Cecil Grace
Encyclopedia
Cecil Stanley Grace was a pioneer aviator
who went missing on a flight across the English Channel in 1910.
on the Isle of Sheppey
. Grace was one of this early group of pioneering aviators, and in 1910 he was awarded only the fourth Royal Aero Club
Aviator's Certificate.
was the first to try with a 170-mile flight into Belgium on 17 December 1910. Claude Grahame White
crashed his aircraft before he could make an attempt. Grace departed Swingate Downs on 22 December 1910 flying a Short pusher biplane (S.29) in an attempt at the prize. The sea was covered in mist, but a telegram was received that Grace had landed due to the strong winds near the village of Las Baraques near Calais
.
He eventually made it to Calais, but with strong winds he decided to return to Eastchurch via Dover and attempt a prize flight on another day. After lunch in Calais at about ten past two in the afternoon Grace left Calais to return to England. The journey to Dover was expected to last no longer than 40 minutes, but by 3:30 he had not arrived. An aeroplane had been sighted by the Coastguard from Ramsgate
at about 3 o'clock about six miles out to sea near the Goodwin Sands heading north.
For a few days it was hoped that Grace had managed to land somewhere, but a pilot's goggles and cap washed ashore at Mariakerk in Belgium
were later identified as Grace's. A body resembling Grace's was found in Ostend
harbour on 14 March 1911, but it was too badly disfigured to be identifiable.
In March 1911 he was formally declared to have died. There is a stained glass window in the south wall of All Saints' Church, Eastchurch
, dedicated jointly to Grace and to Charles Rolls
who died the previous July. Grace's name also appeared on a monument celebrating the earliest cross-channel flights, erected at Calais by the Aero Club de France in about July 1911. He was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Aero Club "for his achievements as a pilot and competitor".
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...
who went missing on a flight across the English Channel in 1910.
Family
Grace was born in Chile, the son of John A. Grace of New York. His uncle was W.R. Grace, a former mayor of New York Ciy. Grace was naturalised as a British citizen in October 1910.Eastchurch
In 1909 members of the Aero Club of Great Britain established a flying ground at EastchurchRAF Eastchurch
RAF Eastchurch was a Royal Air Force station near Eastchurch village in the English County of Kent. The history of aviation at Eastchurch stretches back to the first decade of the 20th century when it was used as an airfield by members of the Royal Aero Club...
on the Isle of Sheppey
Isle of Sheppey
The Isle of Sheppey is an island off the northern coast of Kent, England in the Thames Estuary, some to the east of London. It has an area of . The island forms part of the local government district of Swale...
. Grace was one of this early group of pioneering aviators, and in 1910 he was awarded only the fourth Royal 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...
Aviator's Certificate.
Final Flight
In 1910, a number of early aviators were competing for the Baron de Forest Prize of £4,000 for the longest flight from England into continental Europe. Tom SopwithThomas Sopwith
Sir Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith, CBE, Hon FRAeS was an English aviation pioneer and yachtsman.-Early life:...
was the first to try with a 170-mile flight into Belgium on 17 December 1910. Claude Grahame White
Claude Grahame White
Claude Grahame White was an English pioneer of aviation, and the first to make a night flight, during the Daily Mail sponsored 1910 London to Manchester air race.-Early life:...
crashed his aircraft before he could make an attempt. Grace departed Swingate Downs on 22 December 1910 flying a Short pusher biplane (S.29) in an attempt at the prize. The sea was covered in mist, but a telegram was received that Grace had landed due to the strong winds near the village of Las Baraques near Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
.
He eventually made it to Calais, but with strong winds he decided to return to Eastchurch via Dover and attempt a prize flight on another day. After lunch in Calais at about ten past two in the afternoon Grace left Calais to return to England. The journey to Dover was expected to last no longer than 40 minutes, but by 3:30 he had not arrived. An aeroplane had been sighted by the Coastguard from Ramsgate
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
at about 3 o'clock about six miles out to sea near the Goodwin Sands heading north.
For a few days it was hoped that Grace had managed to land somewhere, but a pilot's goggles and cap washed ashore at Mariakerk in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
were later identified as Grace's. A body resembling Grace's was found in Ostend
Ostend
Ostend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
harbour on 14 March 1911, but it was too badly disfigured to be identifiable.
In March 1911 he was formally declared to have died. There is a stained glass window in the south wall of All Saints' Church, Eastchurch
Eastchurch
Eastchurch is a village on the Isle of Sheppey, in the English county of Kent, two miles east of Minster.The village website claims "... it has a history steeped in stories of piracy and smugglers".- Aviation history :...
, dedicated jointly to Grace and to Charles Rolls
Charles Rolls
Charles Stewart Rolls was a motoring and aviation pioneer. Together with Frederick Henry Royce he co-founded the Rolls-Royce car manufacturing firm. He was the first Briton to be killed in a flying accident, when the tail of his Wright Flyer broke off during a flying display near Bournemouth,...
who died the previous July. Grace's name also appeared on a monument celebrating the earliest cross-channel flights, erected at Calais by the Aero Club de France in about July 1911. He was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Aero Club "for his achievements as a pilot and competitor".