James Radley (1884–1959) was one of the first English aviators, holding

Royal Aero Club The Royal Aero Club (RAeC) is the national co-ordinating body for air sport in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1901 as the Aero Club of Great Britain, being granted the title of the "Royal Aero Club" in 1910. History The Aero Club was foun ...

Aviators Certificate Number 12. As well as carrying out demonstration flights and competitions in aircraft, he also piloted a ballon in a number of balloon races. As well as his interests in aviation he was a racing driver.

Early life

Radley was born in 1884 at Dunnow Hall,

Slaidburn Slaidburn () is a village and civil parish within the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England. The parish covers just over 5,000 acres of the Forest of Bowland. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, Slaidburn lies near the head o ...

in Yorkshire, England. His parents were James and Fanny Radley, his father being a wealthy colliery owner who took a 14-year lease of Dunnow, with shooting rights on part of the Slaidburn Estate, from William Wilkinson in 1877 for a rent of £400 per annum.James Radley 1884-1959
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Aviation and motor career

Radley started as a racing driver before gaining his aviators certificate on 14 June 1910. In June 1910 he flew his Blériot XI at the first aviation meeting held in Scotland at Pollokshaws,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

making seven flights. In October 1910 he flew in the United States, winning the cross-country aviation race at

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

in New York. Radley covered 20 miles in 19 minutes and 46 seconds, an American speed record. In 1911 he entered the ''Daily Mail'' Circuit of Britain Air Race and was to use an Antoinette monoplane, but he failed to start. In July 1912 he won a cross-country balloon race where he achieved a distance of 132 miles from Hurlingham. For the 1913 Circuit of Britain race, Radley in co-operation with Gordon England designed and built the Radley-England waterplane to take place in the 1913 race. It was damaged before the race and did not complete, the aircraft was subsequently modified and re-built. In 1912 Radley entered a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost into the 1912 Austrian Alpine Trial, he also competed in 1913 and won in 1914 with test driver and

riding mechanic A riding mechanic was a mechanic that rode along with a race car during races, and who was tasked with maintaining, monitoring, and repairing the car during the race. The various duties included manually pumping oil and fuel, checking tire wear, ...

'Tubby' Ward. In August 1914, Radley joined the Royal Automobile Club Volunteer Force and took his personal Rolls-Royce car to France to act as a civilian

staff car A staff car is a vehicle used by a senior military officer, and is part of their country's white fleet. The term is most often used in relation to the United Kingdom where they were first used in quantity during World War I, examples being the ...

driver for senior officers of the British Expeditionary Force.

Later life

Radley died in 1959 at his home at Woodgreen, Hampshire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radley, James 1880s births 1959 deaths English aviators English motorsport people British aviation record holders