Page 30 • The HERALD • 9th January 2025 v THE HERALD - YOUR COMMUNITY MAGAZINE v The Square, Fawley, Southampton SO45 1DD T: 023 8112 3112 E: office@zebra-ltd.co.uk All Plumbing Works Undertaken Full Bathroom Installation Toilet Fix from £75 Fully Insured Free Quotes No Job Too Big or Too Small PLUMBING & BATHROOMS WILLIS DECORATING & JOINERY SERVICES Est Since 1986 Interior & Exterior Painting & Decorating Wallpaper Hanging Hand-painted Kitchens & Spray Finishes Wardrobes, Bookcases, Radiator Covers Call David on 023 8084 9800 or 07946 048261 E: david.willis24@btinternet.com Charles Rolls of Rolls Royce and the First Aerial Photo of the New Forest (Possibly…) by Marc Heighway Marc hosts monthly local history talks, visit: nfhwa.org/events for details. As far back as recorded history can trace, and likely long before that, humans have sought to emulate birds and take to the skies. e people of the local area were no di erent. In fact, this region has seen more than its fair share of aviation pioneers. is should come as his sleeves and worked hands-on with the cars. Despite his association with Rolls-Royce, his true passion soon turned to aviation. So much so that he resigned from the company to focus on ying and ballooning. He was only the second Briton ever to y in an aeroplane. A er resigning from Rolls-Royce, Rolls attended the annual Cowes Regatta in August 1909. He brought a hot air balloon to the event, and on 7th August, took o over the Solent in his basket. For many spectators, it was their rst glimpse of a hot air balloon: a remarkable sight at the time. Rolls ew from East Cowes to Lymington, a journey that took two and a half hours. During this ight, Rolls captured what may be the rst-ever aerial photographs of the local area. One such photo, included in this article, appears to have been taken facing west, with Lepe visible and the mouth of the Beaulieu River in the distance. While the image may be hard to discern in this printed edition of e Herald, you might notice a small spot on the coastline, which I believe to be the Lepe Watch House. e following year, Rolls became the rst person to complete a non-stop double crossing of the English Channel in an aeroplane. For this achievement, he received a congratulatory telegram from King George and Queen Mary, and a newspaper hailed him as ‘the greatest hero of the day’. Tragically, just one month later, Rolls achieved another rst: albeit an unwanted one. He became the rst Briton to die in an aeroplane accident when the tail of his Wright Flyer aircra broke o at 300 feet during a ying display at the Bournemouth Centenary celebrations. He was just 32 years old. During his short life, Rolls was credited with some memorable quotes. My favourite is his response when asked, a er his resignation from Rolls-Royce, whether he preferred ying to driving. “Flying,” he said, “because there are no policemen in the air.” If you’d like to learn more about Charles Rolls and the aviation pioneers who made their mark in the New Forest and Waterside during the early 20th century, Marc Heighway will be giving a talk in East Boldre on 21st February, titled ‘Wings Over the Forest’. To be notified when tickets become available, sign up for email alerts at nfhwa.org/events. no surprise, as southern England, including the New Forest, with its at terrain and proximity to the sea, provided an ideal landscape for early ight attempts. e rst manned powered ight in the world is believed to have taken place in December 1903, when the Wright Brothers successfully took o in North Carolina, USA. Back in England, their achievement inspired many to pursue similar feats, and by 1910, the country’s only second-ever ying school opened in East Boldre. But even before the school opened, Charles Rolls of Rolls-Royce fame had already completed over 200 ights in an aeroplane by 1909. An early aviation enthusiast, he loved being in the air, so much so that he also ew hot air balloons. It was this passion for ight, and for ballooning in particular, that forged his connection to the local area. But rst, some background. Charles Rolls was born in 1877. As the son of a baron, he was wealthy and privileged, with access to the ner things in life. At 18, he travelled to France to buy his rst motor car, sparking an interest in automobiles. Back in England, this passion brought him into contact with Henry Royce. Together, they co-founded Rolls-Royce, with Rolls contributing the capital and business acumen, and Royce providing the engineering expertise. It would be easy to dismiss Charles Rolls as a spoiled playboy, but he was never happier in the early days of the company than when he rolled up 1909 possibly the first aerial photo of the New Forest and Lepe Charles Rolls
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