
Campbell Mackenzie-Richards (1900–1927) was a pioneer English aviator,
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
test pilot
A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...
, and
air race
Air racing is a type of motorsport that involves airplanes or other types of aircraft that compete over a fixed course, with the winner either returning the shortest time, the one to complete it with the most points, or to come closest to a prev ...
contestant, who was killed testing experimental equipment in November 1927.
Early life
Campbell MacKenzie-Richards was born on 6 January 1900 in
Streatham, London, the grandson of
Peter Felix Richards
Peter Felix Richards (1808–1868) was a pioneering Scottish merchant in post- Treaty of Nanjing Shanghai, and the founder of the Richards Hotel and Restaurant, the first foreign hotel in China, and the forerunner to the Astor House Hotel.
Early ...
(born 1808 in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, Scotland; died 14 November 1868 in Shanghai, China), the founder of the
Astor House, Shanghai
The Astor House Hotel, known as the Pujiang Hotel (浦江饭店) in Chinese from 1959-2018, was described as once "one of the famous hotels of the world". Established in 1846 as Richards' Hotel and Restaurant (礼查饭店) on The Bund in Shangha ...
; and the son of Peter Felix Mackenzie-Richards (born about 1863 in Shanghai; died 18 December 1920 in
Colchester
Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian.
Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colc ...
, Essex), a civil engineer, and Mary Edith "Mollie" MacRae (born 1 July 1869 in
Brighton, Sussex; died 7 December 1954 at
Heigham Hall
Heigham is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Anne Heigham (c.1563–1601), English Catholic martyr
*Clement Heigham (c.1495–1571), English lawyer and politician
* John Heigham (c.1568–c.1634), English Roman Catholic printer, ...
, a private
mental hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociati ...
in
Norwich, Norfolk
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
), who had married on 4 September 1893 at St. Leonard's Church, Upper
Deal, Kent
Deal is a coastal town in Kent, England, which lies where the North Sea and the English Channel meet, north-east of Dover and south of Ramsgate. It is a former fishing, mining and garrison town whose history is closely linked to the anchor ...
. MacKenzie-Richards was baptised on 1 March 1900 at the Holy Trinity Church at Upper
Tooting
Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross.
History
Tooting has been settled since pre-Saxon times. ...
. MacKenzie-Richards was the brother of Kenneth (born 1894 in Kensington; died 26 December 1980); Ursula (born 13 November 1902; died 11 December 1995); and Mary (born 1907 in
Woodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge is a port and market town in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. It is up the River Deben from the sea. It lies north-east of Ipswich and forms part of the wider Ipswich built-up area. The town is close to some major ar ...
; died 1983). Campbell MacKenzie-Richards was educated at the
Woodbridge School
Woodbridge School is an independent school in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, founded in 1577, for the poor of Woodbridge. It was later supported by the Seckford Foundation. Woodbridge School has been co-educational since September 1974.
Histo ...
in Suffolk.
Career
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
MacKenzie-Richards served in the
British Merchant Navy
The Merchant Navy is the maritime register of the United Kingdom and comprises the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguar ...
and was decorated twice.

Around 1923 MacKenzie-Richards joined the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
. On 24 January 1924 he was confirmed as
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countrie ...
and later was promoted to the rank of
Flying Officer, and was attached to the Bombing Squadron based at
Martlesham Heath
Martlesham Heath village is situated 6 miles (10 km) east of Ipswich, in Suffolk, England. This was an ancient area of heathland and latterly the site of Martlesham Heath Airfield. A "new village" was established there in the mid-1970s and t ...
. After earning the reputation of being a highly skilled pilot, MacKenzie-Richards was attached to the experimental staff of the
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), before finally losing its identity in me ...
at
Farnborough Farnborough may refer to:
Australia
* Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone
United Kingdom
* Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England
** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a rail ...
.
As part of the Airship Development Programme, from 9 October 1925 a hook-equipped
de Havilland Humming Bird
The de Havilland DH.53 Humming Bird is a British single-seat, single-engine, low-wing monoplane light aircraft first flown in the 1920s.
Design and development
In response to the ''Daily Mail'' Light Aeroplane Competition of 1923 de Havillan ...
