The Great Air Display at Heath Hayes: Item kindly donated by Reg Fullelove, from his collection.
Occasionally I’m sent material that I have no idea what to do with, and can only present what I have, and let readers explore it themselves – and so it is with this remarkable collection of ephemera very kindly donated to the Brownhills Blog by local treasure and good friend Reg ‘Are Reg’ Fullelove.
It seems that on Sunday, September 8th 1935, noted aviator Sir Alan Cobham brought his travelling air show to the Top Common at Heath Hayes, and this incredible spectacle – featuring the very latest in aeronautical technology of the day – worked the local press into quite a lather.
Reg has a collection of photos and clippings relating to this airshow, which he kindly allowed the young David Evans to scan. They are remarkable things, yet I can’t think of a better way to present them than just as they are – so scanned in all their glory I post them here.
Amongst the clippings and photos, some youtube films are included to illustrate the type of craft seen at this unusual show. The atmosphere on the day must have been incredible, and I’m surprised and confounded that I’ve never heard this event mentioned before.
David had this to say about Reg’s very kind donation:
Hello Bob
Over another cup of tea and chat with Reg Fullelove, he offered me this amazing collection of materials and information regarding a pre-war air show in Heath Hayes. and thought that your blog readers might be interested.
We have very little record of early airborne visitors, Audrey Proffitt recorded the passing of an airship in 1927, the unfortunate landing in Holland Park, the 1926 Aerofilms image series taken by a reconnaissance plane, but very little else seems to exist.
So my eyes lit up when I read the press reports, and especially the photos taken on the day of the Heath Hayes Air Show, which took place on the Top Common.
My sincere thanks are extended to Reg Fullelove BEM for his generosity and kindness. cheers David
I will again reiterate that Reg has been a great friend to the blog, and has supplied much remarkable material – from the film of the 1934 Brownhills Carnival, to details of local mining, through his wonderful poetry and recollections of his choral roots – and many readers have told me how much they enjoy Reg’s participation in the comments.
Please excuse the crops on some of the scans, it’s how the originals are.
I’d like readers to apply themselves to this one if they feel so inclined, please: what can we find out about this show? Where, for a start, is Heath Hayes ‘Top Common’? Is there any other material out there? does anyone have any tales their families passed to them of the air show?
Please comment here or mail me: BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com. Thanks!
The Great Air Display at Heath Hayes: Item kindly donated by Reg Fullelove, from his collection.
The Original Flying Flea – posted on YouTube by Bomberguy
The Great Air Display at Heath Hayes: Item kindly donated by Reg Fullelove, from his collection.
Scott and Alan Cobham air show. Aviation displays of the 1920’s and 1930’s Amateur home movie – posted on YouTube by Huntley Film Archives
The Great Air Display at Heath Hayes: Item kindly donated by Reg Fullelove, from his collection.
The Great Air Display at Heath Hayes: Item kindly donated by Reg Fullelove, from his collection.
The Great Air Display at Heath Hayes: Item kindly donated by Reg Fullelove, from his collection.
Aviation’s Latest Wonder: the wingless autogiro, from British Pathe Archive posted on YouTube.
The Great Air Display at Heath Hayes: Item kindly donated by Reg Fullelove, from his collection.
The Great Air Display at Heath Hayes: Item kindly donated by Reg Fullelove, from his collection.
The Great Air Display at Heath Hayes: Item kindly donated by Reg Fullelove, from his collection.