Reginald Archibald Cammell (1886-1912), early aviator.
1886 Born in Aberdeen the son of Archibald Allen Cammell, and the grandson of Charles Cammell
1910 Gained his UK aviator's certificate #45 at Lark Hill, Salisbury Plain
1911 Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers at Gibraltar Barracks, Stanhope Lines, Aldershot.[1]
1911 "Last Sunday (17th September) he was commencing his experience with one of the British-built Army Valkyries with a view to flying it over to his headquarters at Farnborough."
At the inquest held at Hendon regarding the fatal accident to Lieut. R. A. Cammel, R.E., whilst flying a Valkyrie machine, a verdict of "death by misadventure" was returned by the jury. Dr. George Cohen, the Coroner, in summing up, said he thought that Mr. Cammell must have had some temporary loss of knowledge or control of the machine and mistaken it for another. There could hardly be any doubt he was intending to run a preliminary trial. There was no evidence to show that the machine was affected.
'The Army has suffered quite a serious loss by the fatal accident to Lieut. Cammell, R.E., when flying at Hendon on the 17th inst. The deceased officer, as the writer of these notes had occasion to know, was a very attractive personality and would probably have gone far in his profession even if, at the early age of twenty-five, he had not rapidly come to the front as our foremost military aviator. He had special qualifications for aerial work since, in addition to that useful all-round scientific education which every Sapper officer of over two years’ standing has gone through, he united in a remarkable degree the two qualities of boldness and caution. In the circuit race he was particularly unfortunate, since he was practically put out of the running by an engine mishap almost the start, after having-previously flown hundreds of miles without any breakdown. By his misadventure on that occasion and later by his tragic death the vicissitudes of aerial navigation, even for the most careful and skilful pilots, are grimly enough demonstrated.'[2]
See Also
Sources of Information
- Royal Aero Club records