(Registration ''G-EBQP'') was used in a short series of experiments with "an obsolete underpowered type of
airship
An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air.
In early ...
", HMA
R33 (known colloquially as the "Pulham Pig") in an attempt to develop an
airborne aircraft carrier
An airborne aircraft carrier is a type of mother ship aircraft which can carry, launch, retrieve and support other smaller parasite aircraft.
The only dedicated examples to have been built were airships, although existing heavier-than-air airc ...
. On 15 October 1925 the Humming Bird flown by Squadron Leader Rollo Haig, was released from the R33, and became the first to reattach an aircraft to a rigid airship, although the propeller was damaged as he reattached and he detached again to glide to a separate landing at the aerodrome. On 4 December 1925 Flight Lieutenant Janor, flying a Humming Bird was the first to successfully hook an aeroplane onto a rigid airship and remain attached until the airship landed. Previously the Royal Air Force had modified two F.1
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the be ...
s (serials ''N6622'' and ''N6814'') for trials by
No. 212 Squadron RAF
No. 212 Squadron RAF is an inactive squadron of the British Royal Air Force.
First World War
The squadron was first formed as No. 12 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service, a training unit of No. 1 Wing, founded at Hondschoote on 8 June 1917. ...
with airship
HMA 23r, which culminated in Lt. R.E. Keys piloting one on 6 November 1918, and the first launch and recovery of an aircraft in mid-air had been performed by the US Army
TC-3
The TC-3 and the TC-7 were the two US Army Corps non-rigid blimps used for parasite fighter
A parasite aircraft is a component of a composite aircraft which is carried aloft and air launched by a larger carrier aircraft or mother ship to suppo ...
blimp
A blimp, or non-rigid airship, is an airship (dirigible) without an internal structural framework or a keel. Unlike semi-rigid and rigid airships (e.g. Zeppelins), blimps rely on the pressure of the lifting gas (usually helium, rather than ...
on 15 December 1924, with a
Sperry Messenger
The Sperry Messenger was an American single-seat biplane designed by Alfred V. Verville working for the Engineering Division of the United States Army Air Service (USAAS) and built under contract by Sperry Corporation, Sperry Aircraft Company of ...
biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
performing a
sortie
A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warf ...
from and back to a "
skyhook" attached to the blimp.

On Thursday 21 October 1926, MacKenzie-Richards and Flying Officer (later
Air Vice-Marshal
Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...
) R.L. Ragg participated in the experimental trials of launching twin
parasite aircraft
A parasite aircraft is a component of a composite aircraft which is carried aloft and air launched by a larger carrier aircraft or mother ship to support the primary mission of the carrier. The carrier craft may or may not be able to later reco ...
from retractable trapezes attached under the
keel
The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in B ...
of the R33 using two
Gloster Grebe
The Gloster Grebe was developed by the Gloster Aircraft Company from the Gloster Grouse (an experimental aircraft later developed as a trainer), and was the Royal Air Force's first post- First World War fighter aircraft, entering service in 1 ...
fighters (''J.7400'' and ''J.7385'') from
Pulham aerodrome. The first Grebe, flown by MacKenzie-Richards, which was positioned
aft
"Aft", in nautical terminology, is an adjective or adverb meaning towards the stern (rear) of the ship, aircraft or spacecraft, when the frame of reference is within the ship, headed at the fore. For example, "Able Seaman Smith; lie aft!" or "Wh ...
, was released at 10.17am over Pulham at an altitude of 2,500 feet (762 metres), and, after diving for about 100 ft (30 metres), it levelled out. ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...
'' reported the next day: "The aeroplane, with her engine running, dropped like a stone and then regaining control, MacKenzie-Richards performed a series of stunts, looping-the-loop, rolling and flying upside down", while ''Flight'' indicated that the plane "gambolled gaily in the air as if glad to be free, at last, from the maternal apron strings," before landing safely back at Pulham. After some difficulty in starting the engine, the second Grebe piloted by Ragg, which had been positioned
abaft
This glossary of nautical terms is an alphabetical listing of terms and expressions connected with ships, shipping, seamanship and navigation on water (mostly though not necessarily on the sea). Some remain current, while many date from the 17th t ...
of the first Grebe, was successfully released at 11.30am from a slightly higher altitude over
Cardington, Bedfordshire
Cardington is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England.
