Kingston-upon-Thames
Note: This map shows the start of the stretch of the river Thames used by the Sopwith Company in 1914 in preparation for the Schneider Trophy races in Monaco in April 1914.
KINGSTON-upon-THAMES: Temporary/intermittent water landing area
Operated by: Strictly speaking nobody, but used by the Sopwith Aviation Company and/or by Tommy Sopwith himself possibly
Period of operation: 1914 through WW1 only?
THE SCHNEIDER TROPHY BACK STORY
We have Mr Mike Holder to thank for investigating this. A story which in itself is surely as remarkable as the winning of the race. Incredibly it would appear, although the Sopwith Tabloid was a well proven design, it being fitted with floats and having the new 100hp Gnome engine was not. Indeed, reading the articles published in The Aeroplane magazine, it seems that this individual configuration was barely tested at all before being shipped to Monaco.
As stated in the first article, 'Tom' Sopwith had no faith in winning the race, but had hoped to put in a good appearance. The news of its success must have been a cause of considerable jubilation at the Sopwith works, which in those days, was quite a small facility near to Kingston-upon-Thames town centre. From memory a disused ice rink? Seems incredible does it not, that they disassembled the machine, got it ready for shipment by rail, had it transported to Monaco, reassembled and flight tested it in less than two weeks. Winning the Schneider Trophy race on the 20th April.
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
The sequence of maps and photos below traces the course of the Thames over which the first few tests were made.
Note: Article One was published in The Aeroplane on the 16th April 1914, together with the 'First photo'.
Note: Article Two was published in The Aeroplane on the 23rd April 1914.
Note: The 'Second photo' was also published in The Aeroplane on the 16th April 1914.
NOTES: In WW1, (1917), the Sopwith Aviation Company established a factory in HAM about Inm north of Kingston-upon-Thames town centre which later became a Hawker factory and eventually British Aerospace. The factory never had an airfield attached to it, the aircraft being taken to aerodromes such as, (and mainly?), Brooklands, later Dunsfold and Langley.
However, there are reports of Sopwith floatplanes being landed on the river Thames close by around the WW1 period.
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