of January 1943. She herself died later the same year, from leukemia, in Manly.

Godfrey's nephew G E Hemsworth told me that "Anne's husband Andrew was a prisoner of the Japanese, he was taken at Singapore. Godfrey's brothers all served in the RAAF: John was too old to fly, but served in the Middle East for three and half years in ciphers and equipment, moving along the coast and setting up airfields and ensuring the plans and men had the equipment with which to fight. He used to take lots of photo’s including German POW’s and Montgomery standing in a jeep etc. Hugh, the youngest, was a pathfinder and flew many missions over Germany. He won a DFC & Bar."

There is a memorial to Godfrey in the Port Moresby War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea (Memorial No 23791928).

 CWGC

No. 20 Squadron was established at Port Moresby on 1 August 1941 for a general reconnaissance role. The Squadron conducted long range patrols in conjunction with No. 11 Squadron until the outbreak of war in the Pacific. It then commenced anti-submarine patrols and bombing raids against Japanese bases. As the Japanese advanced into the South West Pacific the Squadron was also responsible for evacuating white civilians from areas threatened by invasion. While the Squadron moved to Bowen, Queensland in May 1942 in response to the increasing frequency of Japanese raids on Port Moresby it continued to conduct reconnaissance, anti-submarine and occasional bombing operations over the waters around New Guinea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._20_Squadron_RAAF

The serial numbers may be wrong:

http://www.adf-serials.com.au/

  1920, aged 32

b. 15 Apr 1888 in Simla, India, a 'law student' in 1915

RFC in WWI; commanded 66 Squadron in 1917.

In 1919, he offered flights to the general public in an Avro at Hounslow Aerodrome: £1 a head. There was enormous interest; queues of 50 or more were patiently waiting and the aeroplane could hardly get up and down fast enough. Consequently, he was described as the 'best-known of the competitors' in that year's Aerial Derby.

He and a Lieut Herrstrom then opened a flying school in Sweden - "ideal conditions for winter flying", they said.

Later, President of the Federation of Pilots; in 1924, he and Frank Barnard were in talks with Lord Thompson about the dispute over terms and conditions for the pilots of the newly-formed Imperial Airways.

He was still competing in 1927, coming third in the Poole Handicap for owner-pilots.

He got some flak in 1928 when he opened a service from Cape Town and Johannesburg using Junkers tri-motor aeroplanes but, as he pointed out, it was the cheapest option.

He was killed 21 July 1930 in Junkers F.13ge G-AAZK belonging to the Walcot Air Line, which crashed near Gravesend, Kent. His co-pilot and the four passengers also died. The inquiry concluded that the aeroplane had broken up in flight due to 'buffetting', but Junkers produced convincing evidence of pilot error, suggesting that he pulled out of an inadvertent dive too violently.

His ashes were scattered from an aeroplane over Croydon.

His book 'A Complete Course of Practical Flying' was published almost the same day.

  1932, aged 20

b. 7th November, 1912.

The extraordinary Mr Spitfire. Leant to fly in (of all places) Skegness. "After 25 hours solo bought a Comper Swift and in the 1933 King's Cup Race won the Siddley Trophy with it." In 1936, still the youngest competitor in the race.

d. 24th February, 2007

  1920

b. 29 Jun 1885

Test Pilot for Avro.

d. Dec 1972 in Aldershot

   1934

   1916

James Duff Hewett was born on January 18, 1891, in a near-Auckland district which is spelt Kihikihi and pronounced " Kee-kee " to avoid confusion with kai kai. which is Maori for "food." The R.Ae.C. gave him its certificate in June, 1916, two months after his transfer into the R.F.C. Whilst serving in France with Nos. 4 and 23 Squadrons he was awarded the C. de G. Post-war he put in a year with No. 20 Squadron on the Indian North-West Frontier. Thence, with rank of Sqd. Ldr., back to New Zealand. One of Hewett's brother officers in No. 23 was " 2nd Lieut. C. K. Smith," nowadays better known as Air Com. Sir Charles Kingsford Smith.

In 1924 Hewett joined the N.Z.A.F., of which he is still a member. Since 1927, when he bought one of the first Moths " seen in the Dominion (a " Gipsy I "), his connection with aviation has been mainly commercial, as managing director of Falcon Airways, Ltd., Auckland, which has its private aerodrome at Oraki. Hewett has flown some 4,000 hr. Now in his 44th year, he is perhaps senior to every competitor in the race.

HEWETT, a war-bird, is in command of No 1 Squadron, New Zealand Territorial Air Force. He is one of the Dominion's most successful commercial pilots and has flown 26 types of 'planes.

(ABCs guide, 1934)

Died 27^th October 1955 in Kerikeri, aged 64

 A Fleet Air Arm pilot; partnered Gyril G Davies in the Fairey IIIF in the MacRobertson Race.

