Harry Hawker
I read recently that Harry Hawker was buried in the local churchyard in Hook, Chessington.
Harry Hawker was an Australian aviation pioneer. He was the chief test pilot for Sopwith and involved in the design of many of their aircraft. After WWI he co-founded Hawker Aircraft, the firm that would be responsible for a long series of successful military aircraft. His life was cut short when the aircraft he was due to fly in the 1921 Aerial Derby crashed at Burnt Oak near Hendon Aerodrome. The king sent a message saying 'The nation had lost one of its most distinguished airman'.
Hawker Aircraft was the predecessor of the Hawker Siddeley Aircraft Company.
I took a walk to the churchyard this afternoon to see the memorial. The extra is the inscription on the base.
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