Campbell MacKenzie-Richards
Encyclopedia
Campbell Mackenzie-Richards (1900–1927) was a pioneer English aviator
, Royal Air Force
test pilot, and air race contestant, who was killed testing experimental equipment in November 1927.
, London, the grandson of Peter Felix Richards
(born 1808 in Edinburgh, Scotland; died 14 November 1868 in Shanghai
, China), the founder of the Astor House, Shanghai
; and the son of Peter Felix Mackenzie-Richards (born about 1863 in Shanghai; died 18 December 1920 in Colchester
, Essex), a civil engineer
, and Mary Edith "Mollie" MacRae (born 1 July 1869 in Brighton
, Sussex
; died 7 December 1954 at Heigham Hall, a private mental hospital
in Norwich, Norfolk), who had married on 4 September 1893 at St. Leonard's Church, Upper Deal, Kent
. MacKenzie-Richards was baptised on 1 March 1900 at the Holy Trinity Church at Upper Tooting
. MacKenzie-Richards was the brother of Kenneth (born 1894 in Kensington; died 26 December 1980); Ursula (born 13 November 1902; died 11 December 1995); and Mary (born 1907 in Woodbridge, Suffolk
; died 1983). Campbell MacKenzie-Richards was educated at the Woodbridge School
in Suffolk.
MacKenzie-Richards served in the British Merchant Navy and was decorated twice.
Around 1923 MacKenzie-Richards joined the Royal Air Force
. On 24 January 1924 he was confirmed as Pilot Officer
. and later was promoted to the rank of Flying Officer
, and was attached to the Bombing Squadron based at Martlesham Heath
. After earning the reputation of being a highly skilled pilot, MacKenzie-Richards was attached to the experimental staff of the Royal Aircraft Establishment
at Farnborough
.
As part of the Airship Development Programme, from 9 October 1925 a hook-equipped de Havilland Humming Bird
(Registration G-EBQP) was used in a short series of experiments with "an obsolete underpowered type of airship
", HMA R33
(Registration G-FAAG) (known colloquially as the "Pulham Pig") in an attempt to develop an airborne aircraft carrier
. On 15 October 1925 the Humming Bird (Registration G-EBQP), flown by Squadron Leader Rollo Haig, was released from the R33, and became the first to reattach a single DH.53 plane to a rigid airship, although mechanical problems forced it to be detached again and to land separately at the aerodrome. On 4 December 1925 Flight Lieutenant Janor was the first to successfully hook a plane (a DH.53) onto a rigid airship (R33) and remain attached until the airship landed. Previously the Royal Air Force had modified two F.1 Sopwith Camel
s (serials N6622 and N6814) for trials by No. 212 Squadron RAF
with airship HMA 23r, which culminated in Lt. R.E. Keys piloting one that was released on 6 November 1918, and the first launch and recovery of an aircraft in mid-air had been performed by the US Army TC-3
blimp
on 15 December 1924, with "a Sperry Messenger
biplane
performing a sortie
from and back to a "skyhook
" attached to the blimp."
On Thursday 21 October 1926, MacKenzie-Richards and Flying Officer (later Air Vice-Marshal
) R.L. Ragg participated in the experimental trials of launching twin parasite aircraft
from retractable trapezes attached under the keel
of the R33
airship
using two Gloster Grebe
fighters (J-7400 and J-7385) from Pulham aerodrome
. The first Grebe, flown by MacKenzie-Richards, which was positioned aft
, was released at 10.17am over Pulham at an altitude of 2,500 feet (762 metres), and, after diving for about 100 ft (30 metres), it leveled out. The Times
reported the next day: "The aeroplane, with her engine running, dropped like a stone and then regaining control, MacKenzie-Richards performed a series of stunts, looping-the-loop, rolling and flying upside down", while Flight indicated that the plane "gambolled gaily in the air as if glad to be free, at last, from the maternal apron strings," before landing safely back at Pulham. After some difficulty in starting the engine, the second Grebe piloted by Ragg, which had been positioned abaft of the first Grebe, was successfully released at 11.30am from a slightly higher altitude over Cardington, Bedfordshire
, and made a safe landing at Cardington.
In another experiment, the Grebes piloted by MacKenzie-Richards and Ragg were released from 2,000 feet and were able to fly and then reattach their planes to a skyhook
on the airship. Despite the successful trials, the technique was never adopted.