AHSA_1985_AH_Vol_24_No_1-2 says:

"The pair who had flown together in the Fleet Air Arm became known as “Burglar Bill and the Missionary”. Davies earned the title of the “missionary” no doubt because since leaving the R.A.F. some time previously he had been running a shelter for destitutes in the West End of London. 

  1937, aged 42

b. 1895 in Surrey

RFC in WWI

AFC in 1920 for 'gallantry and distinguished services' in 70 Sqn, Egypt

A pilot at Martlesham. Made an attempt at the South Africa - England record in 1936 (flying 'Miss Wolseley', an Airspeed Envoy), but was delayed in Athens and abandoned the attempt.

m. 1926 Joyce Elizabeth [Martin]

Entered the 1937 Kings Cup Race, I'm afraid, "largely out of curiosity''. He was thrown out of the aircraft in very bumpy conditions near Scarborough; his passenger (the owner of the aircraft) Wing-Cmdr Percy Sherren, a native of Crapaud, Prince Edward Island, was also killed in the subsequent crash.

   1916

   in 1927

b. 10, or 11 Jun 1893, or 1894

WWI fighter pilot (7 victories, the last of which cost him his left eye); he then became a well-known pilot for Daimler Air Express, which formed part of Imperial Airways in April 1924.

On 18 December 1924 he flew G-EBBX, a D.H.34  single-engine airliner, from Croydon to Amsterdam but, after setting off on the return journey, the engine oil pressure started fluctuating alarmingly and he turned back; the engine was overhauled, and he tried again, with the same result. Again, the engine was overhauled and tested thoroughly and they finally got back to Croydon on Christmas Eve, although the engine was still running rather roughly.

The next person to fly the aeroplane was David Stewart; the aeroplane took off from Croydon later the same day and crashed within a few minutes, killing him and his 7 passengers. It was the first fatal crash suffered by Imperial Airways, and it led to the first Public Enquiry into a civil aircraft accident in the UK.

Hinch carried on as one of Imperial Airways' senior pilots; two years later, for example, he flew Geoffrey and Mrs de Havilland, plus another man and four other women, to India, to inaugurate Imperial Airways' Egypt-India Empire service. 

September 1925: "AIR PILOT'S RECORDS. COVERED HALF A MILLION MILES. Two world's records for length of time spent in the air and distance flown were created by Mr W. R. Hinchcliffe, the Imperial Airways pilot, who, when he arrived at the London Air Station, piloting a Napier D.H. express from Amsterdam, on Saturday completed 6000 hours' flying.

Mr Hinchcliffe has been flying continually for more than nine years, and, taking an average speed for the numerous different types of airplanes he has flown, has covered more than half a million miles by air. In flying this distance he has spent the equivalent of 250 entire days, or more than eight months, in the air."

October 1926: "AEROPLANE BLOWN BACKWARDS CAUGHT BY STRONG WIND AND CARRIED FOR MILE. Captain W. G. R Hiinchliffe, the Imperial Airways pilot, had the unique experience of travelling backwards through the air yesterday while testing one of the big Rolls-Royce air liners at Croydon Aerodrome. Ascending to a height of 2000 feet, he encountered a head wind so strong that his machine was blown steadily backwards for a distance of over a mile."

He came 4th in the King's Cup in July 1927.

 Then in August 1927 he was asked by wealthy American businessman Charles A Levine to try an east-west trans-Atlantic flight in the Bellanca monoplane NX237 'Miss Columbia'.

  Clarence Chamberlin had set the world long-distance record flying from New York to (near) Berlin in this aeroplane, with Levine as passenger; indeed, they had missed being the very first 'long' trans-Atlantic flight by only a few days.

However, this idea was abandoned after Leslie Hamilton, Lt-Col Minchin and Princess Lowenstein-Wertheim disappeared in their Fokker FVIIa G-EBTQ when they tried the same thing. Instead, they decided to try to break the long-distance record by flying to India, but only got as far as Vienna when oil pressure fluctuation (again!) and bad weather forced them to land.

There is some footage of the preparations at Cranwell for this flight, (and of the Fokker 'St Raphael' in which Hamilton, Minchin and Princess L-W lost their lives) here:  https://www.britishpathe.com/video/old-flying-stories/query/Levine

So (Hinch having already agreed a month's leave from Imperial Airways) they then took a leisurely flight round Italy, including an audience with the Pope on 3 October; the Pope gave Mr Levine the apostolic benediction, "blessing his future enterprises". The next day, however, intending to drop a present for Signor Mussolini's new baby boy, they had to make a forced landing in a vineyard, doing serious damage to the aeroplane but luckily not themselves.

The Bellanca was repaired but later destroyed in a hangar fire; another one, painted to look like it, was in the Virginia Aviation Museum.

'Hinch' disappeared with Elsie Mackay in 1928 trying to cross the Atlantic from east to west.

