Aviator
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Hubbard, Thomas O'Brien
Sqn Ldr Thomas O'Brien Hubbard MC, AFC 1920, aged 38
b. 14 Aug 1882 in London
A really early flier - RAeC Certificate No 222, in 1912; up to then he had been the Secretary of the Royal Aero Club, but transferred to the RFC as a Second Lieutenant (on probation) in July 1912.
In 1911 he had helped to translate Robert Petit's "How to build an aeroplane' from the French, including the prediction that aluminium "will soon be completely abandoned in aeroplane construction".
He wrote several other books, including "The Boys' book of Aeroplanes" (1913).
After WWI he continued in the RAF in Egypt, Palestine and, er, Bircham Newton in Norfolk. His final posting was as commander of the RAF station in Hinaidi, Iraq from 1929-31, and he then retired as a Wing Commander.
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Hughesdon, Charles Frederick
Mr Charles Frederick Hughesdon 1933, aged 24
Lloyds Insurance Broker; he married actress Florence Desmond after Tom Campbell Black's death.
Honorary Flying Instructor to the Insurance Flying Club at Hanworth
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Humble, William
Mr William 'Bill' Humble MBE photo: 1930, aged 19
b. 14 April 1911 in Doncaster
The Aeroplane described him in 1936 as "A mining engineer... has to climb up several thousand feet to get into his Speed Hawk Six - from the bottom of the family coal mine." (Ha!)
[From 1937 his father, also called William, was Chairman of the Doncaster Amalgamated Collieries, Ltd, until they were nationalised. William Snr was a keen racehorse owner; his horse 'Nearula' won the 2000 Guineas in 1953 and he died in 1964 aged 89.]
Bill didn't work in the family coal mine, however.
From 1939 to 1948, he was test pilot for Hawkers - initially testing Hurricanes, right up to the prototype Sea Hawk - then later in their Sales Department in the Middle East.
d. 1 Mar 1992
His grand-daughter is Kate Humble, the TV presenter. (See 'Who Do You Think You Are', Series 6). She says 'He was unbelievably handsome... a rogue, a very good-looking rogue. I was 23 when he died. He lived abroad, but came back to England in the late 1980s, when he got ill. Because he wasn't a good father to my father, and didn't really like children, I only got to know him better when I was an adult.'
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huttleworth, Richard Ormonde
Mr Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth 1932, aged 23
The wonderful Shuttleworth Collection was set up in his memory by his mother, starting with his cars and aircraft. It has several aeroplanes of the period:
see Shuttleworth Home - Shuttleworth Events & Attractions
Killed in WWII: 2nd August 1940 in a flying accident in a Fairey Battle; buried Old Warden, Beds
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Ince, Richard
Mr Richard Ince 1929, aged 27
'A Member of the London Stock Exchange'
Killed in WWII: 10th August 1941, when Acting Lieutenant, HMS Daedalus RNVR; buried West Norwood Cemetery
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Irving, John Duckworth
Mr John Duckworth Irving 1926, aged 38
Born in Xlanga, S Africa but living in Northumberland; 'a shopkeeper'
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Irwin, Angus Charles Stuart
Mr Angus Charles Stuart Irwin 1916, when a 2nd Lieut, Royal Irish Rifles, aged 18
1931
born in Motihari, India; educated at Marlborough and Sandhurst. RFC in WWI: 2 victories, but was then shot in the foot by a member of Richtoven's squadron.
Post-WWI, was "engaged in the estate business" (whatever that means).
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Jackaman, Alfred Charles Morris
Mr Alfred Charles Morris Jackaman 1927, aged 23
A civil engineer from Slough; in 1936 he and Marcel Desoutter decided that an airport at Gatwick might be a nice idea (it was, after all, "outside the London fog area").
