About a month after Paulhan had won the "London to Manchester" race, the
world of aviation, and most of the general public too, were astonished
to read the announcement of another enormous prize. This time a much
harder task was set, for the conditions of the contest stated that a
circuit of Britain had to be made, covering a distance of about 1000
miles in one week, with eleven compulsory stops at fixed controls.
This prize was offered on 22nd May, 1910, and in the following year
seventeen competitors entered the lists. It says much for the progress
of aviation at this time, when we read that, only a year before, it
was difficult to find but two pilots to compete in the much easier race
described in the last chapter. Much of this progress was undoubtedly
due to the immense enthusiasm aroused by the success of Paulhan in the
"London to Manchester" race.
We will not describe fully the second race, because, though it was of
immense importance at the time, it has long since become a mere episode.
Rarely has Britain been in such great excitement as during that week in
July, 1911.
Engine troubles, breakdowns, and other causes soon reduced the seventeen
competitors to two only: Lieutenant Conneau, of the French Navy-who
flew under the name of M. Beaumont--and M. Vedrines. Neck to neck they
flew--if we may be allowed this horse-racing expression--over all sorts
of country, which was quite unknown to them.
Victory ultimately rested with Lieutenant Conneau, who, on 26th July,
1911, passed the winning-post at Brooklands after having completed
the course in the magnificent time of twenty-two hours, twenty-eight
minutes, averaging about 45 miles an hour for the whole journey. M.
Vedrines, though defeated, made a most plucky fight. Conneau's success
was due largely to his ability to keep to the course--on two or three
occasions Vedrines lost his way--and doubtless his naval training in
map-reading and observation gave him the advantage over his rival.
The third historic flight was made by Mr. Harry Hawker, in August, 1913.
This was an attempt to win a prize of L5000 offered by the proprietors
of the Daily Mail for a flight round the British coasts. The route was
from Cowes, in the Isle of Wight, along the southern and eastern coasts
to Aberdeen and Cromarty, thence through the Caledonian Canal to Oban,
then on to Dublin, thence to Falmouth, and along the south coast to
Southampton Water.
Two important conditions of the contest were that the flight was to be
made in an all-British aeroplane, fitted with a British engine. Hitherto
our aeroplane constructors and engine companies were behind their rivals
across the Channel in the building of air-craft and aerial engines, and
this country freely acknowledged the merits and enterprise of French
aviators. Though in the European War it was afterwards proved that the
British airman and constructor were the equals if not the superiors of
any in the world, at the date of this contest they were behind in many
respects.
As these conditions precluded the use of the famous Gnome engine, which
had won so many contests, and indeed the employment of any engine made
abroad, the competitors were reduced to two aviation firms; and as
one or these ultimately withdrew from the contest the Sopwith Aviation
Company of Kingston-on-Thames and Brooklands entered a machine.
Mr. T. Sopwith chose for his pilot a young Australian airman, Mr. Harry
Hawker. This skilful airman came with three other Australians to
this country to seek his fortune about three years before. He was
passionately devoted to mechanics, and, though he had had no opportunity
of flying in his native country, he had been intensely interested in the
progress of aviation in France and Britain, and the four friends set out
on their long journey to seek work in aeroplane factories.
All four succeeded, but by far the most successful was Harry Hawker.
Early in 1913 Mr. Sopwith was looking out for a pilot, and he engaged
Hawker, whom he had seen during some good flying at Brooklands.
In a month or two he was engaged in record breaking, and in June, 1913,
he tried to set up a new British height record. In his first attempt he
rose to 11,300 feet; but as the carburettor of the engine froze, and as
the pilot himself was in grave danger of frost-bite, he descended.
About a fortnight later he rose 12,300 feet above sea-level, and shortly
afterwards he performed an even more difficult test, by climbing with
three passengers to an altitude of 8500 feet.
With such achievements to his name it was not in the least surprising
that Mr. Sopwith's choice of a pilot for the water-plane race rested
on Hawker. His first attempt was made on 16th August, when he flew from
Southampton Water to Yarmouth--a distance of about 240 miles--in 240
minutes. The writer, who was spending a holiday at Lowestoft, watched
Mr. Hawker go by, and his machine was plainly visible to an enormous
crowd which had lined the beach.
