National Aerospace Library

A window in time

Wg Cdr J A Kent in the cockpit of the 1910 Deperdussin belonging to the Shuttleworth Collection at the 1949 Royal Aeronautical Society Garden Party.

The National Aerospace Library has digitised its collection of films, many of which had been in storage at Hamilton Place for 50-60 years (see AEROSPACE, May 2020, pp 50-51). Although many were in labelled cans, there were also those that were unlabelled and are now being reviewed for identification and cataloguing before being made accessible to a wider audience via the Society’s website. It was among these that Tony Pilmer, the Society’s Librarian & Archivist, found a 5min 20sec colour film whose sole credits declared it to be a ‘Royal Aeronautical Society Garden Party’, but which one?

A screenshot from the film of the Sikorsky Hoverfly I.

Dr Harold Roxbee Cox, Royal Aeronautical Society President 1947- 1949, leaves the Garden Party in a hydrogen balloon flown by Charles Dollfus. RAeS (NAL).​​With a rough date deduced from the aircraft featured in the film, I was able to reference the Garden Party photographs I had sorted and digitised in 2015 to quickly come to the conclusion that it was the Society’s Garden Party held at White Waltham Aerodrome near Maidenhead on Sunday, 8 May 1949. This was held to mark the year in which the Society had been granted a Charter of Incorporation.

The emphasis of the day was on light aircraft and the displays featured aircraft from the previous 40 years, both statically and in the air. Around 5,000 members and their guests witnessed spirited displays by the Shuttleworth Trust’s Blériot XI, Deperdussin and Sopwith Pup, while more modern aircraft were represented by Cierva Skeeter and Sikorsky Hoverfly I helicopters. Also present were a number of Miles, de Havilland, Avro and Hawker types.

The highlight of the day was the flight of a 12,000ft3 3 hydrogen balloon. Inflated by the Royal Air Force Balloon Unit from Cardington, with scant regard to modern-day health and safety considerations, and piloted by the well-known aeronaut Charles Dollfus. With the RAeS President, Dr Harold Roxbee Cox (later Lord Kings Norton) also on board, it ascended at 6pm travelling five miles across country before landing at Foliejon Park, Winkfield, 22 minutes later.

Among the music performed by the Fairey Aviation Works’ Band that afternoon was ‘March for the Flight of Mr Lunardi’s Air Balloon’ composed by Samuel Wesley around 1784, a copy of which had been found in the Library’s Hodgson-Cuthbert Collection.

Chris Male
MRAeS

The film may be viewed at: https://www.aerosociety.com/gardenparty