Nottingham Road Cemetery
NOTTINGHAM ROAD CEMETERY: Exhibition of flying venue 1914
Note: The first two pictures were obtained from Google Earth ©. The area view is from my Google Earth © derived database.
Operated by: Gustav Hamel
Location: Just S of the old A52, about 1nm ENE of Derby city centre
Period of operation: Early May 1914
NOTES: We have Mr Graham Frost, a great friend of this 'Guide' to thank for finding a report regarding this event. It appears that Hamel entertained the crowd by performing loops - still very much a daring novelty in those days.
Nothing else known so far, and any advice will be much appreciated. Presumably a 'one-off' event? Indeed, did he even land here? It may well have been clear of the trees in the cemetery we see today, and of course, the cemetery itself must have been far smaller?
Exhibitions of flying, even without aerobatics, and conducted by a single pilot on his machine, drew large crowds in those days - when many people had never even seen an aeroplane, let alone one actually flying. Indeed, around a month before it appears that B C Hucks had been giving exhibitions of flying lasting three days barely a month before on the other side of Derby - see the ASHGATE listing.
We'd love to hear from you, so please scroll down to leave a comment!
Leave a comment ...
Copyright (c) UK Airfield Guide
