Ghastly Bad Luck For A Spiffing Chap Traditional Geocache

In the early days of aviation in the year 1913 Lord Northcliff's
'Daily Mail' offered a prize of £5,000 to the first airman
who would fly all around the British Isles. The total distance
was of 1600 miles to be completed in 72 hours.

The only competitor to take part was the famous Australian
aviator, Harry G. Hawker (and his mechanic named Kauper) in a
100 h.p. Sopwith HT (Hydro-Tractor) Seaplane. Everything went
well up the East Coast of England and across Scotland and the
Irish Sea but while flying down the east coast of Ireland towards
Dun Laoghaire, the plane went out of control and crashed into
the middle of Loughshinny Bay on Wednesday 27th of August.

The two airmen were rescued by local fishermen but when they
returned the next day to rescue their plane they discovered that
it had been completely stripped at low tide by souvenir hunters.

The account of the flight is recorded in his biobraphy:

H.G, HAWKER, AIRMAN: HIS LIFE AND WORK

By
MURIEL HAWKER
1922

Chapter VI (Extract)

Rising at 4 a.m. on Wednesday, the partners enjoyed a hurried breakfast, and then had a good look over their machine. At 5.30 they were all prepared, and at 5.42 they started for Dublin, having previously arranged to call on the way at Larne for petrol. But the machine was reluctant to leave the water, and Harry beached her about a mile from Oban. After spending an hour in extracting water from the floats, he made a good re-start. Before leaving Scotland he landed at Kiells, in Argyllshire, in order to effect a minor engine adjustment. At 8.25 he was in the air again ; and 65 minutes later he glided down into Larne Harbour. He made south for Dublin at ten o'clock, only to be foiled a few miles short of the Irish capital by what he described as "just a piece of ghastly bad luck."

Suspecting that some of the valve-springs had failed, Harry decided to come down to inspect them. Meanwhile the engine had been running and developing its power, but an ominous rattle had worried Harry and Kauper. It was unfortunate that they did not know that Mr. Green, the designer of the engine, was awaiting them at Dublin with a set of new valve -springs. Had they been so acquainted, Harry would, of course, have continued on to Dublin without coming down to have a look at the springs. As it was, while descending in a spiral he lost control owing to his greasy boot slipping on the rudder-bar, and the aeroplane side- slipped into the water. Harry was unhurt, but poor Kauper suffered a broken arm and some cuts about the head. He was soon taken to the Mater Misericordia Hospital, at Dublin, where he made a good recovery, ultimately leaving the hospital on September i8th, 1913, with all his wounds healing well. The machine, of course, was done for.

Thus ended the most important event held under the auspices of the Royal Aero Club during 1913, in which 1,043 miles were covered in 55! hours, the actual flying time being 21 hours 44 minutes a world's record for a seaplane in those days. In recognition of his skill and courage, the Daily Mail made Harry a personal present of 1,000.

On the morning after the crash near Dublin Harry was busy superintending the work of dismantling the wrecked aeroplane. While so employed he was considerably interrupted by photographers and autograph hunters. Apparently souvenir hunters were also on the scene during his absence, for one of the radiators had been carefully detached. Having seen to the packing-up of the remains of the machine, Harry returned to Brooklands, where on Friday, with his usual nonchalance, he was testing machines for the Admiralty.