Elsie's parents, Lord and Lady Inchcape, generously put Elsie's £521,101 13s 4d in trust for the nation for about 50 years, after which time they hoped it "should be used to reduce the National Debt". They also gave Capt Hinchliffe's widow Emilie (sometimes known as Eileen) £10,000, his estate being a rather more modest £32.

photo: 1927, aged 35

 Australian 'Lone Eagle', aviation pioneer, killed in a crash in Italy in 1933

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_Hinkler

  1937

  1930

b. 17 April 1895

Father: Rev. William Perowne Holmes

Joined the 2nd Royal Warwickshire Regiment as a 2nd-Lt and fought in France from 24 Dec 1914. Wounded. Later a Captain in the RFC and then Flt-Lt in the RAF.

8 Sep 1922:

"Great Flying Competition

MR. CYRIL T HOLMES ONE OF THE ENTRANTS.

'The circuit of Britain for the King's Cup starts at Croydon today (Friday) and gets to Birmingham, Newcastle and Glasgow, where a stop will be made for the night, and on Saturday via Manchester and Bristol, finishing at Coydon between four and six. The first machine will leave Croydon at 9 am today, and the rest will start off according to their handicap times. The first machine will be an Avro 'Baby' and the scratch machine is a Supermarine 'Sea Lion II' with a Napier engine. There are in all 23 entries, of which one third are of de Havilland design. 

An item of interest to local residents concerns entry number 6, that of Brigadier-General James G Weir, CMG. It is a Boulton and Paul 'P.9', 90hp RAF engine, flown by Mr C T Holmes. The P.9 is a small two seater touring machine designed after the war, especially as a cheap form of air run-about.

Mr Cyril Holmes is a well-known cross-Channel pilot now with the Instone Line. He was at one time with the old Airco Service. He was wounded in the infantry early in the war and joined the RFC in 1916. Serving overseas at the end of the war, he was running the RAF Air Mail service to Cologne.

He is a son of the Rev. W P Holmes, formerly vicar of St Bartholomew's, Christ Church," - Sydenham, Forest Hill & Penge Gazette

m. 1 Jun 1935 in Stoke Bishop, Bristol, Edith Mary [Talbot]

 In 1939, he was Chief Ground Flying Instructor for the Bristol Flying School.

d. Oct 1972 - Bath, Somerset

"Test pilot Mr Cyril Thomas Holmes, of Cherry Cottage, North Street. Norton St Philip, who died in Lansdown Nursing Home, Bath, on Wednesday last week at the age of 77, was a pioneer in aviation and had flown as a pilot on many types of aircraft for over 40 years.

Born in April. 1895, and educated at Eastbourne College. his long association with aviation began in 1916 when he was seconded from the Royal Warwickshire Regiment to the Royal Flying Corps. in which he served for the remainder of the war.

After the war he was an airline pilot from 1920 to 1923 with Aircraft Transport and Travel Ltd., KLM (the Dutch airline) and Instone Air Line. He flew in the first King's Cup race in 1922 and received a silver tankard for completing the course. In 1923 he Joined the Bristol Aeroplane Company as a test pilot and later became instructor and manager of the flying school, retiring in October 1959.

He was a member of Bristol City Council from June 1960 to May 1964, representing the Westbury ward. Mr Holmes and his wife moved to Norton St Philip from Westbury-on- Trym in 1964. He had been a churchwarden at St Mary's, Henbury, Bristol, for about three years and soon after moving to Norton St Philip he was appointed to a similar office in the parish church in which he gave devoted service for some years. He was for several years secretary to the Norton St Philip branch of the Wells Division Conservative Association and he also took a keen interest in all matters appertaining to the welfare of the local community.

Mr Holmes leaves a widow and a son and daughter." - Somerset Standard

  1917, when a 2nd Lieut in the RFC, aged 20

  1928, aged 31

Technical director of Air Freight.

b. 9 Nov 1897 in Walton, Liverpool

Aged 18, and described as a "trick-cyclist", he was summoned in 1915 for committing a breach of the Realms Act by taking a photograph of one of his Majesty's ships at Barrow; he pleaded not guilty, admitted that he was carrying a camera, and was fined £5.

A close friend of Bert Hinkler, he made an extensive search over the Alps at his own expense when Bert went missing on his fatal flight in 1934, but then sued the Daily Mirror when they published their hair-raising account of his exploits, "Captain Hope's Ordeal in the Alps". He said there was "not one word of truth in it."

 m. 1920 Marjory [Stone]

Three-time winner of the King's Cup Race (1927, 1928 and 1932)

In the 1926 King's Cup race, "he had to descend at Oxford while racing for home in the last lap with a small “airlock" in his petrol pipe, which effectually put his tiny Moth machine out of the running. He landed in a small field - so small that he found it impossible take off again when his minor trouble had been rectified without pushing his  plane through three fields to a broader stretch of country, where he could rise. By this time it was so late that he decided that would abandon the race and go on at his leisure to Hendon.

