A Transatlantic Tale
Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown made the first transatlantic flight in June 1919, flying non-stop for 15 hours in their Vickers Vimy overcoming fog, bad weather and mechanical failure.
A pioneering flight
Today flying across the Atlantic is a commonplace event. During the early years of powered flight, however, there were many ‘firsts’. The owner of the Daily Mail newspaper, Lord Northcliffe, was a strong advocate of aviation. His newspaper regularly offered prize money for pioneering flight competitions. The Transatlantic Prize of £10,000 to the aviator who was first to cross the Atlantic from America to the UK within 72 consecutive hours was an example of one of these. Originally offered in 1913, the contest was suspended during the First World War but was resumed afterwards.
Object number : R017029
Menu for Daily Mail lunch given to mark Alcock and Brown’s success.
Copyright : Savoy Hotel
Storms, hot tea and a lucky black cat
Several teams entered the race but it was Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown who, on 14–15 June 1919, succeeded in accomplishing what nobody else had done before. Representing the aviation firm Vickers, in their specially constructed and modified Vickers Vimy, they completed the crossing from Newfoundland to Ireland in 15 hours and 57 minutes, flying into the history books.
The flight itself was not without incident. The aircraft famously crash landed in a bog near Clifden, County Galway in Ireland. Brown’s navigation logs and chart, held by the RAF Museum, record the mechanical failure, fog and bad weather endured by the crew but they also capture the spirit of the venture.
Comfort was provided by warm drinks, food and lucky mascots. The RAF Museum holds the vacuum flask which can be seen being loaded onto the Vimy.
Mascots and superstitions have always been important to civilian aviators and military personnel. Alcock and Brown each carried a black cat toy. Brown’s ‘Twinkletoes’ is on display at the RAF Museum’s Cosford site and is available for adoption as part of the Museum’s Adopt and Artefact scheme.
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An exceptional pilot
It was not the first time that John Alcock had piloted an aircraft in an air race. He had been a regular competitor at the pre-war Hendon displays organised by Claude Grahame White, himself a contestant in the Daily Mail sponsored London to Manchester race of 1910. The RAF Museum’s London site occupies land which formed part of the original Hendon airfield.
Object number : PR04502
Programme from the London Aerodrome, Hendon 14 June 1913
Copyright : Grahame White Aviation Ltd
First World War experiences
During the First World War Alcock and Brown served in the air services and both men were held as prisoners of war. Brown, served with No. 2 Squadron Royal Flying Corps as an Observer in France. Shot down twice, he was captured after a reconnaissance flight on 10 November 1915. Repatriated back to England in 1917, he went on to work in the Ministry of Munitions with his future father-in-law.
Alcock flew with the Royal Naval Air Service in the Eastern Mediterranean area conducting long range bombing operations against the Ottomans. He was captured in September 1917. The RAF Museum’s Archive collection contains a menu card for a supper held in August 1918 to mark the inauguration of the Royal Air Force (RAF). It took place at the Officers POW Camp, Kedos, Anatolia, Turkey. The card is signed by many officers including John Alcock.
Object number : A2087A | A2087B
Alcock’s signature is on the inside cover, bottom left.
Copyright : Orphan work
Commemoration and legacy
The first non-stop aeroplane flight across the Atlantic Ocean has been commemorated in many different ways over the years including the issue of stamps, the building of memorials, and the production of books.
For the 60th anniversary of the crossing in 1979, two RAF McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR2s made the trip from Goose Bay Newfoundland to Ireland. Sir John Alcock’s nephew, Squadron Leader AJN (Tony) Alcock flew with navigator Flight Lieutenant WN (Norman) Browne in one of the of the aircraft – XV424.
They were accompanied by Twinkletoes, Brown’s toy cat mascot. The aircraft, sprayed in commemorative paint schemes, completed the flight in five hours and 40 minutes setting a new record. XV424 is now on display at the RAF Museum London’s site in the colours of No. 56 Squadron.
Object number : X008-4325-001
McDonnell-Douglas Phantom FRG2 XV424 in the Alcock and Brown anniversary markings, 1979.
Copyright : Orphan work
