Aviator

b. 1910

David Stodart (q.v.) said that 'Our grandfathers were first cousins, work it out for yourself, it’s too much for me”.

A Sergeant Pilot in the RAF, later to test-fly the 'Luton Buzzard' light aircraft.

d. 15 Sep 1938 in Princess Mary’s Royal Air Force Hospital, Halton, Buckinghamshire, after a flying accident, aged 28

 b. Kimberley, South Africa, on January 28, 1906.

In 1931 Gordon was co-pilot and navigator on the 19-year-old Peggy Salaman's record-breaking flight to South Africa in a De Havilland Puss Moth. They set off on Oct 30, 1931 from Lympne in Kent and five days, six hours and 40 minutes later they landed at the Cape, knocking more than a day off the record.

Young Gordon was educated at Kimberley Boys High School, at Mill Hill and Imperial College, London. He learned to fly at the De Havilland school and in 1926 was commissioned into the Reserve of Air Force Officers. After his flight with Peggy Salaman in 1931, Store remained in South Africa as a director of Aero Services, operating from a grass airfield at Wynburg.

After the war Store was recruited by Air Vice-Marshal Don Bennett of "Pathfinder" fame as operations manager of British South American Airways, which merged with BOAC in 1949. Store became a Douglas Stratocruiser captain.

d. October 4, aged 87.

  1913, when a farmer from Dorset, aged 22

  1930, aged 39

'Flying Rebel'; WWI pilot and inventor; later Director of Spartan, Simmonds and Whitney Straight companies.

He was "none other than the famed R.F.C. pilot who, fighting a German at 8,000ft over Ypres in 1915, suddenly found his Martinsyde out of control, was flung out of his seat, and spun down 5,000 feet hanging from the Lewis gun mounting. He eventually got the machine under control with his feet."

Bar to his DFC in June 1940, while in the RAF Volunteer Reserve: "P/O. Strange was detailed to proceed from Hendon to Merville to act as ground control officer during the arrival and departure of various aircraft carrying food supplies. He displayed great skill and determination whilst under heavy bombing attacks and machine gun fire at Merville, where he was responsible for the repair and successful despatch of two aircraft to England. In the last, remaining aircraft which was repaired under his supervision, he returned to Hendon in spite of being repeatedly attacked by Messerschmitts until well out to sea. He had no guns in action and had never flown this type of aircraft previously, but his brilliant piloting enabled him to return."

Wing Commander in WWII, awarded OBE and US Bronze Star; returned to farming and died in 1966.

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

  1921

b. 28 Jul 1890, Londonderry, Ireland but lived in England from 1891

Royal Field Artillery Lt, then RAF in WWI

m. 1921 Violet [Mitford] in Morpeth, Northumberland:

 Ancestry.co.uk

2 October 1933: "The recent tragic sequence of British air accidents was continued yesterday by two crashes, costing four lives. The more serious occurred near Hawkhurst, Kent, when disaster overtook a private 'plane returning from the R 101 unveiling ceremony at Allonne. The machine crashed at a terrific speed out of dense mist into a field.

The three occupants, who were killed instantly, were:— CAPTAIN A. J. STYRAN, the pilot; MR lAN C. MACGILCHRIST, of Montpellier Street, W., chairman of the British Air Navigation Co., owners of the 'plane; and MR BERTRAM WILSON, a press photographer, returning with pictures he had taken of the memorial service. Visibility was very poor, and with no eye-witnesses and no survivors, the cause cf the accident remains a mystery. By coincidence, Mr Frank Crouch, stockman, at Old Place Farm, who was the first to reach the wreckage, witnessed the passing over of the ill-fated R 101 when she left for India."

"Capt Styran was the winner of the London-Cardiff Race this year"

"A FINE FLIER. A friend of Captain "Bill" Styran, who was killed in the air crash his way back from Beauvais at the week-end, tells me that "Bill " was the very best type of pilot for civil flying. He never took unnecessary risks and his services were in great demand among business men who wished to make extensive air tours. He had recently returned from such a trip in Russia. " Bill " was tall and well built, though he carried on his face the scars of a previous crash."

