Tribute to Dorset's aviation pioneer

From the Echo, first published Tuesday 14th Oct 2003.

A BLUE plaque has been erected outside a house in suburban London commemorating one of Dorset's pioneering heroes.

The English Heritage plaque was placed earlier this year outside a terraced house in Denman Road in Camberwell that was the birthplace of Sir Alan Cobham.

Cobham was one of the greatest air pioneers who was also the founder of local company Flight Refuelling and identified the site where Bournemouth Airport was built at Hurn.

After becoming a pilot in the First World War he went on to astound the world with his exploits. In 1926, for example, he undertook an epic 27,000-mile round-trip to Australia and was the first man to fly around the African continent, on a 23,000-mile survey.

After experimenting in refuelling in flight in 1932 he founded his company two years later and the rest is history.

Today Flight Refuelling is one of a group that makes up Cobham plc covering many aspects of aviation, including space flight.

It is now Dorset's largest manufacturing company.

But the early life of Alan Cobham was far from glamorous.

While living in London before the First World War he worked in a London department store for £10 a week, selling lace handkerchiefs and harbouring a dream of becoming a farmer.

This year English Heritage honoured the intrepid aviator, who died in 1973, by unveiling the blue plaque.

And it was thanks, largely, to the efforts of two men - unknown to each other - that the hero of the open cockpit was selected for the rare honour.

One was Peter Watts, who worked for English Heritage and whose father worked at a Cobham factory; the other was John Cresswell, a South London historian now living in Bournemouth.

"The real detective work came with locating his home," said John, who lives in Southlands Road.

"His birth certificate, obtained from what is now the Family History Centre, revealed he was born on May 6 1894 at 4 Hetley Terrace, Denman Road in Camberwell. His father was Frederick Cobham, a tailor, and his mother's name was Elizabeth.

"The name Hetley Terrace disappeared early in the 20th century with the renumbering of the street.

"An additional problem was the road received bomb damage during the Blitz. By careful examination of maps, directories and electoral registers it was determined that the house still existed as 78 Denman Road."

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