King's Cup 1922

The King's Cup 1922- 1938

Between the wars, the annual race around Britain for the cup originally presented by King George V, was Britain's premier air race: the event to be seen in.

The King's Cup Race had its detractors - most people moaned about the handicapping system (sometimes justifiably), and it could be a bit boring to watch, but my dear, everyone who was anyone competed in it at some stage.

It had an absolutely fascinating mixture of aeroplanes and aviators.

The aeroplanes (remember that the race started in 1922) were, to begin with, G-E-registered stringbags, barely able to stagger off the ground, let alone do 800-plus miles round Britain; only half of them actually finished the first race.

Then the ubiquitous de Havilland Moth swept all before it for a few years but, by 1935, the race was regularly being won by the new breed of racing aeroplanes like the Percival Gull, eventually averaging well over 200 mph.

And then there are the names; positively famous people, like Geoffrey de Havilland himself (and his two sons, Geoffrey junior and Peter); the Atcherley brothers Richard (of Schneider Trophy fame) and David; the Honourable Lady Mary Bailey; Alex Henshaw; Bert Hinkler; Caspar, the son of Augustus John ... Nick Comper and Edgar Percival ... 'Mutt' Summers...'Roly' Falk...The splendidly-named Rollo Amyatt Wolseley de Haga Haig, Charles Frederick Le Poer Trench, and who can forget William Francis Forbes-Sempill, 19th Lord Sempill (even if some would like to)?

1922

A Band of Pioneers