A history of Didsbury in just 20 objects number 4 ........... the postcard and the flying machine

The story of Didsbury in just twenty objects, chosen at random and delivered in a paragraph.

In the June of 1911 young Bertha Geary aged just 13 of School Lane heard history and wrote to her friend “We saw the flying man on Tuesday night fly over head.  Beaumont is his name.  I wish you could have seen him.  It made such a noise.” He was André Beaumont and he was one of 30 competitors in the Daily Mail Circuit of Britain Air Race in 1911. Flying in a Blériot XI he was the first to complete the course which was no mean achievement as many of the aircraft either failed to take off or crashed along the way.

Picture; the postcard sent by young Bertha from the collection of Paul O’Sullivan