Written by WH and EFHC. Reformatted by JS (06/2019)
Lord Wakefield
“As you know, I have been interested in model aeronautical engineering from its early days, and I rejoice that the movement has spread far and wide. It is a science as well as a sport. Its practical value is everywhere recognized, proof being afforded by the fact that many of the early enthusiasts in model construction have since become famous designers and builders of the aeroplane. Some of the younger competitors - and I remember that the British team last year included some who were very young - may well prove to be leaders in this great industry ten or twenty years hence. I hope they will not have forgotten the friendships and kindness engendered by these competitions, where twelve or more nations meet in a rivalry which is pure enthusiasm and goodwill. In this respect the world wide model aeronautical movement has a value and importance which we shall do well to prize and preserve.”
Wakefield of Hythe [signed]
An Appreciation from THE AERO-MODELLER
The recent death of Viscount Wakefield of Hythe is an irreparable loss to aviation and to the model aeroplane movement, for which he has done so much. Lord Wakefield was justifiably proud of the nickname which he earned of “The Patron Saint of Aviation,” and although he extended his generosity to various projects, the flying movement was nearest to his heart. His shrewd business brain early recognised the immense possibilities of aviation, and its importance to a nation with a widely scattered Empire.
As the patron of the Society of Model Aeronautical Engineers, Lord Wakefield was not content to be a figurehead, and he always took a very keen interest in the society’s work, particularly in the international sphere of model aeronautics. He also understood and appreciated the difficulties created for the governing body by the enormously rapid growth of the movement. In the early days of the society, Sir Charles Wakefield, as he then was, attended a number of meetings, and I know that, had his health permitted, he would have been frequently seen at our flying meetings at Fairey’s Aerodrome and elsewhere in recent years.
His presence at the King Peter Cup Banquet in July 1939, made this a memorable occasion, and I have retained a vivid memory of his lordship’s emotion at the wonderful reception which was accorded to him by all the aeromodellers present.
As a writer recently said of Lord Wakefield: “He was truly interested in people and the things they strove honestly and courageously to do. And his interest as much as his generosity served to evoke efforts which otherwise would have died while they were still mere aspirations.” E. F. H. Cosh.
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