  1930, aged 26

Called 'Mutt' because he liked to pee on or near his aeroplane before taking off; is that too much detail?

Still has the most flying hours of any test pilot in the world.

d. 1954.

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

  1930

Instructor at Midland Aero Club (as was Tommy Rose), the 'energetic' Mr Sutcliffe

  1931, aged 22

A Works Manager from Market Harborough. Awarded MC in 1945 (Captain in the Leicestershire Regiment)

b. 27 Mar 1897 in Sutton, Surrey but living in Fowey, Cornwall; WWI ace (12 victories).

Went to Italy in WWI flying Camels with 66 Sqn, and was shot down once in Belgium and twice in Italy.

Despite being over 40 when WWII broke out, Francis joined the RAF as a Flt-Lt and then in June 1943 joined the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA).

 ATA, 1943

See https://www.ata-ferry-pilots.org/index.php/category-blog-1943/822-symondson-francis-stanley

 1916, aged 19

 1920

b. 27 April 1897 in London

RFC and RAF in WWI, then an "exceptional" test pilot for Nieuport and General Aircraft Co Ltd, of Cricklewood.

Elected a Member of the RAeC in October 1921; at the time, the firm of 'Tait-Cox and James, Test Pilots' were extremely busy, and "could find work for half-a-dozen pilots", if they could find them.

In fact Leslie, followed by Jimmie, broke the British Speed record in 1921.

Joined Major Jack Savage's 'Sky-writers' in 1922 - as did Mogens L Bramson, Cyril Turner, G A Lingham, G F Bradley, D A Shepperson, C R McMullin, E D C Herne, Sydney St Barbe, Charles Collyer (US), Marttin Rudolph (Germany), and W von Feilitzsch (Germany).

Rejoined the RAF in 1926, and left in Jan 1935, to become a "Technical Mechanical Engineering Liason Officer"

Joined Plessey after WWII and d. Oct 1959 - Maidenhead, Berks.

b. London 21 May 1905

Imperial Airways from 1930; intially on cross-channel then Cairo-Khartoum service

based Heliopolis

  1914, when a Lieutenant in the Scots Guards, aged 24

 From Urquhart, Scotland.

Wrote 'In the clouds above Baghdad' in 1920 (which you can read online).

Killed in WWII: 7th August 1941, when a Group Captain (pilot) RAFVR; buried Innes House, Moray.

  1938, aged c.25

b. c.1913. From Kensington, London.

"a serving RAF Officer with 614 Sqn, stationed at Cardiff. He is an 'A' licence holder and has 1500 hours flying experience. Recreations are squash and golf"

Killed in WWII: 29th March 1945 when a Wing Commander RAF; buried Tenby, Pembrokeshire.

b. Assam, Egypt 25 Oct 1891

Imperial Airways from 1928

lent to New Guinea Goldfields Ltd 1929-30

Address in 1932: 'Beechwood', Hawthorn Rd, Wallington, Surrey

  1930, aged 29

  1947, aged 46

 Joined the RAF in 1925 (RAE Farnborough from 1927) after a stint in the Coldstream Guards followed by poultry farming in Surrey, then took over from Neville Stack (him, again) as chief test pilot for the Aircraft Disposals Company.

Charter pilot at Brooklands; sometime middleweight and light-heavyweight boxing champion, and a major in the Home Guard. Avro's test pilot from 1934.

Killed in the prototype Avro Tudor, (together with chief designer Roy Chadwick), on 23^rd August 1947.

[With thanks to John Falk, who is Roly's (q.v.) son, and Bill Thorn's grandson]

In 1936, CO of 601 (County of London (Fighter)) Squadron, Aux AF, and an old Etonian.

  1935

b. 21 Jun 1903, Kent

In 1939, a flying instructor living in Winchester, Hants

  1917

 b. 18 Feb 1889, London

2nd Lieut, RFC in WWI

 d. 14 Aug 1965 - Surrey

 b. York 15 Feb 1897

Imperial Airways from 1926; pilot on the Cairo-Karachi Air Mail Service 1926-29

Awarded Master Pilot's Certificate in 1934

photo: 1917, when 2nd Lieut in the RFC, aged 22