To everyone's regret the pilot was affected with a slight sunstroke when
he reached Yarmouth, and another Australian airman, Mr. Sidney Pickles,
was summoned to take his place. This was quite within the rules of the
contest, the object of which was to test the merits of a British machine
and engine rather than the endurance and skill of a particular pilot.
During the night a strong wind arose, and next morning, when Mr. Pickles
attempted to resume the flight, the sea was too rough for a start to be
made, and the water-plane was beached at Gorleston.
Mr. Hawker quickly recovered from his indisposition, and on Monday, 25th
August, he, with a mechanic as passenger, left Cowes about five o'clock
in the morning in his second attempt to make a circuit of Britain. The
first control was at Ramsgate, and here he had to descend in order to
fulfil the conditions of the contest.
Ramsgate was left at 9.8, and Yarmouth, the next control, was reached
at 10.38. So far the engine, built by Mr. Green, had worked perfectly.
About an hour was spent at Yarmouth, and then the machine was en route
to Scarborough. Haze compelled the pilot to keep close in to the coast,
so that he should not miss the way, and a choppy breeze some what
retarded the progress of the machine along the east coast. About
2.40 the pilot brought his machine to earth, or rather to water, at
Scarborough, where he stayed for nearly two hours.
Mr. Hawker's intention was to reach Aberdeen, if possible, before
nightfall, but at Seaham he had to descend for water, as the engine was
becoming uncomfortably hot, and the radiator supply of water was rapidly
diminishing. This lost much valuable time, as over an hour was spent
here, and it had begun to grow dark before the journey was recommenced.
About an hour after resuming his journey he decided to plane down at the
fishing village of Beadwell, some 20 miles south of Berwick.
At 8.5 on Tuesday morning the pilot was on his way to Aberdeen, but he
had to descend and stay at Montrose for about half an hour, and Aberdeen
was reached about 11 a.m. His Scottish admirers, consisting of quite
40,000 people at Aberdeen alone, gave him a most hearty welcome, and
sped him on his way about noon. Some two hours later Cromarty was
reached.
Now commenced the most difficult part of the course. The Caledonian
Canal runs among lofty mountains, and the numerous air-eddies and swift
air-streams rushing through the mountain passes tossed the frail craft
to and fro, and at times threatened to wreck it altogether. On some
occasions the aeroplane was tossed up over 1000 feet at one blow; at
other times it was driven sideways almost on to the hills. From Cromarty
to Oban the journey was only about 96 miles, but it took nearly
three hours to fly between these places. This slow progress seriously
jeopardized the pilot's chances of completing the course in the
allotted time, for it was his intention to make the coast of Ireland by
nightfall. But as it was late when Oban was reached he decided to spend
the night there.
Early the following morning he left for Dublin, 222 miles away. Soon a
float was found to be waterlogged and much valuable time was, spent in
bailing it dry. Then a descent had to be made at Kiells, in Argyllshire,
because a valve had gone wrong. Another landing was made at Larne, to
take aboard petrol. As soon as the petrol tanks were filled and the
machine had been overhauled the pilot got on his way for Dublin.
For over two hours he flew steadily down the Irish coast, and then
occurred one of those slight accidents, quite insignificant in
themselves, but terribly disastrous in their results. Mr. Hawker's boots
were rubber soled and his foot slipped off the rudder bar, so that the
machine got out of control and fell into the sea at Lough Shinny, about
15 miles north of Dublin. At the time of the accident the pilot was
about 50 feet above the water, which in this part of the Lough is very
shallow. The machine was completely wrecked, and Mr. Hawker's mechanic
was badly cut about the head and neck, besides having his arm broken.
Mr. Hawker himself escaped injury.
All Britons deeply sympathized with his misfortune, and much enthusiasm,
was aroused when the proprietors of the Daily Mail presented the skilful
and courageous pilot with a cheque for L1000 as a consolation gift.
In a later chapter some account will be given of the tremendous
development of the aeroplane during four years of war. But it is fitting
that to the three historic flights detailed above there should be added
the sensational exploits of the Marchese Giulio Laureati in 1917. This
intrepid Italian airman made a non-stop journey from Turin to Naples
and back, a distance of 920 miles. A month later he flew from Turin to
Hounslow, a distance of 656 miles, in 7 hours 22 minutes. His machine
was presented to the British Air Board by the Italian Government.