Interviewed at his home in Hendon yesterday, Mr. Hope said: “The only thing that I am really disappointed about is that I feel sure that if this trifling mishap had not occurred I should most certainly have won. For three laps I was racing neck and neck with Captain Broad, with an aggregate speed equal to his - between 90 and 91 m.p.h." Daily Herald

At the end of the 1928 race, "Thinking all was over he proceeded to loop and stunt before landing, and having landed switched on his well known winning smile. Suddenly there was a terrific hooting, and Sir Francis McClean in his white Rolls-Royce came tearing across to tell Hope he had not crossed the finishing line... Within 30 seconds Hope was in the air again, discovered the finishing line, landed, and again switched on the winning smile fortissimo." C G Grey

Entered for the MacRobertson Race in 1934 (No 24) but didn't take part in the end.

 m. 1954 Hilda L [Stone or Hunt]

d. Oct 1979 - Isle of Wight

1935

Test pilot for Heston Aircraft Company.

In 1937 he formed Hordern-Richmond Aircraft Ltd at Denham, which made propellors; now part of Permali Gloucester Limited.

d. 1993

  1920, aged 38

b. 14 Aug 1882 in London

A really early flier - RAeC Certificate No 222, in 1912; up to then he had been the Secretary of the Royal Aero Club, but transferred to the RFC as a Second Lieutenant (on probation) in July 1912.

In 1911 he had helped to translate Robert Petit's "How to build an aeroplane' from the French, including the prediction that aluminium "will soon be completely abandoned in aeroplane construction".

He wrote several other books, including "The Boys' book of Aeroplanes" (1913).

After WWI he continued in the RAF in Egypt, Palestine and, er, Bircham Newton in Norfolk. His final posting was as commander of the RAF station in Hinaidi, Iraq from 1929-31, and he then retired as a Wing Commander.

  1933, aged 24

Lloyds Insurance Broker; he married actress Florence Desmond after Tom Campbell Black's death.

Honorary Flying Instructor to the Insurance Flying Club at Hanworth

 photo: 1930, aged 19

b. 14 April 1911 in Doncaster

The Aeroplane described him in 1936 as "A mining engineer ... has to climb up several thousand feet to get into his Speed Hawk Six - from the bottom of the family coal mine." (Ha!)

[From 1937 his father, also called William, was Chairman of the Doncaster Amalgamated Collieries, Ltd, until they were nationalised. William Snr was a keen racehorse owner; his horse 'Nearula' won the 2000 Guineas in 1953 and he died in 1964 aged 89.]

Bill didn't work in the family coal mine, however.

From 1939 to 1948, he was test pilot for Hawkers - initially testing Hurricanes, right up to the prototype Sea Hawk - then later in their Sales Department in the Middle East.

d. 1 Mar 1992

His grand-daughter is Kate Humble, the TV presenter. (See 'Who Do You Think You Are', Series 6). She says 'He was unbelievably handsome ... a rogue, a very good-looking rogue. I was 23 when he died. He lived abroad, but came back to England in the late 1980s, when he got ill. Because he wasn't a good father to my father, and didn't really like children, I only got to know him better when I was an adult.'

  1929, aged 27

'A Member of the London Stock Exchange'

Killed in WWII: 10th August 1941, when Acting Lieutenant, HMS Daedalus RNVR; buried West Norwood Cemetery

  1926, aged 38

Born in Xlanga, S Africa but living in Northumberland; 'a shopkeeper'

  1916, when a 2nd Lieut, Royal Irish Rifles, aged 18

  1931

born in Motihari, India; educated at Marlborough and Sandhurst. RFC in WWI: 2 victories, but was then shot in the foot by a member of Richtoven's squadron.

Post-WWI, was "engaged in the estate business" (whatever that means).

  1927, aged 23

A civil engineer from Slough; in 1936 he and Marcel Desoutter decided that an airport at Gatwick might be a nice idea (it was, after all, "outside the London fog area").

He later married Australian-born Muriel Nora 'Cherry' Davies and they ended up near Sydney; he died in 1980, but she survived until 2011 - aged 101. see
http://www.smh.com.au/national/obituaries/love-and-duty-shaped-long-life-20110923-1kp9i.html

Later a Wing-Commander; 

Wing Commander R. W. Jackson (R.A.F.), Albert Street, Castleton. January, 1945. New Year's Honours List 1945. Twice mentioned in despatches, and given the Air Efficiency Award in 1944.

"TECHNICAL BRANCH.

Promotion. Notification cancelled. 13th Sept. 1949  '(p. 4395, col. 2) concerning

R. W. JACKSON, O.B.E., A.M.I.Mech.E., A.iR.Ae.S.(70343)."

  1912, aged 18

  1920

 b. 2 June 1894 in Narberth, Pembrokeshire (which is in Wales); in 1913, he and his brother Henry were the first people in Pembrokeshire to build and fly their own aeroplane.

