Chapter III: Preface: ix

PREFATORY NOTE xiii

CHAPTER I

EARLY STRUGGLES

Harry’s Parents—His Sisters and Brothers—Schooldays—Four
Schools in Six Years—The Attraction of a Cadet Corps—Motor
Work at Twelve Years of Age—The Expert of Fifteen—Managing
a Fleet of Cars—First Desire to Fly—The Kindness
of Mr. and Mrs. McPhee—Harry Meets Busteed—And Comes
to England with Him—Kauper—Seeing London—Quest for
Employment—A Job at Sevenpence per Hour—Another at
Ninepence-Halfpenny—Thoughts of Returning to Australia—Forty
Pounds in the Bank—Kauper Strikes Oil—And Helps
Harry—Sigrist—How Harry was Happy on Two Pounds per
Week—His First Flight—Reminiscences of Brooklands Days 25

CHAPTER II

THE BRITISH DURATION RECORD

Harry’s Aversion to Publicity—Circumstances of His First Brooklands
Associations—The Sopwith-Burgess-Wright Biplane—Harry’s Effort in
a Quick-Starting Competition—Beating His Employer—Early Attempts
for Michelin Laurels—A Real Success—Tuning-up for the Duration
Record—Raynham Makes a Race—And Secures an Advantage—Raynham Lands
after 7 hours 31½ minutes—And Holds the Record for an Hour or
Two—Opportunity Knocks at Harry’s Door—And is Well Received—Harry
Lands after 8 hours 23 minutes—To Him the Spoils—His Own Account of
the Experience—A Reminiscence of Cody—The Significance of Harry’s
Achievement—Other Flights at Brooklands—The Growth of a Pioneer
Firm 35

CHAPTER III

ABOUT ALTITUDE AND OTHER RECORDS

A Colleague’s Impression of Harry in 1913—Harry in the Passenger’s Seat—“Aerial Leap-Frog”—Competition Flights at Brooklands—Testing the First “Bat Boat”—End of the First “Bat Boat”—Harry as a Salesman-Demonstrator—Testing the Second “Bat Boat”—70 Miles per Hour in 1913—Asçent to 7,450 feet in 15 minutes—A Prize Flight—How Harry Deserted from a Race which He Won—How a Biplane Beat a Monoplane—More Seaplane Testing—The British Altitude Record—11,450 Feet—“Bravo, Hawker!”—A Journalist’s Tribute—Flying in a High Wind—To the Isle of Wight and Back 53

CHAPTER IV

AMPHIBIANS—AND MORE HEIGHT RECORDS

An Amphibian of 1913—Harry Gets Up to 13,000 feet with a
Passenger—Several Other Height Records—Three Climbs in One Day—The
Progress of the Sopwith Enterprise—Several Types of Aeroplanes—And
Seaplanes—Harry Wins the Mortimer Singer Prize—And Has Time to
Spare—A Friendly Race with Hamel—A World’s Height Record—A
Cross-Country Race—Preliminaries of the Round-Britain Seaplane
Flight—Conditions Governing the _Daily Mail_ £5,000 Prize 63

CHAPTER V

FIRST ATTEMPT TO FLY ROUND BRITAIN

The Task of the Flight Round Britain—And the Machine for the
Job—Public Interest in the Pilot—“Good Luck!”—The
Night Before the Start—A Mayor’s Early Call—And the
Sequel—The Scene at the Start—To Ramsgate at Sixty Miles per
Hour—An Aerial Escort—The Ramsgate Cup—Fog in the
Thames Mouth—To Yarmouth in Next to No Time—Harry
Collapses—Pickles Relieves Him—And Meets with Misfortune—Starting
All Over Again 77

CHAPTER VI

SECOND ATTEMPT TO FLY ROUND BRITAIN

Harry Recovers—And Takes Charge Again—An Early Start—Almost
Unseen by the Starter—Thick Fog—Behind Time at
Ramsgate—An Explosion—A Favourable Breeze—But Bumpy
Air off Cromer—Scarborough—A Forced Landing—Five
Hundred Miles in a Day—Resting at Beadnell Overnight—The
Second Day—A Spiral Glide at Aberdeen—A Terrible
Journey to Oban—The Third Day—A Water-logged Float—Another
Forced Landing—Ireland—“A Piece of Ghastly Bad
Luck”—Kauper Goes to Hospital 93

