Long Meadow
LONG MEADOW: Temporary Landing Ground
Location: On the west bank of the River Avon, just NE of Evesham town centre
Period of operation: 24th July 1912
In 1912 the then famous French aviator was sponsored by the Daily Mail to undertake a tour, mostly of southern England, South Wales, and the west Country before heading north through the Midlands to north-west England. He then made a shortish appearance in Ireland.
In this case he diverted just into the Midlands reaching Worcester before turning around heading roughly south-east. (Please see the article for the full route and itinerary). Whilst en route from Worcester to Stratford-upon-Avon he put a southerly 'kink' into his route to make a brief appearance at Evesham.
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
The newspaper article was published in the Evesham Standard & West Midland Observer on the 27th July 1912.
NOTES: This fleeting visit by Salmet was one of the few occasions during this Tour when the full civic reception extravagansa machine did not get a chance to 'get into gear'. But even so, many hundreds were flocking towards the Landing Ground to get a close look at the airman and his machine. What we need to remember is that throughout the U.K. very few people had seen an aeroplane, let alone one flying. The arrival of one really was sensational.
Indeed, even when one of the early aviators, brave enough to venture away from an aerodrome, made an unscheduled landing almost anywhere, it is remarkable just how quickly a large crowd gathered. The 'bush-telegraph-grapevine' was obviously remarkably effective.
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