It was a sort-of-Caudron biplane and during its first flight it fell 60 feet to the ground, luckily without serious injury, and had to be rebuilt. It worked all right after that, though.

After WWI, he became test pilot to the British Nieuport Company; in April 1920 he flew the Nieuport in Bombay on a publicity trip, and its handling was "much admired". Nieuport later became Gloster Aircraft, and among his many accomplishments was the British Speed Record of 196.6 mph in a Gloster Bamel in 1921.

d. 4 Feb 1944, although he had "given up flying some time before".

 photo: 1933, aged 58

From Sunderland, maker of Pyrex glassware

  1930, aged 27

d. 1984.

 b. 7 Apr 1902

Filed several patents when working for Power Jets Ltd, e.g. "A means for injecting liquid coolant into the gas flow path through the turbine in a direction initially transversely to the median thereof whereby the gas flow deflects the coolant, still in liquid form, on to the region of the leading edges of the turbine rotor blades."

d. 1976 -  Kensington, Greater London

  1931

b. 23 Sep 1906, Orpington

A ground engineer with Cirrus Engines.

He was taught to fly by the late Col. G. L. P. Henderson, and obtained his "A" licence in 1929.

The 1931 King's Cup was his first air race.

d. 1975 - Brent, London

  1915

I'm guessing this must be him, although he was reported as 'Major C H Johnstone'

A Motor Engineer, b. 9 June 1892 in London.

  1916, when a Captain in the Welsh Regt, aged 26

  1924

b 7 Oct 1890, Llandilo, Carm, Wales

British Army 1913-16; RAF 1916-43; 

Won the Hanworth-Blackpool Air Race, 15 Jul 31; 

Died in WWII -  14 May 43, when serving with Station Flight, RAF Middle Wallop, his Hurricane IIb HV895 exploded and crashed in Sudbourne Marshes, during a flight from Martlesham Heath to Orford Ness bombing range to test a new bomb.

Research: thanks to Steve Brew

  1926, aged 21

A Paper Maker from Surrey

Known as 'John Willy'; Welsh Regiment (attached to RFC) in WWI (11 victories).

d. 1929 in the Fairey Long-Range Monoplane which crashed near Tunis while trying to break the world distance record; buried in Newtimber, Sussex.

  1919

 1920, aged 24

 b. 3 Dec 1896 in Georgetown, South Africa

Appointed Temporary Captain for service with the forces in E Africa from 1st July 1916 (the day that the Battle of the Somme began) and then went on to join the RNAS and then the RAF. Flying the Sopwith Camel, he ended the War with 39 victories before being rested in 1918, and was transferred to the unemployed list in September 1919.

Got married in Kobe, Japan, in 1921 to Hazel Thorne - she was from London, so I've no idea why they were in Japan.

August 1925: "AIRMAN KILLED WHEN MOTOR CAR SKIDS. 'Death by misadventure' was the verdict at the inquest at Guildford on William Lancelot Jordan, of Greylake, Beaconsfield Road, Blackheath who died in Guildford Hospital from injuries received when thrown from his motor car on the Hog's Back, near Guildford, on Thursday night (20 Aug).

Jordan, who was in the Air Force during the war and brought down about seventy enemy aeroplanes, was driving with his wife from Bournemouth to Blackheath when his car skidded on the wet road, struck the bank, and turned over twice. It was stated at the inquest that Jordan had not been driving at excessive speed. His first question after the accident was 'Is my wife all right?' Mrs Jordan was seriously injured, but is recovering."

One of the original 16 pilots of Imperial Airways in 1924

b. 9 Sep 1897 in London

Flight Sub-Lt in the RNAS in WWI, then with British Marine Air Navigation Co

Also held 2nd class navigators licence

b. Plymouth on August 2 1913 and educated at Plymouth College. He studied Art in Plymouth and Paris but, like so many of his generation, his life changed after a five-shilling flight with Alan Cobham's Flying Circus (q.v.)

"He learned to fly privately, and by the time he was 21 he had obtained his commercial flying, navigation and wireless licences, enabling him to join Imperial Airways.

Initially Ballantine flew as a second officer in the open cockpit of a three-engine Argosy on the Croydon-Brussels-Cologne route; the 20 passengers were able to lounge in wicker chairs.

He then moved on to the stately four-engine HP 42 biplane airliner. With an almost complete lack of navigation aids, locating Croydon airport in poor weather depended on finding the twin towers of Crystal Palace, then setting a stopwatch and descending blind.

Ballantine next flew on the Imperial Airways Empire routes to Africa and Asia, before being appointed to his first command at the age of 23; he was based in Hong Kong, flying the de Havilland DH 86.

During this period he carried out an aerial survey of the route to Bangkok via Hanoi, across the relatively unknown territories of Siam and Indo-China, and he established a 16-hour record for the Rangoon-Calcutta return journey in the DH 86 Delphinus.

