£950
EARLY AVIATION PIONEERS/THE SAMUEL CODY ARCHIVE: On 7 August 1913, Cody was test flying his latest design, the Cody Floatplane, when it broke up at 200 feet (61 m) and he and his passenger, the cricketer William Evans, were killed at Ball Hill, Laffans Plain, Cove Common near Farnborough. The two men, not strapped in, were thrown out of the aircraft and the Royal Aero Club accident investigation concluded that the accident was due to "inherent structural weakness", and suggested that the two might have survived the crash if they had been strapped in. Cody's body was buried with full military honours in the Aldershot Military Cemetery; the funeral procession drew an estimated crowd of 100,000.
This lot includes original silk sash/ribbons retained by the family from some of the floral wreaths given by, among others, Hendon Aviators 'In Memory of England's Greatest Airman', The Royal Aero Club, and a gilt ribbon bearing the names of prominent early aviators. Also included period photographs and postcards of the funeral, one which we believe shows The Hendon Aviators memorial wreath in the shape of a bi-plane with the above sash on the wreath.
Fees apply to the hammer price:
Free Registration
30% inc VAT*
Flat Fee Registration
26.40% inc VAT*
