Mr Copps Field
Note: This map only gives a rough idea of this location.
Mr COPP’S FIELD: Temporary flying site
NOTES: It appears that Henri Salmet landed at this site at Sticklepath, which is just south of Barnstaple town centre on the 5th June 1912 with his Blériot monoplane. Is a more exact location now known?
My very good friend Maurice Wickstead has looked into this site and in June 2015 very kindly sent me his notes, which I have slightly expanded : "5.6.1912. Henri Salmet 'The Daily Mail Airman' arrived at Barnstaple in the evening, flying from Tiverton in a 50hp Blériot as part of his Daily Mail sponsored West Country tour. Overnighted at the Imperial Hotel before moving to a landing ground at Northam Burrows near Bideford. Salmet also displayed at Ilfracombe and Bude"
Maurice has also unearthed this report of Salmet's arrival in the North Devon Journal dated the 6th June 1912: "....appeared over Codden Hill (Maurice notes that Codden Hill is near Bishop's Tawton and south of Barnstaple on the A377) and landed in Mr Copp's field at Sticklepath to be greeted by the Mayor of Barnstaple and a large crowd of onlookers, many of whom had come from Ilfracombe, Bideford and the surrounding area".
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
Note: The second item was published in the Exeter and Plymouth Gazette on the 5th June.
Note: The newspaper article above, (in two parts), was published in the North Devon Journal on the 6th June.
Note: The eighth item, the newspaper article, was published in the Exeter and Plymouth Gazette on the 6th June.
A BONUS ARTICLE
In 1912 Flight magazine gave a week by week report regarding Salmet's progress during his Tour.
CAPT C. GREVILLE GOULD
On the 14th April 1914 Capt. C Grenville-Gould appears to have landed here too with his 70hp Maurice Farman aeroplane. He took off from NETHERAVON at 06.40 and ‘staged’ via Langport and Taunton. Does this infer he landed at these points en route? It might seem unlikely as he arrived in the area at about 08.15 perhaps facing a headwind on the way down? But - he did plan on refuelling on the way back. It was of course quite possible in those days to, (with little if any prior planning), quickly land, refuel and be off again within minutes. An exercise quite impossible to repeat at any licensed aerodrome today.
This is purely a guess, but there seems little point in landing at both Langport and Taunton. However, TAUNTON had been used previously by Henri Salmet at least and refuelling there would make a lot of sense as somebody in Taunton would know the ropes. From a modern pilots point of view it seems quite incredible they achieved such aims, but they did. Finding a grass strip airfield can be rather tricky, those pilots were looking for a particular field! But, possibly they were looking for a field with many people in it expecting their arrival, which would be much easier to spot of course.
A report states that, “after a magnificent display of airmanship and sensational spiral manoeuvres”, the machine touched down in the same field used by Salmet at Sticklepath. “After breakfast he was up again for a further exhibition and again at 3.30pm over Barnstaple at about 3-4000 feet. Refuelled with ‘Shell Spirit’ provided by a local garage, he finally departed to NETHERAVON via a fuel stop at SOMERTON for some obscure reason. Why not TAUNTON? It appears the onset of darkness forced him down at STOURTON.
Maurice notes that Captain Gould may well have visited Barnstaple on a flying visit to see his father, the then famous cartoonist Francis Carruthers Gould, who was a native of Barnstaple.
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