Henry Richard Danvers Waghorn, (6 September 1904 – 7 May 1931) was a British aviator and

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

officer who flew the winning aircraft in the 1929

Schneider Trophy The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, also known as the Schneider Trophy, Schneider Prize or (incorrectly) the Schneider Cup is a trophy that was awarded first annually, and later biennially, to the winner of a race for seaplanes and ...

seaplane race.

Early life

Waghorn was born on 6 September 1904 at

Brompton, London Brompton, sometimes called Old Brompton, survives in name as a Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, ward in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. Until the latter half of the 19th century it was a scattered vill ...

, the son of a civil engineer. In 1924 Waghorn became a cadet at the

Royal Air Force College Cranwell The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to become commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and is resp ...

. When he passed out in August that year he was awarded the Sword of Honour as the best all-round cadet. He was posted to No. 17 Squadron flying the

Sopwith Snipe The Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe is a British single-seat biplane fighter of the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed and built by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War, and came into squadron service a few weeks before the end of the ...

fighter. After a few years he was sent on a flying instructor's course at the

Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school in the world. The sch ...

(CFS). Following the course he stayed with the CFS as a qualified flying instructor. In February 1929 he was posted to the

Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment The Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment (MAEE) was a British military research and test organisation. It was originally formed as the Marine Aircraft Experimental Station in October 1918 at RAF Isle of Grain, a former Royal Naval Air Serv ...

at Felixstowe to train as part of the British team to contest the 1929 Schneider Trophy.

Schneider Trophy

After training, the British team moved to Calshot in April 1929 to prepare for the race against France, Italy, and the United States. The race was held on 6 September 1929 and was won by Waghorn flying his Supermarine S.6. He completed the course in 39 minutes 42 seconds at an average speed of . Waghorn was also to claim world record speeds for seaplanes, although teammate

Richard Atcherley Air Marshal Sir Richard Llewellyn Roger Atcherley, (12 January 1904 – 18 April 1970) was a senior Royal Air Force officer. He served as Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Pakistan Air Force from 1949 to 1951. His final appointment before retir ...

later registered higher speeds when he completed his laps of the circuit. But Waghorn had the highest average speed and the United Kingdom retained the trophy for the second time, following the team win in 1927. After winning the trophy, Waghorn was awarded the Air Force Cross. The award was announced in the ''

London Gazette London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...

'' of 20 September 1929, reading: Waghorn continued to fly after the race, mainly concerned with experimental and high-speed flying.

Family and sport

Waghorn married Dollie Watson on 15 June 1929 and they had a son, John. Dick Waghorn had an interest in skiing and was second in a race in the 1930 British Ski Championship and was a member of the Great Britain team.

Death

On 5 May 1931 Waghorn was test flying a

Hawker Horsley The Hawker Horsley was a British single-engined biplane bomber of the 1920s. It was the last all-wooden aircraft built by Hawker Aircraft, and served as a medium day bomber and torpedo bomber with Britain's Royal Air Force between 1926 and 1935 ...

biplane bomber from Farnborough when he lost control in high winds; he and his passenger, a civilian assistant named E. R. Alexander, parachuted from the aircraft. Alexander landed on the roof of a factory and had minor injuries but Waghorn was seriously injured and died on 7 May. The Horsley was being used to carry out experiments with radiators and had a prototype Rolls-Royce Buzzard engine fitted rather than the normal Rolls-Royce Condor, Condor.Mason 1991, p. 136. An inquest returned a verdict of accidental death.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Waghorn, Richard 1904 births 1931 deaths Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in England British air racers English male skiers English aviators Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell Military personnel from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Air Force officers Schneider Trophy pilots British aviation record holders Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1931 20th-century Royal Air Force personnel 20th-century English sportsmen