Sheers Barton
SHEER'S BARTON: Temporary Landing Ground
Operated by: Henri Salmet
Location: Just N of the A384, between Sheer's Barton and Lawhitton, about 1.5nm SE of Launceston town centre
Period of operation: 11th June 1912 (This being his 21st venue)
In 1912 the Daily Mail, a newspaper foremost in promoting powered aviation in the U.K., sponsored six aviators, (as pilots were called in those days), to perform 'exhibitions of flying' - taking the aeroplane to the people. Two were engaged to undertake extensive Tours, the famous French aviator Henri Salmet and the equally famous British aviator Claude Grahame-White - whose tour was named "Wake Up England".
One important aspect of Salmet's Tour was that he intended to fly around the entire route, taking over three months to do so. I do not know if any of the others followed this example? As a general rule for attending major venues some distance apart the aeroplane was dismantled and transported by rail and road, for a very good reason. This meant that at least the aviator was on site at the required time - the weather on the day determining if flying would be possible.
Flying those flimsy and underpowered machines, (as aeroplanes were then called), over any distance was fraught with danger and difficulties, not least when encountering heavy rain and high winds. Thick mist, let alone fog sometimes made navigation impossible, and Salmet encountered all these problems, and survived to tell the tale - a remarkable feat in itself. But of course this did often result in him being delayed, causing frequent adjustments of a day or so to the planned schedule. We do not know just how familiar Salmet was, before departing, with the vagaries, often pronounced, of the British summer weather!
Mike Holder, a great friend of this 'Guide', has made an in-depth study of this tour and the full schedule can be found in my article, "The 1912 tour by Henri Salmet".
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
Note: The second item was published in the West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser on the 13th June 1912.
Note: The newspaper article, divided into two parts to make it easier to read, was published in the Western Times on the 14th June 1912. The area view is from my Google Earth © derived database.
NOTES: It is well worth remembering that powered aviation did not get underway in the U.K. until 1909, although the French were far more advanced. Which is why, even today, so many terms in aviation are French words. For example: Aeroplane, aerodrome, fuselage, aileron, hangar etc.
In those days, even by 1912, the majority of people had never seen an aeroplane, let alone one flying - and - being displayed in the air. Those of the most adventerous aviators quickly became national heroes, assuming what we would call today 'super-star' status. Everywhere they went they were féted, invariably with civic receptions, sometimes with even public holidays being declared!
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