MacKenzie-Richards was a member of the Royal Aircraft Establishment
(R.A.E.) Aero Club
, and competed in air races
. In June 1927 MacKenzie-Richards took part in the Whitsun
weekend air races (4 and 6 June 1927) at the Ensbury Park racecourse (near Bournemouth
), winning from scratch convincingly the delayed first race of the meet on Saturday, 4 June 1927, the Low Power Handicap
for airplanes with engines less than 1500cc, against three other competitors (two others had withdrawn) in a de Havilland Humming Bird
(Registration G-EBQP), a single-seat ultralight monoplane
that had been used in the R33 trials, with a Bristol Cherub
III engine. at 73.5 miles per hour. The crash of a de Havilland DH.37A earlier on 4 June 1927, and the collision of a Westland Widgeon and a Blackburn Bluebird
on Whit Monday
, 6 June 1927, which resulted in the death of two pilots and a passenger in front of thousands of spectators forced the cessation of further air races at Ensbury Park racecourse, and its eventual sale to a housing developer.
During the Nottingham Flying Meeting held at the Hucknall Torkard aerodrome
at Hucknall
, Nottinghamshire
on the Summer Bank Holiday
weekend, which included the 6th King's Cup Race
, after starting from the scratch position, Mackenzie-Richards came third flying the same de Havilland Humming Bird
(Registration G-EBQP) in "ideal flying conditions" over the 8.5 mile single-lap course in the Papplewick
Stakes Low-power Handicap, the first event held at 11.30am on Monday, 1 August 1927, and received £10.
from the University of Oxford
in 1926, the only child of Lt. Col. Ernest Cazenove Cobbold CB
(born 15 January 1866 at Ufford, Suffolk
; died 1932), of the York and Lancaster Regiment
, and Edith Mary White (died 1949), at the St Peter and St Paul’s Parish Church at Aldeburgh
, Suffolk
.
on 9 November 1927 at Surrey
. MacKenzie-Richards was engaged in testing night navigating devices at Croydon aerodrome
, including two new illuminated wind vanes erected there experimentally.
On Wednesday, 9 November 1927, flying a Bristol fighter
(registration C810), MacKenzie-Richards had finished his work at 5.30pm and left Croydon with Professor Dr. Harry Norman Green (born 21 September 1902 in Sheffield
, England; died 16 May 1967), a pathologist and member of the faculty of medicine (and later the Department of Pharmacology
) at the University of Sheffield
, as his observer
. They attempted to make their way back to Farnborough
, but the compass was 30 degrees out when they left. Failing to find Farnborough they attempted to return to Croydon. They flew back without seeing anything they recognised until they estimated they were over Croydon. They could not pick up any indication of Croydon nor could they see any lights. They spoke on the 'telephone' and MacKenzie-Richards suggested that they had better make a forced landing
before they ran out of petrol - they only had about 20 minutes fuel remaining. He came down low and asked Green to look for a field. Presently he said that he could not see a field that he could land in and he lit a flare. There was a certain amount of mist, but nothing exceptional. They just missed some trees and climbed back up to 2,000 feet. As Green had never used a parachute before, MacKenzie-Richards briefed him particularly about not pulling the ripcord
until he was clear of the aircraft. Green questioned whether the aircraft could be rolled onto its back so that they could both get out, but MacKenzie-Richards refused, saying that Green should go. At the inquest Green explained how he had one foot on the seat and one on the side waiting for the signal to jump. MacKenzie-Richards throttled the engine down and turned around, put his hand out and pushed Green. Green landed in a field and was perfectly alright. MacKenzie-Richards was found in another field, but there was no sign of life; his parachute was open. The Coroner's conclusion was that by the time MacKenzie-Richards left the aircraft he was too close to the ground and that his parachute failed to fully deploy.
At the inquest a Major Cooper informed the Court that the compasses were checked periodically on the ground, and that he was satisfied that this compass had been tested at certain periods. He pointed out that this had been an experimental aircraft, which had certain experimental lights, and the evidence suggested that one of the pieces of wiring had an effect on the compass after the machine had left the ground. It was quite possible that the error in the compass only occurred when the current was generated.
The wreckage of the aircraft was found in a wood about two hundred yards from where his body was found.