He later married Australian-born Muriel Nora 'Cherry' Davies and they ended up near Sydney; he died in 1980, but she survived until 2011 - aged 101. see
http://www.smh.com.au/national/obituaries/love-and-duty-shaped-long-life-20110923-1kp9i.html -
Jackson, R W
F/O R W Jackson Later a Wing-Commander;
Wing Commander R. W. Jackson (R.A.F.), Albert Street, Castleton. January, 1945. New Year's Honours List 1945. Twice mentioned in despatches, and given the Air Efficiency Award in 1944.
"TECHNICAL BRANCH.
Promotion. Notification cancelled. 13th Sept. 1949 '(p. 4395, col. 2) concerning
R. W. JACKSON, O.B.E., A.M.I.Mech.E., A.iR.Ae.S.(70343)."
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James, John Herbert
Lieut John Herbert 'Jimmie' James 1912, aged 18
1920
b. 2 June 1894 in Narberth, Pembrokeshire (which is in Wales); in 1913, he and his brother Henry were the first people in Pembrokeshire to build and fly their own aeroplane.
It was a sort-of-Caudron biplane and during its first flight it fell 60 feet to the ground, luckily without serious injury, and had to be rebuilt. It worked all right after that, though.
After WWI, he became test pilot to the British Nieuport Company; in April 1920 he flew the Nieuport in Bombay on a publicity trip, and its handling was "much admired". Nieuport later became Gloster Aircraft, and among his many accomplishments was the British Speed Record of 196.6 mph in a Gloster Bamel in 1921.
d. 4 Feb 1944, although he had "given up flying some time before".
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Jobling-Purser, Ernest J
Mr Ernest J Jobling-Purser photo: 1933, aged 58
From Sunderland, maker of Pyrex glassware
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John, Caspar
Lieut Caspar John, RN 1930, aged 27
Son of Augustus (the artist and well-known pacifist); mother died when he was 3; later became Admiral of the entire Fleet, which must have gone down well with his dad. d. 1984.
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Johnson, Amy
Amy Johnson (Amy Mollison)
Royal Aero Club Certificate 8662 (28 Jun 1929)
1929
1934
Amy Johnson, Hull's Finest
a.k.a. Amy Mollison
Born 1st July 1903 in Kingston upon Hull; Amy was 'a slight young woman with heavily lidded eyes, dentured teeth, a shy smile and a soft Yorkshire accent' [she later developed a rather fake upper-class BBC one, possibly under her husband Jim's influence].
By 1929, a secretary (albeit one with an economics degree, and an engineer's licence to go with her aviator's certificate) turned solo record-breaking pilot and all-round nation's sweetheart. Married for six years to Jim Mollison (which was a Big Mistake).
On May 26th, 1932, after her solo flight from America, Amelia Earhart was the guest of the Royal Aero Club in London, and amongst the ladies in attendance were Lady Bailey, Amy, and Winifred Spooner (less than a year before her untimely death).
Air Transport Auxiliary in WWII (Died in Service)
Amy's aircraft included:
a 1928 DH.60G Gipsy Moth (G-AAAH) which she named 'Jason', and is now in the Science Museum;
a 1930 DH.80A Puss Moth, G-AAZV, 'Jason II';
a 1930 DH.60G Gipsy Moth, G-ABDV, er, 'Jason III'.
After 1930 she owned:
a 1932 DH.60G III Moth Major, G-ABVW,... ummm, let me guess... yes... 'Jason 4', and
a 1932 DH.80A Puss Moth, G-ACAB, 'The Desert Cloud'.
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Johnson, Wiliam Evelyn Patrick
Flt-Lt Wiliam Evelyn Patrick Johnson b. 7 Apr 1902
Filed several patents when working for Power Jets Ltd, e.g. "A means for injecting liquid coolant into the gas flow path through the turbine in a direction initially transversely to the median thereof whereby the gas flow deflects the coolant, still in liquid form, on to the region of the leading edges of the turbine rotor blades."
d. 1976 - Kensington, Greater London
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Johnston, Cyril Hubert Ralli
Cyril Hubert Ralli Johnston 1915
I'm guessing this must be him, although he was reported as 'Major C H Johnstone'
A Motor Engineer, b. 9 June 1892 in London.
