Grahame White's seaplane on UK tour 1912:
My husband has given the following information from his notes:
The postcard shows aviation pioneer Claude Grahame White with his "waterplane" demonstrating around the coast. Unfortunately there was no postmark to give the date.
But in the Folkestone Herald for July 13, 1912 there is a small headline "HYDRO AEROPLANE FEATS, by Grahame White, Great Pier Attraction," announcing a big attraction at the port being promoted by Robert Forsyth, the go-ahead managing director of the old Victoria Pier.
He was staging an "Aeroplane Carnival" with firework display and, with the consent of Lord Radnor, a large marquee was being put up on the beach to serve as a hangar for two new Henry Farman 'waterplanes.'
Bought by the Daily Mail newspaper, these seaplanes were to be demonstrated by Grahame White and his team of airmen.
Mr Forsyth told the Herald that Grahame White would not only take off from one side of the Victoria Pier, fly over it and alight on the water on the other side, to the delight of crowds lining the pier, but would be offering to give local people the chance to experience flying for the first time, taking them up as passengers.
One of the aircraft would be the same one in which White had flown over the town a few days before on a flight from Boulogne and landed on the sea near the harbour.
It was described as a new military Farman biplane, a convertible with 70hp Gnome engine. Fitted with interchangeable floats and wheels, it could land and take off on sea or land and was seen as having great potential.
But it had two mishaps on the way to England. While flying over France there was first an engine misfire and then a cylinder seized up at Abbeville on the next stage of the flight and a new cylinder had to be sent for, from Paris. Then fog postponed the Channel flight. And fog again hit the airman on his 40 minute crossing, forcing him to come down near Dymchurch not knowing where he was!
Setting off for Folkestone, he stopped en route at Hythe for more petrol and arrived in five minutes short of two hours since setting off from Boulogne.
Claude was shadowed across the Channel by his wife Mrs Grahame White, sailing in the yacht Majesta.
Once hauled ashore the 'hydroplane' had its floats removed and wheels fitted for an overland flight to Hendon, the operation attracting big crowds on the beach and on top of the Leas, who had never seen such an aircraft before.
Somehow White took off on his own - the Herald writer did not say whether from the beach or promenade etc - and "soared up like a bird" over the Leas and turned inland where he headed for a field in the centre of the West Cliff estate, where he landed to pick up his mechanic, attracting another large crowd.
Mrs White, this time travelling separately by car with friends, saw him off - hopefully on his way to Hendon. But it was not to be. There was engine trouble again and an unscheduled stop had to be made near Sidcup!
And all this on Grahame White's honeymoon!
Kathleen