Ballantine earned his nickname, "The Colonel", after General Chiang Kai Shek offered him a colonelcy in his nationalist air force - a post which the Englishman prudently declined."

Ballantine was described by a colleague as "tall and debonair. . . quintessentially English, and a genial man of great modesty and charm". During the war, following a spirited party with his fellow pilots, he had crashed his car; he never drove again.

d. Dec 2003

 the Imperial War Museums

d. 19/20 Jun 1941, one of 9 killed when Shorts S26 Flying Boat X8274 ('Golden Fleece') crashed at sea off Cape Finisterre en route to Cairo; Commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Panel 29.

28 June 1941: "GOOLE OFFICER MISSING. FORMER IMPERIAL AIRWAYS PILOT Flight-Lieut. G. H. Bowes, youngest son of Mrs and the late Mr G. H. Bowes, of Carter-street, Goole, and a former Imperial Airways pilot, is officially reported missing.

Flight-Lieut. Bowes attended Goole St. John's National School and Hull Technical College as a boy. He joined the R.A.F. in 1930, and served in Egypt during the Italo-Abyssinian dispute, rising to the rank of sergeant pilot. Later he was a test pilot. In 1936 he entered the service of Imperial Airways, and the following year he was First officer and navigator on the flying boat Caledonia, which made the first experimental transatlantic flight between Foynes (Ireland) and Botwood (Newfoundland).

He crossed the Atlantic 10 times, and also piloted 'planes on the Near and Far East services. On the outbreak of war Flight-Lieut Bowes rejoined the R.A.F.

During the German invasion of Norway he was wounded in the knee and bombed out of hospital, but was safely evacuated to Scotland. While in hospital there he became engaged to Miss Joan Walker of Greenock, and was married last November. Flight-Lieutenant Bowes has a nephew, Sergeant-Pilot Bowes, of Fourth-avenue, Goole, who also joined the R.A.F. before the war, and is a prisoner in Germany."

 b. Paarl, S Sfrica, 9 Sep 1899

Ikmperial Airways, based in Cape Town from 1929

Promoted to Senior Master in October 1938

 b. Edinburgh 22 Sep 1899

flew in N Ontario 1926-7; 1926-30 on the trans-prairie night mail; Imperial Airways from 1930

RAeC Certificate No 22856 in 1947, by which time he was a Company Director and lived in Epsom, Surrey.

  an Air Mechanic in 1913

 1934

 One of the original 16 pilots of Imperial Airways in 1924

b. East Ham 26 May 1893

pilot for Handley Page Transport Ltd 1921-24

May 1926: "161 MILES PER HOUR. Captain F. Dismore. an Imperial Airways pilot, flew a specially chartered Vickers Napier express from Croydon Aerodrome to Brighton yesterday in the record time of 13 minutes, an average speed of 161 miles an hour."

April 1933: "MASONIC FLYING CLUB HOLD FIRST MEETING AT BROOKLANDS.  Members of the new Masonic Flying Club held their first official meeting at Brooklands to-day. The club is composed of Masons from all over the country. The idea occurred to a group of pilots at Croydon who are Freemasons. Capt. Dismore, a well-known Imperial Airways pilot, flew several of the members over to Brooklands from Croydon in an Imperial Airways machine, making two trips for the purpose, and others travelled by road. There were about a hundred present in all.

A miniature air pageant was staged for their benefit, and the Masons were greatly interested in a demonstration of new fire-resisting paint, and in the Lowe-Wylde powered glider. The club proposes to acquire headquarters in the neighbourhood of Brooklands, where arrangements w ill be made for them to receive flying instruction."

 b. King William's Town, S Africa 19 Dec 1897

pilot on the South African section of the London-Cape Town route

  1930; an RAF Officer at Tangmere

b. 1 Mar 1909 in Thurgoland, Yorkshire.

Killed in WWII; after leaving Imperial Airways in 1939, he won a DSO and then a posthumous VC in 1942 for leading the first attack on the German battle cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, and the cruiser Prince Eugen. All of the six Swordfish torpedo bombers were shot down, and only five crew members rescued.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Esmonde

 August 1930, Flight: "The most interesting news item at Croydon this week centres round Mr J. J. Flynn. He is one of the most modest of good fellows and whilst others strut into the glare of publicity he retires, knowing that it is the doing of a job which matters, not the talking about it. It is six months since he joined Imperial Airways and after the usual probationary period as second pilot and a spell on inland services he "passed out" on Argosys  last Wednesday. The following morning he took out the 8 a.m. service to Paris and did the trip in 96 min., an extraordinarily good time for this type of machine. We understand that it is two years since Capt. Willcockson did the journey in 105 min., the next best time.