He is buried at the parish church of St. Andrew, Great Yeldham
.
in the Royal Air Force
. After his death, his only child, Gillian Campbell MacKenzie-Richards, was born in Aldeburgh
, England in 1928. For three years, Mirabel and Gillian lived at 47 Crag Path, Aldeburgh. On 1 July 1931, Mirabel married Canadian farmer Charles Robert Orr-Simpson (born about 1903) at West Hill Ranch, Port Crawford, British Columbia
. On 14 July 1931 Mirabel and Gillian migrated to Canada on the Empress of Britain
. On 26 February 1934, the Simpson family arrived in Southampton
as 3rd class passengers on the Union-Castle Line
's mail motorship Warwick Castle from Cape Town
via Madeira
, intending to live at 18 St. James Square, Bath, Somerset. By June 1935, Mirabel was living at "Pinefields" at Weeley Heath
, Clacton-on-Sea
, Tendring
, Essex
.
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
test pilot, and air race contestant, who was killed testing experimental equipment in November 1927.
Early life
Campbell MacKenzie-Richards was born on 6 January 1900 in StreathamStreatham
Streatham is a district in Surrey, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, London, the grandson of Peter Felix Richards
Peter Felix Richards
Peter Felix Richards was a prominent pioneer nineteenth-century Scottish merchant in post-Treaty of Nanjing Shanghai, and the founder of the Richards Hotel and Restaurant, the first foreign hotel in China, and the forerunner to the Astor House Hotel....
(born 1808 in Edinburgh, Scotland; died 14 November 1868 in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China), the founder of the Astor House, Shanghai
Astor House, Shanghai
The Astor House Hotel , known as the Pujiang Hotel in Chinese since 1959, which has been described as once "one of the famous hotels of the world", "the pride of Shanghai", "a landmark of modern Shanghai", and perhaps hyperbolically as "once the most luxurious hotel in the world", was the first...
; and the son of Peter Felix Mackenzie-Richards (born about 1863 in Shanghai; died 18 December 1920 in Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
, Essex), a civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
, and Mary Edith "Mollie" MacRae (born 1 July 1869 in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
; died 7 December 1954 at Heigham Hall, a private mental hospital
Mental Hospital
Mental hospital may refer to:*Psychiatric hospital*hospital in Nepal named Mental Hospital...
in Norwich, Norfolk), who had married on 4 September 1893 at St. Leonard's Church, Upper Deal, Kent
Deal, Kent
Deal is a town in Kent England. It lies on the English Channel eight miles north-east of Dover and eight miles south of Ramsgate. It is a former fishing, mining and garrison town...
. MacKenzie-Richards was baptised on 1 March 1900 at the Holy Trinity Church at Upper Tooting
Tooting
Tooting is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
. MacKenzie-Richards was the brother of Kenneth (born 1894 in Kensington; died 26 December 1980); Ursula (born 13 November 1902; died 11 December 1995); and Mary (born 1907 in Woodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. It is in the East of England, not far from the coast. It lies along the River Deben, with a population of about 7,480. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. Woodbridge is twinned with...
; died 1983). Campbell MacKenzie-Richards was educated at the Woodbridge School
Woodbridge School
Woodbridge School is an independent school in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, founded in 1577, for the poor of Woodbridge. It was later supported by the Seckford Scheme.Woodbridge School has been co-educational since 1975.-History:...
in Suffolk.
Career
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
MacKenzie-Richards served in the British Merchant Navy and was decorated twice.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. On 24 January 1924 he was confirmed as Pilot Officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
. and later was promoted to the rank of Flying Officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
, and was attached to the Bombing Squadron based at Martlesham Heath
RAF Martlesham Heath
RAF Martlesham Heath is a former Royal Air Force airfield in England. The field is located 1½ miles SW of Woodbridge, Suffolk.- RFC/RAF prewar use:Martlesham Heath was first used as a Royal Flying Corps airfield during World War I...
. After earning the reputation of being a highly skilled pilot, MacKenzie-Richards was attached to the experimental staff of the Royal Aircraft Establishment
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment , was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence , before finally losing its identity in mergers with other institutions.The first site was at Farnborough...
at Farnborough
Farnborough Airfield
Farnborough Airport or TAG London Farnborough Airport is an airport situated in Farnborough, Rushmoor, Hampshire, England...
.
As part of the Airship Development Programme, from 9 October 1925 a hook-equipped de Havilland Humming Bird
De Havilland Humming Bird
|-See also:-External links:*...
