Tiverton Athletic Ground
TIVERTON ATHLETIC GROUND: Temporary Landing Ground
IMPORTANT NOTE
We do not know exactly where Salmet landed in Tiverton. But, he most certainly did land in Tiverton on the 5th June 1912, arriving at 18.30 (6.30pm) and departing at 22.00 (8 pm). I have been looking into this 1912 tour by Henri Salmet, gleaning bits of information, but Mike Holder, a great friend of this 'Guide', has undertaken a detailed study. The full schedule can be seen in my article - "The 1912 tour by Henri Salmet".
One aspect becomes very clear. The sites for use by Salmet were always as close to the town or city centre as possible. In those days very few people owned cars, so most people where arriving either on foot or by bicycle. Tiverton has of course expanded no end since 1912, so by using period maps, it was a question of determining the most likely venue. Clearly a large flat area was essential, preferably with clear approaches from any direction, as Salmet needed to land, and take-off, into wind. His Blériot monoplane had very limited abilities to cope with cross-winds.
By far the most suitable location appears to have been the Athletic Ground? If anybody can kindly offer advice and information, this will be much appreciated.
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
Note: The newspaper article was published in the West Somerset Free Press on the 8th June 1912.
In 1912 the Daily Mail had sponsored six aviators, (as pilots were called in those days), to conduct 'exhibitions of flying' around the U.K. Two of them, the then famous French aviator Henri Salmet and the equally famous British aviator Claude Grahame-White, were sponsored to undertake extended tours, bringing the aeroplane to the public. It was a most novel and imaginative concept - the like of which had never been seen before.
Salmet had set off from WORMWOOD SCRUBBS in May, and had made his way, bit by bit in stages, into South Wales as far west as LLANELLI. He then turned back easterly and crossed the Bristol Channel to then head south-west for a tour of the West Country. Reaching Exeter his next main venue was Barnstaple, but managed a brief visit here in the evening.
The best times for flying such machines, (as aeroplanes were called in those days), even in the summer, is early in the morning and the evening, when generally winds tend to die down. But not always of course, and Salmet often met with high winds, rain and turbulence - which caused him severe difficultues. Both in navigating and, for that matter, sometimes struggling to maintain control of his 'machine'.
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