Aviators connected with the airport & Croydon

Page One

1914 -1918

The Red Baron & Lionel Morris

Lionel Morris (an ex pupil of the Whitgift School in Croydon), was 19 when he died. In September 1916, with relatively little experience in the air, he had the misfortune to find himself in the air in a dogfight with Manfred von Richthofen , the German pilot who would become known as 'The Red Baron'. Moriss's crewman Capt Tom Rees in the observers crew position at the front of the 'FE2B' aircraft was killed in the air. But 2nd Lieutenant Morris, himself with injuries that would prove fatal, managed to land the plane before he died. The deadly skirmish was the first of von Richtofen's 80 accredited victories.

(above) a 'Royal Aircraft Factory FE2b' of the Royal Flying Corps

Lionel Morris  Manfred von Richthofen

(above) The 'Red Baron's' 'Fokker DR1' triplane

1920 - 1921

(above) 'Avro 522'. G-EAPR, and 'SE5a's' and French planes of 'The Major Savages Skywriting' team.

1922

(above) DH9 (240hp Siddeley Puma). Flown by Capt A.F.Muir in to 10th place in the sprint handicap at Croydon on the 5th of June 1922.

The 'Airial Derby Handicap', held at Waddon Aerodrome on August Bank Holiday 1922. And picture at left of the winner Mr L.L.Carter. The aircraft is a 'Bristol 77 M1d'.

(above) Left. and below Major Wilfred Theodore Blake (1894–1968) was a pioneer aviator, travel writer and traveller. He served with the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. It was Blake who led the first attempt to fly round the world in 1922. The pilot for this mission was Norman Macmillan.

1926

(above) Air Pageant on a Saturday afternoon in 1926 for the benefit of the Prime Ministers attending the Dominion Premiers Imperial Conference. Including Siskin's of 111 Sqdn and Hawker Horsley of 100 Sqdn.

1927

(above) The arrival at Croydon of 'The Pride Of Detroit', in 1927.

(below) 1927. Walter George and Albert Levine. New York-Berlin.

(below) Col Muslin ? and Mr Mayer in May 1927, with their Bristol Bloodhound setting off on their flight to Greece.

1928

(below) Charles Albert Levine (March 17, 1897 – December 6, 1991) was the first passenger aboard a transatlantic flight. He was ready to cross the Atlantic to claim the Orteig prize but a court battle over who was going to be in the airplane allowed Charles Lindbergh to leave first. In the summer of 1928 Levine purchased a customized long-range Junkers W 33 for US$50,000, emblazoned "Queen of the Air" across the sides, for Boll's nickname. Plans were made for Bert Acosta to fly Boll and Levine from Paris to New York for a new record, which was changed to a London–New York attempt. The flight was never made. "The Queen of the Air" Junkers was transported back to America, damaged, and resold to William Rody for another transatlantic attempt.

(above) One of Croydon's giant searchlights being used in a heartbreaking all night wait for lone pilot H.O.McDonald hoping to arrive from a solo trans Atlantic flight attempt in 1928.

(below) Ernest Fredrick Smith with his 'Avro 504K', in October 1928. The aircraft was later owned by Aviation Services and Cobham's Flying Circus.

1929

(below) 20th of April 1929. 'Lone Flight To New Zealand In A New Baby Plane'. The new plane is a Simmonds Spartan with a 30-85hp Cirrus engine. Mr Frank Mase a little known pilot will shortly be setting off to New Zealand. Lady Bailey was christening the new plane with champagne.

(below) The arrival after her flight to India and back, by Mary Russel the Duchess of Bedford. 1929

1930

(below) 1930. Capt Errol Boyd and Lietenant Harry Connor.

(above) on the 22nd of October 1930 a mystery flyer starts London-Australia flight. Oscar Garden, a young flyer from New Zealand is shown getting his plane 'Kia Ora', ready at Croydon for the flight to Australia. Garden earned the title of 'Mystery Airman', when he appeared suddenly at Croydon and announced he was flying to Australia.

(above) the RAF 'Gloster Gauntlet Display Team', 1930's

(above) 1930