LONDON TO MANCHESTER – DAILY MAIL AIR RACE 1910

By Don Hale don hale blog December 24, 2020

French pilot Louis Paulhan

LONDON TO MANCHESTER – DAILY MAIL AIR RACE 1910: Two amazing flying-machines competed for £10,000 prize money

Report by Don Hale.

On 28th April 1910, and after more than four years of prompting by the public and press, two intrepid pioneer flyers, an Englishman Claude Grahame-White, and a French rival, Louis Paulhan, fuelled the country’s enthusiasm for aviation racing, by taking part in an exciting challenge, flying from London to Manchester in an attempt to win an incredible £10,000 prize offered by Daily Mail newspaper proprietor Lord Northcliffe.

Louis Paulhan

Paulhan and Grahame-White were thrust into direct competition and the previous afternoon, and very late in the day, they had begun their mad-dash attempt to reach Manchester, flying high over the exposed tracks of the London & North Western Railway Company, closely following the route to the North West.

Although scheduled as a 24-hour race, the flyers were forced to land due to the darkness of the hour, yet both had arisen early the next day, determined to be the first to reach their magnificent goal. Huge crowds greeted the pilots at the beginning and throughout their journeys.

British pilot Claude Grahame-White in his flying machine

The constant publicity and a remarkable sense of achievement soon fired the imagination of the general public, with constant news of their progress quickly forwarded along the telegraph wires and via railway signal boxes en-route.

Paulhan even had his own special train, which followed the plane. Amongst the passengers were his wife, together with invited guests, railway officials and his own maintenance crew. (See also YouTube video: https://youtu.be/MMu0efYulcU

The train also carried aviation fuel and spare parts. The whole debacle proved a great worry for Manchester police, who had no real idea of what to expect. It was certainly an occasion that had never happened before; although some City officials were given a brief taste of the dangers of these new flying machines, following a series of trials in the suburbs a year or so before.

Above (top) Paulhan's special train and (above) his family and support team

This however, was now the very first time that two flying machines had actually competed in an exciting head-to-head cross-country endurance event for a major cash prize.

Whatever the outcome, the public realised this race was certain to break all national and international records - and a great crowd was guaranteed at the designated landing site.

Police on motorbikes and horses tried to keep the crowds under control

The landing site was at a grassy field close to Mr Bracegirdle’s Farm at Burnage, and the eventual winning pilot was the Frenchman Louis Paulhan, who arrived about 5.30am, to be greeted by huge cheering crowds, after finally completing his remarkable 185-mile journey from London via Lichfield, to win this extraordinary competition.