(Registration G-EBQP) was used in a short series of experiments with "an obsolete underpowered type of airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
", HMA R33
R33
The R33 class of British rigid airships were built for the Royal Naval Air Service during World War I, but were not completed until after the end of hostilities as part of the Royal Air Force. The lead ship, R33, went on to serve successfully for ten years and survived one of the most alarming and...
(Registration G-FAAG) (known colloquially as the "Pulham Pig") in an attempt to develop an airborne aircraft carrier
Airborne aircraft carrier
Airborne aircraft carriers are aircraft which can launch other aircraft. These typically are large aircraft that launch fighter-interceptor planes.-Dirigible aircraft carriers:...
. On 15 October 1925 the Humming Bird (Registration G-EBQP), flown by Squadron Leader Rollo Haig, was released from the R33, and became the first to reattach a single DH.53 plane to a rigid airship, although mechanical problems forced it to be detached again and to land separately at the aerodrome. On 4 December 1925 Flight Lieutenant Janor was the first to successfully hook a plane (a DH.53) onto a rigid airship (R33) and remain attached until the airship landed. Previously the Royal Air Force had modified two F.1 Sopwith Camel
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...
s (serials N6622 and N6814) for trials by No. 212 Squadron RAF
No. 212 Squadron RAF
No. 212 Squadron RAF is an inactive Royal Air Force aircraft squadron.The squadron was first formed as No. 12 Squadron RNAS as a training unit within No 1 Wing of the Royal Naval Air Service at Hondschoote on 8 June 1917...
with airship HMA 23r, which culminated in Lt. R.E. Keys piloting one that was released on 6 November 1918, and the first launch and recovery of an aircraft in mid-air had been performed by the US Army TC-3
Tc-3
The TC-3 and the TC-7 were the two US Army Corps non-rigid blimps used for parasite fighter trials conducted in 1923-24. A single Sperry Messenger biplane was equipped with a skyhook to engage the temporary trapeze mounted to the control carriage of the blimp itself. The first successful docking...
blimp
Blimp
A blimp, or non-rigid airship, is a floating airship without an internal supporting framework or keel. A non-rigid airship differs from a semi-rigid airship and a rigid airship in that it does not have any rigid structure, neither a complete framework nor a partial keel, to help the airbag...
on 15 December 1924, with "a Sperry Messenger
Sperry Messenger
|-See also:-External links:*...
biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
performing a sortie
Sortie
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
from and back to a "skyhook
Skyhook
Skyhook or sky hook may refer to:- Technology :* Skyhook , explanation of design complexity in the universe that does not build on lower, simpler layers* Skyhook , "hook" used to lift an object on a long cable hanging from the sky...
" attached to the blimp."
Air Vice-Marshal
Air vice-marshal is a two-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in...
) R.L. Ragg participated in the experimental trials of launching twin parasite aircraft
Parasite aircraft
A parasite aircraft is a component of a composite aircraft which is carried, and air launched by, a mother ship aircraft.The first use for parasite aircraft was in 1916, when the British used a Bristol Scout, flying from a Felixstowe Porte Baby, a giant flying boat of its time. This eventually...
from retractable trapezes attached under the keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
of the R33
R33
The R33 class of British rigid airships were built for the Royal Naval Air Service during World War I, but were not completed until after the end of hostilities as part of the Royal Air Force. The lead ship, R33, went on to serve successfully for ten years and survived one of the most alarming and...
airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
using two Gloster Grebe
Gloster Grebe
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* James, Derek N. Gloster Aircraft since 1917. London: Putnam and Company Ltd., 1987. ISBN 0-85177-807-0.* Thetford, Owen. Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1918-57. London:Putnam, First edition 1957....
fighters (J-7400 and J-7385) from Pulham aerodrome
RNAS Pulham
RNAS Pulham was an Royal Navy Air Service airship station, south of Norwich, UK. Though land was purchased by the Navy in 1912 the site was not operational until 1915...
. The first Grebe, flown by MacKenzie-Richards, which was positioned aft
Aft
Aft, in naval terminology, is an adjective or adverb meaning, towards the stern of the ship, when the frame of reference is within the ship. Example: "Able Seaman Smith; lay aft!". Or; "What's happening aft?"...
