On 31st July 1993 Pembrokeshire Club member John Pile and colleagues Marcus Palmer and Vincent Taylor together with George Field took part for the seventh year in the “Dawn to Dusk” International Flying competition. The competition has as its active President HRH Prince Philip and each year entries take part from countries worldwide. It entails flying an aircraft for a minimum of eight hours in anyone day on a theme of your own choosing. A log containing photographs, written narrative, navigational and meteorological information is then made and forwarded to London for judging.
Due to John’s interest in Ferguson it was decided that their project for 1993 should be “Harry Ferguson and Aviation”. We can proudly state that he was “the first man in Ireland to build and fly his own aircraft (1909) and the second in the UK”. He was also the first to build an aircraft with a tricycle undercarnage.
It was therefore decided to invite Executive Officer George Field to join the team this year. George suggested a possible route of ‘target’, comprising both aviation and Ferguson tractor locations. He also supplied a considerable number of old Ferguson photographs and written narrative from both his personal and club archives for inclusion in the Album.
A number of pre-war photographs together with a letter of “good wishes” were also received from Mr Aaron Jones, Managing Director of Massey-Ferguson Ltd.
So at 5.30 am on Saturday morning the team set out in their Cessna 172 – G-AVIC and headed north for the Isle of Man. Having refuelled and cleared security at Ronaldsway they then began the competition in earnest.
Flying accurately to pre-determined times they photographed the following locations before landing back at Haverfordwest at 8.30 pm that evening.
- Newcastle (N Ireland) – location of flight trials (1909).
- Dromore – Harry Ferguson’s birthplace.
- Tullylagan Manor – home of Director Mr McGregor Greer and the site of tractor and plough trials.
- Magilligan Strand – flight trials 1910.
- Belfast (May Street) – safes and engineering business. ‘Overtime Tractor’ (Waterloo Boy) sold at these premises.
- Donegal Square – where the ‘Black Tractor’ was manufactured in 1932/33 and ‘Ferguson Motor Show Rooms’.
- Newtownards – site for further flight trials in 1911 and where Harry Ferguson crashed avoiding spectators.
- Huddersfield – site of early Ferguson tractor production.
- Fletcharnpstead – development site near Banner Lane.
- Banner Lane – present location of Massey Ferguson tractor factory.
- Stoneleigh – training school.
- Stoneleigh Abbey which was temporary accommodation for the Ferguson School of Farm Mechanisation.
- Stow-on-the-Wold (Abbotswood) where Harry Ferguson lived after World War II.
- Dormington (Claston Farm) near Hereford – first public demonstration of Fergie ‘A’ outside Ireland (1936).
The finished log also contained a ‘dedication’ to Keith Base (now living in Exeter). Keith, an ex-Spitfire pilot and Senior Test Pilot and instructor at the RAF Central Flying School, joined the Ferguson company in 1951 as a Trainee Executive, becoming head of Field and Workshop section before going to New Zealand and Australia in 1959 as Regional Service Manager for Massey-Ferguson Farm Services, Western Region.
Whilst testing a new experimental gun sight he was forced to make a belly landing experiencing severe injuries, and so became a member of the famous “Guinea Pig Club”.
At a function held at the Lansdowne Club, Berkeley Square, London, the entrants were presented with the “Pooley Sword” for the best log and the “Coventry Trophy” for second overall. They also received a certificate signed by Prince Philip for “Enterprising Aviation” and a suggestion from the Prince that a copy of the log should go to the Massey-Ferguson Museum in Coventry.
Published in Journal 21 Vol 7 No.1 Spring 1994
