London to Manchester Air Race

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Date:April 1910

Description:In late April 1910, Staffordshire found itself the scene of some dramatic developments in the race between an Englishman and a Frenchman for a £10,000 prize.

The prize money had been offered by the Daily Mail almost four years earlier for the first aviator to complete a flight between London and Manchester ( where the newspaper had its main offices) within a 24 hour period.

The first attempt to win the prize was made by Englishman Claude Grahame-White, but his attempt failed after he landed in a field at Hademore Crossing near Lichfield where his plane was blown over in high winds.

After returning to London to repair his plane, a second aviator, Frenchman Louis Paulhan joined the race to win the prize. Both men set off from London on Wednesday 27th April within a few hours of each other. Paulhan landed near Lichfield where he refueled and spent the night.

Grahame-White strugggled with engine problems as he entered the Trent Valley and despite attempting to catch Paulhan by engaging in a very risky night flight, his attempt to win the prize only got as far as Whittington, where he landed near to where his first attempt had failed.

Louis Paulhan flew on the Manchester where he claimed the Daily mail prize. The air race caused much excitement in Staffordshire, where huge crowds turned out just after dawn to watch the aircraft fly overhead, following the line of the railway.

Related themes:

Flying Displays Aviation

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Source: Mr John Godwin

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