, was released at 10.17am over Pulham at an altitude of 2,500 feet (762 metres), and, after diving for about 100 ft (30 metres), it leveled out. The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
reported the next day: "The aeroplane, with her engine running, dropped like a stone and then regaining control, MacKenzie-Richards performed a series of stunts, looping-the-loop, rolling and flying upside down", while Flight indicated that the plane "gambolled gaily in the air as if glad to be free, at last, from the maternal apron strings," before landing safely back at Pulham. After some difficulty in starting the engine, the second Grebe piloted by Ragg, which had been positioned abaft of the first Grebe, was successfully released at 11.30am from a slightly higher altitude over Cardington, Bedfordshire
Cardington, Bedfordshire
Cardington is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, EnglandPart of the ancient hundred of Wixamtree, the settlement is best known in connection with the Cardington airship works founded by Short Brothers during World War I, which later became an RAF training station...
, and made a safe landing at Cardington.
In another experiment, the Grebes piloted by MacKenzie-Richards and Ragg were released from 2,000 feet and were able to fly and then reattach their planes to a skyhook
Skyhook
Skyhook or sky hook may refer to:- Technology :* Skyhook , explanation of design complexity in the universe that does not build on lower, simpler layers* Skyhook , "hook" used to lift an object on a long cable hanging from the sky...
on the airship. Despite the successful trials, the technique was never adopted.
Air racing
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment , was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence , before finally losing its identity in mergers with other institutions.The first site was at Farnborough...
(R.A.E.) Aero Club
Royal Aero Club
The Royal Aero Club is the national co-ordinating body for Air Sport in the United Kingdom.The Aero Club was founded in 1901 by Frank Hedges Butler, his daughter Vera and the Hon Charles Rolls , partly inspired by the Aero Club of France...
, and competed in air races
Air racing
- History :The first ever air race was held in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1908. The participants piloted the only 4 airships in the U.S. around a course located at Forest Park...
. In June 1927 MacKenzie-Richards took part in the Whitsun
Whitsun
Whitsun is the name used in the UK for the Christian festival of Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ's disciples...
weekend air races (4 and 6 June 1927) at the Ensbury Park racecourse (near Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
), winning from scratch convincingly the delayed first race of the meet on Saturday, 4 June 1927, the Low Power Handicap
Handicapping
Handicapping, in sport and games, is the practice of assigning advantage through scoring compensation or other advantage given to different contestants to equalize the chances of winning. The word also applies to the various methods by which the advantage is calculated...
for airplanes with engines less than 1500cc, against three other competitors (two others had withdrawn) in a de Havilland Humming Bird
De Havilland Humming Bird
|-See also:-External links:*...
(Registration G-EBQP), a single-seat ultralight monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
that had been used in the R33 trials, with a Bristol Cherub
Bristol Cherub
-See also:-Bibliography:* Guttery, T.E. The Shuttleworth Collection. London: Wm. Carling & Co, 1969. ISBN 901319-01-5* Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-85310-294-6....
III engine. at 73.5 miles per hour. The crash of a de Havilland DH.37A earlier on 4 June 1927, and the collision of a Westland Widgeon and a Blackburn Bluebird
Blackburn Bluebird
|-See also:...
on Whit Monday
Whit Monday
Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday is the holiday celebrated the day after Pentecost, a movable feast in the Christian calendar. It is movable because it is determined by the date of Easter....
, 6 June 1927, which resulted in the death of two pilots and a passenger in front of thousands of spectators forced the cessation of further air races at Ensbury Park racecourse, and its eventual sale to a housing developer.
During the Nottingham Flying Meeting held at the Hucknall Torkard aerodrome
Hucknall Airfield
Formerly RAF Hucknall, Hucknall Airfield is located north northwest of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England.Hucknall has been in continuous use as an airfield since 1916. Formerly RAF Hucknall, it featured in the film The One That Got Away...
at Hucknall
Hucknall
Hucknall, formerly known as Hucknall Torkard, is a town in Greater Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, in the district of Ashfield. The town was historically a centre for framework knitting and then for mining but is now a focus for other industries as well providing housing for workers in...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
on the Summer Bank Holiday
Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
weekend, which included the 6th King's Cup Race
King's Cup Race
The King's Cup Race is an annual British handicapped cross-country air race, first contested on 8 September 1922. The event was open to British pilots only, but that did include members of the Commonwealth....