Part of the ancient hundred of Wixamtree, the settlement is best known in connection with the Cardington airship works founded by Short Brothers dur ...
, and made a safe landing at Cardington.
In another experiment, the Grebes piloted by MacKenzie-Richards and Ragg were released from 2,000 feet and were able to fly and then reattach their planes to a
skyhook on the airship. Despite the successful trials, the technique was never adopted.
Air racing

MacKenzie-Richards was a member of the
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), before finally losing its identity in me ...
(R.A.E.)
Aero Club
A flying club or aero club is a not-for-profit, member-run organization that provides its members with affordable access to aircraft.
Many clubs also provide flight training, flight planning facilities, pilot supplies and associated services, as ...
, and competed in
air races
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
. In June 1927 MacKenzie-Richards took part in the
Whitsun
Whitsun (also Whitsunday or Whit Sunday) is the name used in Britain, and other countries among Anglicans and Methodists, for the Christian High Holy Day of Pentecost. It is the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the H ...
weekend air races (4 and 6 June 1927) at the
Ensbury Park
Ensbury Park is a mainly residential suburb of Bournemouth, in Dorset, England. It includes the housing estate of Slades Farm and lies within the ward district of Northbourne and Redhill.
Initial development
Ensbury Park takes its name from the ...
racecourse (near
Bournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the English ...
), winning from
scratch
Scratch or scratching may refer to:
Science and technology
* Scratch (programming language), an educational programming language developed by MIT Media Lab
* Scratch space, space on the hard disk drive that is dedicated for only temporary stor ...
convincingly the delayed first race of the meet on Saturday, 4 June 1927, the Low Power
Handicap for aeroplanes with engines less than 1500cc, against three other competitors (two others had withdrawn) in de Havilland Humming Bird ''G-EBQP'', a single-seat ultralight
monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
that had been used in the R33 trials, with a
Bristol Cherub
The Bristol Cherub is a British two-cylinder, air-cooled, aircraft engine designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. Introduced in 1923 it was a popular engine for ultralight and small aircraft in the 1930s.
Variants
;Cherub I
:Initi ...
III engine. at 73.5 miles per hour. The crash of a
de Havilland DH.37
The de Havilland DH.37 was a British three-seat sporting biplane of the 1920s designed and built by de Havilland for aviator Alan Samuel Butler.
Operational history
The first example was named ''Sylvia'' for the sister of Alan Samuel Butler ...
A earlier on 4 June 1927, and the collision of a
Westland Widgeon and a
Blackburn Bluebird
The Blackburn L.1 Bluebird was a British single-engine biplane light trainer/tourer with side-by-side seating, built in small numbers by Blackburn Aircraft in the 1920s.
Design and development
The Bluebird L.1 was initially designed as a comp ...
on
Whit Monday
Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday, also known as Monday of the Holy Spirit, is the holiday celebrated the day after Pentecost, a moveable feast in the Christian liturgical calendar. It is moveable because it is determined by the date of Easter. In ...
, 6 June 1927, which resulted in the death of two pilots and a passenger in front of thousands of spectators forced the cessation of further air races at Ensbury Park racecourse, and its eventual sale to a housing developer.
During the Nottingham Flying Meeting held at the
Hucknall Torkard aerodrome at
Hucknall
Hucknall, formerly Hucknall Torkard, is a market town in the Ashfield district of Nottinghamshire, England. It lies 7 miles north of Nottingham, 7 miles south-east of Kirkby-in-Ashfield, 9 miles from Mansfield and 10 miles south of Sutton-in ...
, Nottinghamshire on the
Summer Bank Holiday
In the United Kingdom, public holidays are days on which most businesses and non-essential services are closed. Many retail businesses (especially the larger ones) do open on some of the public holidays. There are restrictions on trading on Sund ...
weekend, which included the 6th
King's Cup Race
The King's Cup air race is a British handicapped cross-country event, which has taken place annually since 1922. It is run by the Royal Aero Club Records Racing and Rally Association.