CHAPTER VII

A BIG CHEQUE, AN AERIAL DERBY, AND OTHER EVENTS

Echoes of the Seaplane Flight—Mr. Winston Churchill’s Views—Back
to Work—The £1,000 Cheque—And a Gold Medal from
Margate—The Carping Critic—And the Reply he Received—An
Expedition to Eastchurch—Lost in the Air—Racing a
Powerful Monoplane—An Exciting Aerial Derby—Hamel’s
Bad Luck—Harry Finishes Third—And in the Sealed Handicap
is Fourth—A Bad Crash at Hendon—Other Races—Michelin
Efforts Again—Harry’s Bad Luck—He Puts Up Some Wonderful
Flights—A Headache in the Air 103

CHAPTER VIII

THE PROTOTYPE OF THE FIGHTING SCOUTS

Harry’s Stroke of Genius—Ninety Miles per Hour with an 80 h.p.
Gnome—When German Interests were at Brooklands—The
Real Value of “Stunting”—A Biplane that Exceeded Expectations—When
Hendon was Surprised—Construction of
the Tabloid—Contemporary Sopwith Products—In Harry’s
Absence—Pixton Pilots a Tabloid to Victory—A £26,000 Ante-Bellum
Aviation Company—Mr. Rutherford—Another Type
of Genius—One of Harry’s Records Broken—An Australian
Poem—Death of Hamel 119

CHAPTER IX

AERIAL PROPAGANDA IN AUSTRALIA

Back to Australia—Harry Expresses Some Views—Australian Air
Policy—He Speaks of Stabilising Devices—A Reminiscence of the
Round-Britain Seaplane Flight—A Civic Welcome—Harry’s Father
Speaks—Assembling the Tabloid—First Flight in Australia—Preparations
for Flight—Flying from a Street—An Object Lesson at Government
House—Harry Dispels a Fallacy—And Speaks about Whirling Propellers—A
Flying Call on the Governor-General—Interrupts a Game of Tennis—What
the Governor-General Thought of Harry—Old Melbourne Friends Fly—The
Australian Press—Enterprising Lady Passengers—Passengers pay £3 per
Minute—Curious Attitude of an Association Official—Organisation of
a Big Public Flying Exhibition—Harry’s Views on Flying—A Crowd of
25,000—Is Difficult to Handle—And Affects Harry’s Programme—An
Accident—Without Serious Consequences—The Minister of
Defence Ascends 3,500 Feet 133

CHAPTER X

AERONAUTICAL ADVANCEMENT IN AUSTRALIA

Harry’s Proposals for Aerial Defence—Seeing Under Water from
the Air—A Crowd of 20,000—A Governor-General Ascends
4,000 Feet—And a Governor’s Daughter Goes Up Too—Stunts—Rumours
of Looping—Another Accident 155

CHAPTER XI

A CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS

Harry’s First Loops—Flying to Manchester—Harry is Taken Ill
in the Air—He Returns and Lands Safely—And Collapses—An
Extraordinary Accident—A Very Narrow Escape 163

CHAPTER XII

SOME WAR-TIME EXPERIENCES

Testing Production Machines—The Distinguished General and the
Camel—The Boredom of Old-Fashioned Transport—And How
it was Remedied on One Occasion—Testing a Doubtful Machine—Harry
Gives Expert Criticism—And Predicts the Performance
of a Four-Engined Aeroplane 171

CHAPTER XIII

A MOTORING HONEYMOON

Harry to the Rescue—A Game of Cards—Keeping an Appointment—Twenty-four
Hours too Early!—A Provisional Engagement—Marriage—Gas-bag
Motoring—A Strained Back—Faith in
Christian Science 181

CHAPTER XIV

BUILDING a 225 H.P. MOTOR-CAR

Harry Buys Two Aero Engines—And a Mercèdes Chassis—Structural
and Starting Problems—Myself as Rivet-driver—We
Start the Engine—And I Stop It—On the Road—Shows Clean
Heels to Big American Car—And Tows a Rolls—Harry in
His Home Workshop 193

CHAPTER XV

READY FOR THE ATLANTIC FLIGHT

Conditions Governing the Flight—Arrival in Newfoundland—Mount
Pearl Farm—Snowed Up—The Test Flight—Local Interest
Intense—Wireless Difficulties—Details of the _Atlantic_—An
Aerial Lifeboat—Clothing of the Trans-Atlantic Airmen—Estimates
and Anticipations—Over a Ton of Fuel—A Letter for the King—An
Inspection by the Governor—Storms—Prospects of a Race—Revising
Plans—Grieve—Navigation Problems and Methods—Weather Forecasts—A
New Starting-ground—Nervous Tension—The Aviators are Amused
by Their Correspondence—A Would-be Aerial Bandsman—False
Weather Reports—Services of the Air Ministry—Weather-bound at
St. Johns—Harry’s Confidence—Four Magnetos and a New
Propeller—Address from the Mayor of St. Johns 203