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Johnstone, Andrew Colin Paul
Mr Andrew Colin Paul Johnstone 1931
b. 23 Sep 1906, Orpington
A ground engineer with Cirrus Engines.
He was taught to fly by the late Col. G. L. P. Henderson, and obtained his "A" licence in 1929.
The 1931 King's Cup was his first air race.
d. 1975 - Brent, London
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Jones-Williams, Arthur Gordon
Sqn-Ldr Arthur Gordon Jones-Williams MC & Bar Known as 'John Willy'; Welsh Regiment (attached to RFC) in WWI (11 victories).
d. 1929 in the Fairey Long-Range Monoplane which crashed near Tunis while trying to break the world distance record; buried in Newtimber, Sussex.
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Jones, Hubert Wilson Godfrey
Flt-Lt (later Sqn Ldr) Hubert Wilson Godfrey Jones 1916, when a Captain in the Welsh Regt, aged 26
1924
b 7 Oct 1890, Llandilo, Carm, Wales
British Army 1913-16; RAF 1916-43;
Won the Hanworth-Blackpool Air Race, 15 Jul 31;
Died in WWII - 14 May 43, when serving with Station Flight, RAF Middle Wallop, his Hurricane IIb HV895 exploded and crashed in Sudbourne Marshes, during a flight from Martlesham Heath to Orford Ness bombing range to test a new bomb.
Research: thanks to Steve Brew
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Jones, Norman Herbert
Mr Norman Herbert Jones 1926, aged 21
A Paper Maker from Surrey
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Jones, Oscar Philip
Oscar Philip Jones One of the original 16 pilots of Imperial Airways in 1924
b. Beckenham, Kent 15 Oct 1898
RFC in WWI; with Instone Air Line before 1924
January 1935: "AIR LINER PILOT IN MOTOR SMASH. Captain O. P. Jones, the well-known Imperial Airways pilot, was yesterday involved in a motor smash at Coulsdon, Surrey. Ten minutes later he was circling low over the scene of the accident in a Paris-bound liner. It was in Burton Road, Coulsdon, that Captain Jones' car came into collision with another, both vehicles being wrecked. Apart from scratches no one was hurt."
Awarded Master Pilot's Certificate in 1935
17 May 1935: "PILOTS TRAGIC FLIGHT Knowing Widowed Mother Was Dead. With the knowledge that his widowed mother had met with a tragic death, Captain O. P. Jones, a well-known Imperial Airways pilot, had to complete a flight in the course of his duties before he could travel to Hove to identify her body.
His mother, Mrs. Florence Effle Jones (80), had been found dead in the sitting-room of her flat with the gas tap turned full on. The police, who at once telephoned to Imperial Airways, got into touch with Captain Jones, who learned the news just before he had to undertake the flight.
The police are stated to have found a note in which the dead woman said that loneliness and depression had been too much for her. Captain Jones was the first pilot in the world to cover 1,000.000 miles in the air. That means that he has spent about 10,000 hours in the air or more than a year's continuous flying. He has been apilot with imperial Airways for more than 11 years. He has often piloted royal passengers, including the Prince of Wales, and recently the Duke and Duchess of Kent."
May 1935: "FATAL DEPRESSION. MOTHER'S LAST LETTER TO CHILDREN Mrs. Florence Jones (60), mother of Captain O. P. Jones, an Imperial Airways pilot, was found dead in a gas-filled room at her home at Cambridge Road, Hove, yesterday, and at the inquest at Hove to-day a verdict of "Suicide while of Unsound Mind" was recorded.
In a letter to her son and daughter she wrote: "Loneliness and depression and money troubles have become too much for me. Love to all of you." Captain Jones said that his mother had had fits of depression since the death of his father in 1914. She had no need to worry over money, as she had a small income."
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