16 replies to this topic

[GJH]

Thought this 1912 pre-war challenge tour night be of interest.

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[ScorpioUnbound]

What ho.

The Daily Mail Circuit of Britain for seaplanes was held between the 16th and 30th August 1913.  Although there were originally four entrants (all British and in exclusively British aeroplanes, including the engines), only one, Harry Hawker started the tour in a Sopwith seaplane.  He completed six of the nine stages before sustaining injuries in a crash between Oban and Dublin.  The 1912 race was open to all-comers and won by Lieutenant Jean Conneau of the French Navy in a Bleriot.


Cheer ho



John

[centurion]

 I think the aircraft in the photo in the OP is the Long Span Henry Farman built specially for Claude Grahame-White with which he visited coastal resorts in the summer of 1912 as part of a tour of major towns and cities by a number of aircraft. Not to be confused with the Daily Mail Circuit of Britain. It is also known as the 'Wake Up England' Farman.. This aircraft had interchangeable undercarriages and may have been the first aircraft to have taken off and landed  from land, water and ice. It was purchased by the RFC  as part of the dubious Grahame-White Transation of 1913 and flown in land plane configuration but not very often. It was abandoned after a crash in that year. 




BTW the aircraft in the drwing is not the same aircraft  but an HF20 (not a 22) it can be distinguished as it has fewer wing bays.  HF 20 seaplanes were often mis attributed as H F 22s. AFAIK Wake up England was the only HF 22

[centurion]

Just to clarify matters there was no  Daily mail water plane tour of 1912. In 1912. Claude Grahame-White and J.L. Travers organised a tour of major towns and cities in England in 1912. In order to part finance this they obtained financial sponsorship from Lord Northcliffe who owned the Daily Mail and the paper publicised the events. They were not exclusively at the sea side but many resorts were visited. As the enclosed photo taken on Folkstone beach shows Grahame-White's blue painted Farman was not always in seaplane form on these occasions. The event is often erroneously referred to as the Daily Mail (something) Tour (the titles vary). The correct name was the Wake Up England Tour

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[nils d]

lf thats the Wake Up England plane then wheres the slogan that should be painted on the nacelle?
l stood on this very beach recently and l wonder how G-W could take off from that lumpy shingle!

[centurion]

The photo comes from a contemporary Flight article that identifies it specifically as the Wake Up England Farman. Given that this was the only Farman with three wing bays and very large top wing extensions it can't really be anything else.

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[centurion]

It looks as if the slogan does not show up well from a distance on the old film. This is the same aircraft.

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Contrast with the previous photo

[GJH]

The Camera never lies.

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[centurion]

GJH, on 19 April 2012 - 02:02 PM, said:

The Camera never lies.

No but the caption does

[GJH]

centurion, on 19 April 2012 - 02:08 PM, said:

No but the caption does

And why would anyone put the wrong date and information on an historic photograph, unless of course you were actually there and therefore have first hand knowledge that this actually occurred, No I didn't think so.

[centurion]

GJH, on 19 April 2012 - 02:13 PM, said:

And why would anyone put the wrong date and information on an historic photograph, unless of course you were actually there and therefore have first hand knowledge that this actually occurred, No I didn't think so.

Happens all the time - don't be naive. Look at some WW1 post cards for example. Any way how do you know when the caption was written ?

Of course I wasn't there but the Grahame-White Wake up England tour is very well documented. It was mainly made using landplanes and included places like Leeds. Flight reported reported most of the events with photos.

[GJH]

I don't see anywhere on the nacelle the slogan you are wittering on about, perhaps this tour was a prelude to the one you mention, do you know ?

No I did not think so, I would far sooner believe the capion than your suggestions of alternatives, thanks all the same for your input

[centurion]

GJH, on 19 April 2012 - 02:28 PM, said:

I don't see anywhere on the nacelle the slogan you are wittering on about, perhaps this tour was a prelude to the one you mention, do you know ?

No I did not think so, I would far sooner believe the capion than your suggestions of alternatives, thanks all the same for your input

Don't fall off the edge of the world then

[nils d]

centurion, on 19 April 2012 - 01:20 PM, said:

It looks as if the slogan does not show up well from a distance on the old film. This is the same aircraft.

11111wup.jpg

Contrast with the previous photo

Thats what l was expecting !

note the leading edge,l think l can see a row of electric lights.

[centurion]

The main display of  Wake Up England was on the wings in yellow letters

[ScorpioUnbound]

What ho all.



Just to give some idea what to look for in the 'Wake up England' Farman although I suspect this 2 view from the 1960s isn't particularly accurate.



Cheer ho.


John

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[centurion]

ScorpioUnbound, on 19 April 2012 - 11:21 PM, said:

What ho all.



Just to give some idea what to look for in the 'Wake up England' Farman although I suspect this 2 view from the 1960s isn't particularly accurate.



Cheer ho.


John

Not sure about the pronounced upward pitch of the tail which would have resulted in the main floats being very tilted when on the water than seems to have been the case (see enclosed photo) but otherwise matches the many photos

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