The King's Cup is one of the most prestigious prizes of the ...
, after starting from the scratch position, Mackenzie-Richards came third flying the same Humming Bird in "ideal flying conditions" over the 8.5-mile single-lap course in the
Papplewick
Papplewick is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England, 7.5 miles (12 km) north of Nottingham and 6 miles (10 km) south of Mansfield. It had a population of 756 at the 2011 census. In the Middle Ages, the village marked t ...
Stakes Low-power Handicap, the first event held at 11.30am on Monday, 1 August 1927, and received £10.
Marriage
On Wednesday 17 August 1927, MacKenzie-Richards married Mirabel Cobbold (born 2 May 1904), who had earned a Bachelor of Arts from the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world's second-oldest university in contin ...
in 1926, the only child of
Lt. Col.
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel ...
Ernest Cazenove Cobbold
CB (born 15 January 1866 at
Ufford, Suffolk
Ufford is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. Its population of 808 at the 2001 census rose to 948 at the 2011 Census and was estimated at 1,008 in 2019. The village lies 2 miles (3.2 km) south-south-west of Wickham Market and 13 mi ...
; died 1932), of the
York and Lancaster Regiment
The York and Lancaster Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was created in the Childers Reforms of 1881 by the amalgamation of the 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment o ...
, and Edith Mary White (died 1949), at the
St Peter and St Paul's Parish Church at
Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh ( ) is a coastal town in the county of Suffolk, England. Located to the north of the River Alde. Its estimated population was 2,276 in 2019. It was home to the composer Benjamin Britten and remains the centre of the international Aldeb ...
, Suffolk.
Death and inquest
MacKenzie-Richards was killed in a night flying accident at
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town in West Sussex, England, near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders, south of London, northeast of Brighton, and northeast of the county town of Chichester. Situated in the extreme northeast of the county, the civ ...
, Surrey on 9 November 1927 . MacKenzie-Richards was engaged in testing night navigating devices at
Croydon aerodrome
Croydon Airport (former ICAO code: EGCR) was the UK's only international airport during the interwar period. Located in Croydon, South London, England, it opened in 1920, built in a Neoclassical style, and was developed as Britain's main airpo ...
, including two new illuminated wind vanes erected there experimentally.

On Wednesday, 9 November 1927, flying
Bristol fighter ''C810'', MacKenzie-Richards had finished his work at 5.30pm and left Croydon with Professor Harry Norman Green. Green (born 21 September 1902 in
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
, England; died 16 May 1967) was educated at the Central Secondary School in Sheffield, and received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Sheffield University, specialising in
pathology
Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...
. He taught at the Sheffield University (1926–1933, 1935–1953), Cambridge University (1933–1935), and the
University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
(1953–1967). Green's research interests focused on the immune system in cancer induction and growth. In 1947 Green was appointed Director of Cancer. a
pathologist
Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in t ...
and member of the faculty of medicine (and later the Department of
Pharmacology
Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemi ...
) at the
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Firth C ...
, as his
observer
An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment.
Observer may also refer to:
Computer science and information theory
* In information theory, any system which receives information from an object
* State observer in co ...
. They attempted to make their way back to
Farnborough Farnborough may refer to:
Australia
* Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone
United Kingdom
* Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England
** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a rail ...
, but the compass was 30 degrees out when they left. Failing to find Farnborough they attempted to return to Croydon. They flew back without seeing anything they recognised until they estimated they were over Croydon. They could not pick up any indication of Croydon nor could they see any lights. They spoke on the 'telephone' and MacKenzie-Richards suggested that they had better make a
forced landing
A forced landing is a landing by an aircraft made under factors outside the pilot's control, such as the failure of engines, systems, components, or weather which makes continued flight impossible. For a full description of these, see article on ' ...
before they ran out of petrol – they only had about 20 minutes fuel remaining. He came down low and asked Green to look for a field. Presently he said that he could not see a field that he could land in and he lit a flare. There was a certain amount of mist, but nothing exceptional. They just missed some trees and climbed back up to 2,000 feet. As Green had never used a parachute before, MacKenzie-Richards briefed him particularly about not pulling the
ripcord until he was clear of the aircraft. Green questioned whether the aircraft could be rolled onto its back so that they could both get out, but MacKenzie-Richards refused, saying that Green should go. At the inquest Green explained how he had one foot on the seat and one on the side waiting for the signal to jump. MacKenzie-Richards throttled the engine down and turned around, put his hand out and pushed Green. Green landed in a field and was perfectly alright. MacKenzie-Richards was found in another field, but there was no sign of life; his parachute was open. The Coroner's conclusion was that by the time MacKenzie-Richards left the aircraft he was too close to the ground and that his parachute failed to fully deploy.
