What of the lyers involved in the race? During the First World War Fred Raynham worked for Martinsyde as a test pilot. In 1919 he entered the non-stop trans-Atlantic crossing competition sponsored by the Daily Mail, but his Martinsyde Raymor (later renamed Chimera) crashed twice while attempting to take off. The following year Raynham took part in the inal Gordon Bennett trophy race lying a Martinsyde Semiquaver, the sole British competitor. In September 1922, with bright yellow Martinsyde F6 G-EBDK he inished second in the inaugural King’s Cup air race. Later he became managing director of the Air Survey Company’s Indian subsidiary, lying widely in the Far East, before joining the Air Ministry during the Second World War.
Humphrey Roe served with the Royal Flying Corps as an observer, but in March 1918 was injured during a night bombing mission. Two months later he married Marie Stopes, author of the thencontroversial book Married Love. The two became prominent campaigners in favour of birth control, and oversaw the establishment of several family planning clinics across Britain. Their son Harry Stopes-Roe married Mary, the daughter of Sir Barnes Wallis.
Soon after the war’s outbreak Harold Blackbur…