'Paddy' Flynn has had an adventurous career and many have made themselves into newspaper heroes by achieving much less. His first appearance at Croydon was as a joyride pilot for Surrey Flying Services in 1924. But it seems that that was only because the shouting and fighting in his native land had died down. For after his war service with R.F.C. and R.A.F.  in France, he returned to Ireland in 1920 as second in command of the Free State Air Force with the rank of Commandant. He left Surrey Flying Services when N.F.S. started up last year, but saw more chances with the Desoutter Aircraft Co., whose first test pilot he was. Here he did some very good work in all weathers—the more adverse the conditions the more cheerful he becomes. That firm parted with him regretfully when Imperial Airways called early in the spring. His flying time is over five thousand hours, and who has carried something like thirty-one thousand passengers"

10 May 1939 "The pilot who was killed, with a woman passenger, in a collision between two aeroplanes at Horne, near Horley, Surrrey on Monday [8 May], was identified yesterday as Captain J. J. Flynn, of South Croydon, who was formerly an Imperial Airways pilot. He was flying a liner which crashed in France in 1930 and lost a leg as a result of the accident. Miss Aurora Tasselli, the dead girl, was 19 and lived in Rayners Lane."

from the Irish Press: "Paddy was a native of Doocastle, Balllymote, Co. Sligo, and played a big part in fighting against the Black and Tans in that area.

Aged 44, he helped to form the the Irish Free State Air Force and was for a time Commandant in the force at Baldonnel. Later he resigned and went to England, where he became an Imperial Airways pilot.

It was he who piloted the air liner 'City of Washington' [G-EBIX] which crashed in France in 1930. Four people were killed and Captain Flynn hurt his spine and also had his left leg amputated. For three years he was in and out of hospitals and had 19 operations.

'The loss of his leg did not keep him from flying', a friend of Captain Flynn's told an Irish Press representative yesterday, 'and he showed the authorities that he was as good a flyer with one leg as the average pilot is with two. He renewed his licence and was, I think, the only one-legged flyer in England.

'He was a man of great daring and courage, and never let bad luck daunt him.'

Capt Flynn was in the British Flying Corps during the Great War. His brother, Mr Dan Flynn, of Palmertson, Dublin, is secretary of the Fianna Fail Cumann there, and is also secretary of D Company, Old I.R.A."

In 1936 Paddy was a director of a company called Atlas Air Services, and then in 1937 formed his own flying club:

"PADDY FLYNN FLYING CLUB LTD. Private company, registered July. Capital, £1,000 in 1,000 shares of £1. Objects: To carry on the business of instructors in aviation, aerial navigation, aerial and ground signalling, dealers in and importers and exporters of aircraft and aircraft engines, etc. The directors are  John J. Flynn, air pilot, Merrock S. C. Hyams, air pilot, Muriel Montgomery. "

Miss Tasselli was his pupil. Flying an aircraft from the Redhill Flying Club, they collided with Hawker Hart K5800 flown by Sgt Stuart Smith.

"Miss Tasselli was keen on her new hobby of flying. Her father, who was born in Italy, has a tailor's business in Manchester. Mrs C. Tasselli, her mother, an Englishwoman, told a reporter to-day:— 'She had only been up in the air four times. She joined the Civil Guard a few weeks ago after waiting to do so for several months, I never wanted her to go in the air because I think it is a man's job, but she was a rather venturesome and self-willed young lady and would not listen to my advice.'

'Flight' said "it was with very genuine regret that a large number of his friends at Croydon heard of the sad death of poor Paddy Flynn, who was as game a sportsman and as likeable a fellow as ever flew."

 Born 25^th June 1902 in Aukland, New Zealand

Distinguished Flying Cross in June 1940:

"This officer was captain of an aircraft ordered to attack important targets in the forests south of Bourlers and Baileux during a night in June. In spite of extremely difficult conditions, and in the face of severe opposition, he successfully bombed the objective, starting several fires which gave accurate direction to other aircraft of this sortie. He then descended to a low altitude and, again in the face of heavy opposition, attacked the woods with all his machine guns. Sqn. Ldr. Kay has conducted a number of operations in recent weeks and has shown daring, determination and outstanding ability."

Cyril Eyton Kay, Hewett's co-pilot, is also his fellow citizen. He was born at Auckland on June 25, 1902. In 1925 he obtained a Short-Service commission (F/O.) in the R.A.F., and was sent from England to Egypt, where he promptly developed enteric and was invalided back after three months in hospital. Between 1926 and 1929 he was with No. 5 F.T.S. (Sealand), No. 2 Squadron (Manston), and, as navigation officer, with No. 26 at Catterick, after a course at Calshot.

In 1929, with F/O. Harold Piper, Kay obtained special leave and flew from London to Sydney in a Desoutter I monoplane. The flight was interrupted for three weeks by a forced landing on the island of Western Baronga, off Burma. Returning to England in 1930, Kay took an Instructor's course at the C.F.S. (Wittering), and was posted, until the end of 1931, as instructor to No. 2 F.T.S. (Digby). He then left the Service, but remained in England until the end of 1932 as demonstration pilot with a commercial company. In 1931 he visited the Wasserkuppe and achieved the distinction of being the first Britisher to secure the "C" gliding certificate. During the last two years he has continued civil flying in New Zealand. Both he and Hewett are married. Delivery of the "Dragon Six" now being built...