At the inquest a Major Cooper informed the Court that the compasses were checked periodically on the ground, and that he was satisfied that this compass had been tested at certain periods. He pointed out that this had been an experimental aircraft, which had certain experimental lights, and the evidence suggested that one of the pieces of wiring had an effect on the compass after the machine had left the ground. It was quite possible that the error in the compass only occurred when the current was generated.
The wreckage of the aircraft was found in a wood about two hundred yards from where his body was found.
He is buried at the parish church of St. Andrew,
Great Yeldham
Great Yeldham is a village in north Essex, England, about from the Suffolk border. Great Yeldham is situated along the busy main A1017 road (formerly A604) between Braintree and Haverhill.
The village is where the infant River Colne is join ...
.
Legacy
MacKenzie-Richards was promoted posthumously to
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the Indi ...
in the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
. After his death, his only child, Gillian Campbell MacKenzie-Richards, was born in
Aldeburgh
Aldeburgh ( ) is a coastal town in the county of Suffolk, England. Located to the north of the River Alde. Its estimated population was 2,276 in 2019. It was home to the composer Benjamin Britten and remains the centre of the international Aldeb ...
, in 1928. For three years, Mirabel and Gillian lived in Aldeburgh. On 1 July 1931, Mirabel married Canadian farmer, Charles Robert Orr-Simpson, of
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...
. On 14 July 1931 Mirabel and Gillian migrated to Canada on the ''
Empress of Britain''. On 26 February 1934, the Simpson family arrived in
Southampton
Southampton () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire, S ...
on ''Warwick Castle'' from
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second larges ...
via
Madeira
)
, anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira")
, song_type = Regional anthem
, image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg
, map_alt=Location of Madeira
, map_caption=Location of Madeira
, subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...
, intending to live in
Bath, Somerset. By June 1935, Mirabel was living in
Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea is a seaside town in the Tendring District in the county of Essex, England. It is located on the Tendring Peninsula and is the largest settlement in the Tendring District with a population of 56,874 (2016). The town is situated ...
, Essex.
[UK Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878–1960. Ship Name: Llandovery Castle. Arrival Date: 24 June 1935 Port of Arrival: Southampton, England. Official Number: 148678. Class: BT26; Piece: 1080; Item: 17.]
References and notes
External links
Photo of Campbell MacKenzie-Richards in Humming Bird J7326 (G-EBQP)Video of HMA R33 launching a Grebe fighterPhoto of HMA R33 launching a Grebe fighterPhoto of HMA R33 with two Grebe fighters attached while mooredHMA R33 with two Grebe fighters attached while mooredClose-up Photo of HMA R33 with two Grebe fighters attached in flightPhoto of HMA R33 with two Grebe fighters attached in flightBritish Pathe: 1927 Air races at Ensbury Park racecourse, Bournemouth2009 photo of De Havilland DH.53 Humming Bird, G-EBQP/J7326 flown by MacKenzie-Richards in air races in 1927*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20100420000611/http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/mus/uk/dehav/mosqmus.htm Photo of Humming Bird J7326 (G-EBQP) at the De Havilland Aircraft Heritage CentrePhoto of Humming Bird J7326 (G-EBQP) at the De Havilland Aircraft Heritage CentreArticle: "The Flying Aircraft Carrier: Why?" with photos of R33 and Gloster Grebes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackenzie-Richards, Campbell
1900 births
1927 deaths
British Merchant Service personnel of World War I
Royal Air Force officers
British test pilots
Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in England
De Havilland
People educated at Woodbridge School
People from Streatham
Anglo-Scots
English aviators
Air racers
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1927