Air League Challenge Cup

-Air League Challenge Cup 1923

6 August 1923

"The race for the Air League Challenge Cup will form part of the programme of the Aerial Derby meeting at Waddon Aerodrome, Croydon, on August Bank Holiday.
It will be decided over a triangular course of about 100 miles.
The course will be made known to the competitors one hour before the start. They will be started at intervals of two minutes, and the competitor who completes the course in the shortest time will be the winner."

All competitors will be on Bristol Fighters, fitted with 275 h.p. Rolls-Royce 'Falcon' engines.

Representing	Pilot
RAF Andover	Wing-Cmdr John Tremayne Babington D.S.O.
RAF Cranwell	Flt-Lt Frank Gerald Craven Weare M.C.
RAF Duxford	Flt-Lt L M Bailey A.F.C.
RAF Eastchurch	Capt Horace Scott Shield M.C.
Farnborough	F/O G W Hemming D.S.C.
Flowerdown	F/O G V Howard D.F.C.
Halton	Flt-Lt Edward Brownsdon Rice
Henlow	Flt-Lt Charles Edward Hastings Medhurst
Kenley	F/O Leslie Hamilton, M.B.E., D.F.C.
Martlesham Heath	Flt-Lt J Potter
Netheravon	Flt-Lt B Ankers D.C.M.
Northolt	Air-Cmdre Hugh Caswall Tremenheere Dowding C.M.G.
Old Sarum	F/O P Murgatroyd
Shotwick	F/O C F Toogood
Spittlegate	Wing-Cmdr A S Barratt C.M.G. M.C.
Upavon	F/O N C Waltho

-The Aviators

The Aviators

Ankers, Burton

Flt-Lt (Later Wing Cmdr) Burton Ankers DSO DCM

b. 12 Aug 1893

Service Number: A15088/39 RFC and RAF in WWI

1919 - "Miss Dorothy Gent, formerly a cashier in a Chester cafe, was awarded £300 damages at Chester Assizes in an action for breach of promise brought by her against Burton Ankers, a captain in the Royal Air Force."

He broke off the engagement with Ms Gent in July 1918, and married Dorothy M [Horwood] in October.

1938 - "The Air Ministry announces that the King has approved of the undermentioned rewards for gallant and distinguished services rendered in connection with the operations in Waziristan during the period 16 September to 15 December, 1937: Distinguished Service Order.—Wing- Commander Burton Ankers."

d. 9 Aug 1939 in Bristol Blenheim L1546 that was lost at Kutumba, India:

"TWO SAVED BY PARACHUTE

Wing Commander Killed

Wing-Commander Burton Ankers and two other men of No. 39 Squadrdn, R.A.F., were killed in a crash at Kotumba, India. Corporal Robert Samuel Gilbert and Aircraftman Arthur Reginald Harris were the other victims. Wing-Commander Ankers was the pilot. Two other occupants, Aircraftman Richard Wallace Bloss, and Mr R. C. R. Tapper, escaped by parachute. "

Babington, John Tremayne

Wing-Commander John Tremayne Babington, D.S.O.
	Represented RAF Andover in the Air League Challenge Cup in 1923

Bailey, L M

Flt-Lt. L. M. Bailey, A.F.C.
	Represented RAF Duxford in the Air League Challenge Cup in 1923

Dowding, Hugh Caswall Tremenheere

Air Commodore (Later Air Chief Marshal) Hugh Caswall Tremenheere Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, GCB, GCVO, CMG

RAeC Certificate (No 711), 1913

1940

b. 24 April 1882, Moffat, Dumfriesshire

d. 15 February 1970

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Dowding

Hamilton, Leslie

F/O Leslie Hamilton

A stunt pilot known as the 'Flying Gypsy'; RAF in WWI (6 victories in Greece) who was Princess Anne Lowenstein-Wortheim's pilot after the war.

He and his friends piled into his Vickers Viking flying-boat G-EBED in 1927 (the same year it was written off, btw) to fly from the Swiss Winter Sports' Season to spend a holiday on the French Riviera." - see the video here: By Air To Anywhere - British Pathé (britishpathe.com)

They, together with Fred Minchin (left), were killed when trying to cross the Atlantic from East to West in 1927.

For a video of them and the aeroplane, see the middle bit here: Old Flying Stories - British Pathé (britishpathe.com)

[The rest of it shows Walter Hinchliffe's preparations for a planned similar flight with Charles Levine (qv)].

Hemming, Harold

Maj Harold Hemming AFC

photo: 1916, when a Lieut in the Worcestershire Regiment, aged 23

Director (with Alan Butler as Chairman) of the 'Aircraft Operating Company'. In 1925, they were air surveying in British Guiana.

In 1923, he flew Alan Butler's DH37 'Sylvia' in the King's Cup, coming 5th (as had Alan himself, the year before), and then borrowed it again in 1925, coming 3rd.

Unfortunately, while he was making a test flight in 1927 in the DH37 (now re-engined and called 'Lois') the aircraft hit a scoring board and crashed. The passenger was killed and Hemming lost an eye and sustained other injuries.

Medhurst, Charles Edward Hastings

Flt-Lt (later Air Chief Marshall) Charles Edward Hastings Medhurst KCB OBE MC RAF

1941 (NPG)

b. 12 Dec 1896, Smethwick

2nd Lieut., Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers then Royal Flying Corps in WWI

RAeC Certificate No 1437 on 13 Jul 1915 (Maurice Farman Biplane, at Military School, Farnborough)

His son Pilot Officer R. E. H. "Dickie" Medhurst was killed on September 19, 1944 when the Douglas Dakota Mk. III he was co-piloting exploded after taking AAA fire during an air drop mission during Operation Market Garden.

d. 18 Oct 1954

bur. St Michael and All Angels Churchyard - Great Tew, Oxfordshire