, after starting from the scratch position, Mackenzie-Richards came third flying the same de Havilland Humming Bird
De Havilland Humming Bird
|-See also:-External links:*...
(Registration G-EBQP) in "ideal flying conditions" over the 8.5 mile single-lap course in the Papplewick
Papplewick
The parish of Papplewick is situated towards the west of central Nottinghamshire, to the north of the town of Hucknall. It has an area of 7.15 km². The village of Papplewick is located in the west of the parish. It is 7.5 miles north of Nottingham and 6 miles south of Mansfield...
Stakes Low-power Handicap, the first event held at 11.30am on Monday, 1 August 1927, and received £10.
Marriage
On Wednesday 17 August 1927, MacKenzie-Richards married Mirabel Cobbold (born 2 May 1904), who had earned a Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in 1926, the only child of Lt. Col. Ernest Cazenove Cobbold CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(born 15 January 1866 at Ufford, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
; died 1932), of the York and Lancaster Regiment
York and Lancaster Regiment
-History:It was formed in 1881 through the amalgamation of two other regiments:*65th Regiment*84th RegimentThe title of the regiment was derived not from the cities of York and Lancaster, or from the counties...
, and Edith Mary White (died 1949), at the St Peter and St Paul’s Parish Church at Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh is a coastal town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. Located on the River Alde, the town is notable for its Blue Flag shingle beach and fisherman huts where freshly caught fish are sold daily, and the Aldeburgh Yacht Club...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
.
Death and inquest
MacKenzie-Richards was killed in a night flying accident at East GrinsteadEast Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
on 9 November 1927 at Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. MacKenzie-Richards was engaged in testing night navigating devices at Croydon aerodrome
Croydon Airport
Croydon Airport was an airport in South London which straddled the boundary between what are now the London boroughs of Croydon and Sutton. It was the main airport for London before it was replaced by Northolt Aerodrome, London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport...
, including two new illuminated wind vanes erected there experimentally.
Bristol F.2 Fighter
The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft...
(registration C810), MacKenzie-Richards had finished his work at 5.30pm and left Croydon with Professor Dr. Harry Norman Green (born 21 September 1902 in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England; died 16 May 1967), a pathologist and member of the faculty of medicine (and later the Department of Pharmacology
Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...
) at the University of Sheffield
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
, as his observer
Air observer
An air observer is a British term for a military aircrew member whose duties are predominantly reconnaissance. The term originates in the First World War in the Royal Flying Corps, and was maintained by its successor, the Royal Air Force...
. They attempted to make their way back to Farnborough
Farnborough Airfield
Farnborough Airport or TAG London Farnborough Airport is an airport situated in Farnborough, Rushmoor, Hampshire, England...
, but the compass was 30 degrees out when they left. Failing to find Farnborough they attempted to return to Croydon. They flew back without seeing anything they recognised until they estimated they were over Croydon. They could not pick up any indication of Croydon nor could they see any lights. They spoke on the 'telephone' and MacKenzie-Richards suggested that they had better make a forced landing
Forced landing
A forced landing is a landing by an aircraft made under factors outside the pilot's control, such as the failure of engines, systems, components or weather which makes continued flight impossible. For a full description of these, see article on Emergency landing...
before they ran out of petrol - they only had about 20 minutes fuel remaining. He came down low and asked Green to look for a field. Presently he said that he could not see a field that he could land in and he lit a flare. There was a certain amount of mist, but nothing exceptional. They just missed some trees and climbed back up to 2,000 feet. As Green had never used a parachute before, MacKenzie-Richards briefed him particularly about not pulling the ripcord
Ripcord (skydiving)
A ripcord is a part of a skydiving harness-container system; a handle attached to a steel cable ending in a closing pin. The pin keeps the container closed and keeps the spring-loaded pilot chute inside. When the ripcord is pulled, the container is opened and the pilot chute is released, opening...
until he was clear of the aircraft. Green questioned whether the aircraft could be rolled onto its back so that they could both get out, but MacKenzie-Richards refused, saying that Green should go. At the inquest Green explained how he had one foot on the seat and one on the side waiting for the signal to jump. MacKenzie-Richards throttled the engine down and turned around, put his hand out and pushed Green. Green landed in a field and was perfectly alright. MacKenzie-Richards was found in another field, but there was no sign of life; his parachute was open. The Coroner's conclusion was that by the time MacKenzie-Richards left the aircraft he was too close to the ground and that his parachute failed to fully deploy.
