SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

Greetings,My dad, now nearly 95, was born and brought up just off Harehills Lane, and he recalls many times walking from there, across the fields, down the “quarter mile approach” (a narrow, sunken pathway) and then across Wetherby Road into the southern entrance to Roundhay Park.In his latest reminiscence, he tells firstly of seeing Alan Cobham’s Flying Circus performing at Roundhay Park I guess in the late 1920s.Also, he says that at the junction of Wetherby Road and Elmet Avenue was a memorial, in the form of the propeller of the aircraft in question, of an aeroplane crash on the site – again I guess this will have been in the 1920s. He says that the memorial was there for several years, but was not there the last time he passed the site, although that will have been many years ago now.Can anyone shed any light on these two memories? As I say, dad is getting on a bit, but his memory is very good, although it might have got a tad distorted over the years.Many thanks in advanceRoundhayman

Hi Roundhayman. I think if you Google the name Rowland Ding you may find the information you are looking for. The BBC page is probably the best.Someone with better PC skills than I might be prevailed upon to post a direct link here.

Here you go Jim. Some nice pictures here,although none of the memorial mentioned:http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/con ... ry.shtml?1

Thanks for that Steve. Clicking onto "a forgotten hero" after accessing that link will bring up further textual information. This includes details of what happened to the memorial propellor and where it now resides, and I believe that the plane shown with the four bladed prop is identical to the one in which Mr Ding crashed.

In the BBC NEWS link, picture No. 9 shows West Avenue LS8 in the background.Tesco Roundhay Rd. now occupy the site of the Blackburn Aircraft Co.There is a blue plaque outside, near the entrance.     

Thanks for that link, quite amazing... most grateful...The Lupton mentioned is, I think, connected with Kate Middleton's family, and/or the Lupton Fawcett solicitors in Leeds, I shall check, even tho that is irrelevant!Thanks againBest to allR'man    

Roundhayman wrote: Thanks for that link, quite amazing... most grateful...The Lupton mentioned is, I think, connected with Kate Middleton's family, and/or the Lupton Fawcett solicitors in Leeds, I shall check, even tho that is irrelevant!Thanks againBest to allR'man     Middletons and (Dibb) Luptons mentioned in old threads variosly relted to Asket Hall, Fearnville House and Chapel Allerton.

Sure we did quite a lot on blackburns spinning-off from one of your threads Phill - can you recall which it was??

Like Roundhayman's father, I lived in the Hovinghams as a boy ( I wonder if I knew his father) and walked always to the park through the 'ginnel' or pathway from Oakwood Lane to Wetherby Road. In a small field near to the Oakwood end of the path on the left hand side there was a stout post on which was fastend a wooden propeller. I presume that was the site where test pilot Rowland Ding crashed and was killed.

With my brothers and friends in the late 1920s-1930s we would spend fine Sunday mornings, laid on the grass, hands tucked under chins, watching by-planes taking off and landing just over our heads. This was at the narrow end of Soldiers Field adjacent to Oakwood clock and I presume that the planes were from Blackburn's works a short distance down Rounhay Road.

I also remember about this time watching planes flying from a field at Whinmoor, a short distance from Seacroft. It was Sir Alan Cobham's Flying Circus where passengers paid for a short flight round the field and back. There were other attraction such as wing walking and parachute jumping. I couln't afford a ticket but had a good view from the roadside.