CHAPTER XVI

1,000 MILES OVER THE ATLANTIC

Signalling Arrangements—Temperament—A Press Tribute—The
American Attempt—Just Before the Start—Parting Messages—The
Start—“Poor Old Tinsydes!”—Dropping the
Undercarriage—Out of Sight of Land in Ten Minutes—Over the
Fog—Four Hours Above a Sea of Clouds—Grieve’s Method of
Navigation—Weather Not as Forecasted—Taking the Drift through a
Hole in the Clouds—400 Miles Out—Cloud Banks and a Gale—After
5½ Hours—Over-heating Radiator—What was the Cause?—The Only
Possible Remedy—Is Effective at First—At 10,000 Feet—Giants of
Nature 15,000 feet High—A Side-wind that Became a Gale—Flying
“Crabwise”—Losing Height—Clouds, Darkness, and a Doubtful
Time—Nearly Down to the Sea—Dawn—Sea-sick—Looking for a Ship—The
_Mary_—The Rescue—Up to the Knees in the Sea—Captain Duhn—Sighting
St. Kilda and the Butt of Lewis—A Famous Signal—“Is it
Hawker?”—“Yes”—The Navy’s Guests—The Civic
Welcome at Thurso 225

CHAPTER XVII

MY OWN REMINISCENCES OF THE ATLANTIC FLIGHT

I Wait for News—The Americans Start—I Hear Harry has Started—And I Put out the Flags—No News Next Morning—Fate is Unkind and Brings a False Report—Which, Contradicted, Delivers a Paralysing Blow—No Further News—“All Hope Abandoned”—Good News—Peace of Mind Once More—Everybody Happy—The King Telegraphs Congratulations—I Go to Meet Harry at Grantham—Harry’s Triumphal Progress to Grantham—Together Once More—Harry Rides a Horse through London—“Escape” from the R.AeC.—Celebrations at Ham—Fireworks at Hook 253

CHAPTER XVIII

AFTER THE ATLANTIC ATTEMPT

Harry and Grieve Receive a Royal Command—The King and Queen
and Prince Albert Hear their Story—The Air Force Cross—Comedy
of a Silk Hat—A Cheque for £5,000—Is Nearly Lost—The
_Daily Mail_ Luncheon—General Seely Delivers Official
Congratulations—Harry Replies—And Grieve—Tributes to
Lord Northcliffe—Another Luncheon, also at the Savoy, on
the Following Day—Royal Aero Club as Host—An Appropriate
Menu—The Derelict _Atlantic_ is Recovered—Harry is Pleased 271

CHAPTER XIX

MOTOR RACING

Harry Turns to Motor-racing—Successful Début at Brooklands—Why
I Stayed at Home—The 250 h.p. Sunbeam Touring Car
Takes Second Place—When the 450 h.p. Racer Comes on the
Scene—Harry Drives the Largest Car in the World—A Terrible
Crash—Without Serious Consequences—Back to the Air—The
R.A.F. Tournament—Reunion of Pioneer Aviators—Eleventh-Hour
Entry for the Aerial Derby—Second Place, but Disqualified—A
Very Busy Month—Aeroplane Trials at Martlesham—British
International Motor-boat Trophy at Cowes—More
Motor-racing at Brooklands—His Aeroplane Enables Harry
to be (nearly) in Three Places at Once—Harry “Brings Home”
a £3,000 Prize for the Sopwith Company at Martlesham—I
Decide that Motor-racing is Too Risky—And Fate Deprives
Harry of a Race—Motor-boat Racing—Racing an A.C. Light
Car—And a D.F.P.—The Gordon-Bennett Air Race of 1920—Bad
Luck—The 450 h. p. Sunbeam Again 291

CHAPTER XX

MOTOR ENGINEERING AND RACING

Formation of the Hawker Engineering Company—The Racing
A.C.—Amusing Experiences—Remarkable Performances Due
to Efficient Streamlining—Several Records Broken—An Accident—The
Hawker Two-stroke Motor-cycle 309