At the inquest a Major Cooper informed the Court that the compasses were checked periodically on the ground, and that he was satisfied that this compass had been tested at certain periods. He pointed out that this had been an experimental aircraft, which had certain experimental lights, and the evidence suggested that one of the pieces of wiring had an effect on the compass after the machine had left the ground. It was quite possible that the error in the compass only occurred when the current was generated.
The wreckage of the aircraft was found in a wood about two hundred yards from where his body was found.
He is buried at the parish church of St. Andrew, Great Yeldham
Great Yeldham
Great Yeldham is a village in north Essex, England, about from the Suffolk border. Surrounding villages and towns include Little Yeldham, Tilbury Juxta Clare, Toppesfield, Stambourne, Ridgewell, Sible Hedingham, Castle Hedingham, Halstead and Sudbury...
.
Legacy
It seems that MacKenzie-Richards was promoted posthumously to Flight LieutenantFlight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. After his death, his only child, Gillian Campbell MacKenzie-Richards, was born in Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh is a coastal town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. Located on the River Alde, the town is notable for its Blue Flag shingle beach and fisherman huts where freshly caught fish are sold daily, and the Aldeburgh Yacht Club...
, England in 1928. For three years, Mirabel and Gillian lived at 47 Crag Path, Aldeburgh. On 1 July 1931, Mirabel married Canadian farmer Charles Robert Orr-Simpson (born about 1903) at West Hill Ranch, Port Crawford, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. On 14 July 1931 Mirabel and Gillian migrated to Canada on the Empress of Britain
RMS Empress of Britain (1931)
The RMS Empress of Britain was an ocean liner built between 1928 and 1931 by John Brown shipyard in Scotland and owned by Canadian Pacific Steamship Company. This ship — second of three CP vessels named Empress of Britain — provided scheduled trans-Atlantic passenger service from spring to autumn...
. On 26 February 1934, the Simpson family arrived in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
as 3rd class passengers on the Union-Castle Line
Union-Castle Line
The Union-Castle Line was a prominent British shipping line that operated a fleet of passenger liners and cargo ships between Europe and Africa from 1900 to 1977. It was formed from the merger of the Union Line and Castle Shipping Line...
's mail motorship Warwick Castle from Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
via Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
, intending to live at 18 St. James Square, Bath, Somerset. By June 1935, Mirabel was living at "Pinefields" at Weeley Heath
Weeley
Weeley is a small village in Tendring, East Essex, England. It is served by Weeley railway station on the Sunshine Coast Line, with services operated by National Express East Anglia. It is open Monday - Saturday but closed Sundays. It has bus links to Clacton-on-sea and ColchesterIt was host to the...
, Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea is the largest town on the Tendring peninsula, in Essex, England and was founded in 1871. It is a seaside resort that attracted many tourists in the summer months between the 1950s and 1970s, but which like many other British sea-side resorts went into decline as a holiday...
, Tendring
Tendring
Tendring is a local government district in North East Essex, England. It extends from the River Stour in the north, to the coast and the River Colne in the south, with the coast to the East and the town of Colchester to the west. Its council is based in Clacton-on-Sea. Towns in the district...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
.
External links
- Photo of Campbell MacKenzie-Richards in Humming Bird J7326 (G-EBQP)
- Video of HMA R33 launching a Grebe fighter
- Photo of HMA R33 launching a Grebe fighter
- Photo of HMA R33 with two Grebe fighters attached while moored
- HMA R33 with two Grebe fighters attached while moored
- Close-up Photo of HMA R33 with two Grebe fighters attached in flight
- Photo of HMA R33 with two Grebe fighters attached in flight
- British Pathe: 1927 Air races at Ensbury Park racecourse, Bournemouth
- 2009 photo of De Havilland DH.53 Humming Bird, G-EBQP/J7326 flown by MacKenzie-Richards in air races in 1927
- Photo of Humming Bird J7326 (G-EBQP) at the De Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre
- Photo of Humming Bird J7326 (G-EBQP) at the De Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre
- Photo of Humming Bird J7326 (G-EBQP) at the De Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre
- Article: "The Flying Aircraft Carrier: Why?" with photos of R33 and Gloster Grebes
- Short article and photo about the air-launching experiments carried out with the Gloster Grebes
