Alum Bay
Note: This map gives only a general location within the UK. If anybody can provide an exact location for where Mr Loraine actually landed, this would be much appreciated.
ALUM BAY: Temporary landing site
NOTES: Time and time again in this Guide I make reference to C C Turner and his book Old Flying Days published in around 1927. I make no apology for this as it is quite possibly the furthest ranging account of flying activities in England, certainly before WW1 I’d say. The main reason being that due to his position of being a highly regarded journalist and writer, plus being a balloonist and pilot, he was personally acquainted with, knew or had interviewed, nearly every notable figure in aviation during this period. Plus, very often, he was on hand to witness many of the major events.
Take for example this excerpt from his account of the BOURNEMOUTH Flying Meeting in July 1910 - a major feature of the Meeting was a race to the Isle of Wight and back. The previous day two pilots had attempted the 22 mile flight in poor conditions and the French pilot Morane recorded a time of 25 minutes 12 seconds in a brand new Blériot. “The next day opened with a fitful wind and overcast sky which soon turned to rain. At 3 o’clock in the afternoon, the rain having stopped, Mr. Lorraine prepared for an attempt. There was no chance that his Farman would beat Morane’s time of the previous day, and Mr. Lorraine’s attempt was regarded as an effort to uphold the honour of Britain, and he was loudly cheered as he started. The wind carried him out over the people’s heads on the western side, but he won back and headed towards the Solent.” (My note: The World Airspeed Record for 1910 was 67.5 mph and his Farman could probably only attain about 45 mph or so?)
“In eight minutes he was out of sight in the mist, and almost immediately afterwards the aerodrome became enveloped in deep gloom, and a terrific rainstorm burst. Mr Lorraine was a good flyer, but had not had much experience, and his danger was acutely realised. The rain was so dense that visibility was impossible for more than a quarter of a mile, and it was likely to be a long time before the attendant motor-boats could find him if he came down in the sea. There was no news of him for an hour and a quarter, and Lord Montagu of Beaulieu had long before this hurried off in his yacht in search of him.”
“At 4.30, however, a telegram from the Needles Lighthouse stated that at 3.40 a biplane had been seen on the Mainland Cliff, and a few minutes later we heard by telephone that an aeroplane had landed on the downs at Alum Bay. Mr Loraine was drenched to the skin when he landed. He said he completely lost his way, but after a fierce struggle with the wind and rain he had sighted the high land above the Needles and found a good landing place on the golf links.”
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