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 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 ...

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 annually (and later, biennially) to the winner of a race for seaplanes and flyin ...

seaplane race.

Early life

Waghorn was born on 6 September 1904 at Brompton, London, 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 military 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 ...

. 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 was 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 th ...

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. The school was based at ...

(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. Early life Richard Atcherley and ...

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'' 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 3¾ miles 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 The Rolls-Royce Buzzard was a British piston aero engine of capacity that produced about . Designed and built by Rolls-Royce Limited it is a V12 engine of Bore and Stroke. Only 100 were made. A further development was the Rolls-Royce R e ...

engine fitted rather than the normal

Condor Condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. The name derives from the Quechua ''kuntur''. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere. They are: * The Andean condor (''Vu ...

.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 People 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 Military personnel from London