Kay, who has held a short-term commission with the Royal Air Force, flew from England to Australia with a brother Flying Officer, Piper, in a Desoutter, in 1930. He is one of the very few men in Australia who holds a second class Air Navigator's Certificate.

ABCs Guide, 1934

d. 29 Apr 1993 in London, aged 90

  1938

An aeronautical Engineer from Yorkshire, b. 1892. RAeC Certificates 1222 (1915) and 15944 (1938). Test pilot for Blackburn until 1925.

Schneider Trophy pilot in 1923 in the Blackburn 'Pellet'; he had a lucky escape when during take-off "The starboard wing tip float touched, and the machine turned over on its nose and sank. For what seemed a very long time there was no sign of the pilot, and fears were entertained that he had not been able to extricate himself. Suddenly, however, he appeared, bobbing up like a cork, and climbing on top of the wreck was picked up by one of the many motor launches which sped to his assistance as soon as the crash occurred. He promptly fainted on getting safely on to the wreckage, but was soon revived and brought back to his hotel, nursed by Mrs. Kenworthy, who. was in the motor launch Vivid which was among those standing by. He had had quite a marvellous escape, and seemed none the worse for his experience. It was stated that someone actually timed Kenworthy, who was said to have been under water for 61 seconds. He later related how, when the machine turned turtle, he found himself inside the cockpit with his head on the floor and his feet pointing towards the cockpit opening, which he could dimly see. Holding his nose with one hand he wriggled free and shot to the surface."

  photo: 1928, aged 29

Known as Glen. Survived being torpedoed in WWI on the cruiser 'Hague', had several narrow escapes when motor racing, and in November 1929, he was the only survivor when Junkers tri-motor D-903 crashed near Caterham and caught fire. He "escaped through a hole in the side of the aeroplane almost immediately after it struck the ground, and Prince Eugen [zu Schaumburg-Lippe] fought his way out a little later; but by the time would-be rescuers had arrived there was no hope of saving the others." The Prince died the following day.

Glen spent the winter abroad, then in May 1930, his widowed mother having died, put his house up for sale; Nyn Park, Northaw, near Potters Bar, "nearly a square mile with a small mansion". And a lake.

And a 9-hole golf course. Oh, and 25 cottages. A few smallholdings....

In April 1931 he and Owen Cathcart Jones broke the England to Capetown record, but shortly afterwards (5 May) he was killed in the Drakensburg Mountains, Natal; the aircraft he had borrowed, while his Vega was being overhauled, broke up in mid-air during a storm.

Nyn Park was sold, and the estate broken up. The small (23-bedroom) mansion was bought after WWII by the Alexandra Hospital for Children but never used, and burned down in 1963.

  1918, when 2nd Lieut, RAF, aged 32

possibly John King, b 1886, from Birmingham; RAeC certificate 7436

'Pat' King, later an Air Vice Marshall

 1933, aged 20

From Perth, 'a student'

photo: 1925, aged 26

b. Marcos Antonio in Altrincham, Cheshire on 17th April 1898; a 'shipper', but also Comper's Sales Manager.

Flt-Lt in WWII; d.  11th Feb 1946 in a flying accident in a Mosquito, and is buried near Litchfield.

  1930

b. Ethel Ruth Nicholson in Shepperton, 5 Jun 1913. Her parents were Capt William Henry Nicholson and Sybil Wigham.

Educated at Roedean, got her 'matric', and went into welding research as an engineer, working for Arc Manufacturing Co. in Shepherd's Bush.

She married John Lambton in March 1934, and they had one son.

In 1937, she and the Hon. Ruth Cokayne took a 'light-hearted summer tour' to Budapest (via Brussels, Cologne, Munich, and Salzburg) in a Gipsy Moth; a trip which they reckoned cost them about £55 each in total.

 Ruth C (l) and Ruth L (r) ('Flight')

They muddled along in a breathless, schoolgirlish sort of way. In Frankfurt, all their possessions were confiscated but then 'we found ourselves in the officers' mess, where the entire squadron shook our hands with the utmost solemnity, clicked heels, Heiled Hitler and gave us lunch! Another round of handshakes, our belongings were duly returned to us, and we Heiled Hitler gratefully ourselves as we took off'.

She was an early recruit to the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) in 1940, starting on the 25th June as W.20 - the 20th woman employed by the ATA. (Ruth Cokayne also joined the ATA, as W.40, in April 1941). see Lambton, Ethel Ruth (W.20) (ata-ferry-pilots.org)

  1928, aged 29

Originally from Scotland; son of Bonar Law. In 1939 a member of the Insurance Flying Club.

Apparently he had a lisp, but was very able.