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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Trick Photography - Martynside - Capt KN Pearson


pearsonica

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Many thanks to all that replied on my Martynside Special. This amazed me, my Grandfather chocked his plane up and took this photo as if he was flying his plane. He then cut round the photo afterwards as if it was up in the sky. Quite advance trick photgraphy at the time. Anybody got any history on this plane?

post-41022-1227138402.jpg

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Sanger's The Martinsyde File gives that this was one of eight G102 Elephant rebuilds by No.1 (Southern) ARD# Farnborough, which were given serial No.s B851,B852,B860,B864-866, B872, B873

# I'm not sure what ARD stands for; Aeroplane Repair or Rebuild Depot possibly?; it look likely that these planes were made up from parts recovered from wrecks which were otherwise beyond repair ?

and the following history:

B872 allocated Exp force 29.9.17; 110Sqn Sedgeford 1.18 to 4.18; 187 NTS East Retford

Have you had a look for your grandfather in the "Flight" magazine archive?

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/index.html

Pearson isn't an uncommon name so there is a lot of chaff, but I did find this mention searching using "Pearson" as the serch term

http://tinyurl.com/64mpf3

there may well be others; definitely worth a search possibly restricting it by including combinations of christian name and initials.

NigelS

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I'm not sure what ARD stands for; Aeroplane Repair or Rebuild Depot?.

Nigel

It was Aeroplane Repair Depot. Components from wrecked aeroplanes were put together to make new machines.

Regards

Gareth

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I have read my Grandfathers MC citation. The Guy who escaped back to base with his controls cut told the others that the had left Ken fighting off 10 Germans. I have no idea what planes he was fighting off. But I was told that when he returned to base they thought they had seen a ghost as they thought there was no way he would get out of that pickle. Romour has it instead of dive away as was favourite to get away he climbed higher and higher untill he out climbed the others and hence escaped.

It a shame my father sold his medals except for his MC which I have. Its a shame its not engraved. But I may well arrange to get it done myself.

After the war he was inventing alsorts of things like the Pearson Rotary Aileron. This is detailed in the flight magazine as well. see photo

See flight magazine. He also designed Aircraft as well - find gadfly 1 and 2 http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/vie...?search=PEARSON [/size] Lieut.-Col. G. L. P. Henderson has realised this, and some time ago he joined forces with Mr. Glenny and Captain

Pearson and formed the firm of Glenny and Henderson, with works in York Road, Byfleet, Surrey. Captain Pearson

designed for the firm a small low-wing monoplane fitted with the A.B.C. " Scorpion " engine, and it is this machine, to be

marketed as the " Gadfly," which Glenny and Henderson will exhibit at Olympia

post-41022-1227208313.jpg

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Lieut.-Col. G. L. P. Henderson has realised this, and some time ago he joined forces with Mr. Glenny and Captain Pearson and formed the firm of Glenny and Henderson, with works in York Road, Byfleet, Surrey.

Not unsurprisingly York Road, Byfleet was/is very close to the Brooklands racetrack/aerodrome

NigelS

PS Gareth - Thanks for the star :D

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  • 7 years later...

I have come across quite a few more photos of my Grandfather

KNP RFC 1 Photos 001.jpg

This one showes him getting a war wound looked after by a pretty nurse. (not my Grandmother) He was shot in the mouth but records say he had a syst. certainly he suffered with his teeth on that side of his mouth

Edited by pearsonica
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  • 3 years later...

I just found the Original Photo of B'872 he used to produce the fake photo of himself flying. It was taken in front of the Aircraft Hanger at RAF Sedgeford, East Retford.  He also had a photo taken of how the upper Lewis Gun was fired.  From his CV it says he was the first commander of 110 Sqn for 3 months. However the RAF records do not confirm this and it could be that this has something to do with him being Court Marshaled just after his younger brothers death in 1919. Soon after he was dismissed from the service. He then went into Aircraft Design as he was a trained Engineering Draftsman and at one point had Sydney Camm working for him. However he did not get on with him and he left the company to go free lance.

Martinsyde B872 - KNP in cockpit.jpg

Martinsyde No10 - How to Fire the upper Lewis Gun.jpg

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