Cody Centenary Project
The Friends
of the Aldershot Military Museum are giving anyone with memorabilia relating to
the great aviation pioneer Samuel Franklin Cody the chance to participate in
the celebrations for the centenary of his first flight in 2008.
The League of Friends are organising a special display to be opened in September 2008 at the Museum, to continue until the Christmas closure. The Friends invite anyone who has items relating to Cody to loan them for the three-month duration of the display. The exhibition is planned to be a unique display of items relating to Cody and his work, which will complement the items in the permanent Cody Gallery at the Military Museum. It is intended that this will be the 'People's Exhibition' alongside the more formal celebrations. The organisers are sure that there are many people in Aldershot and Farnborough who have some wonderful items which may have been handed down through local families and this is an opportunity to share these with others to create a totally unique display. There may well be others further afield who have some fascinating Cody memorabilia, and all are welcome to participate in this people's exhibition if they are willing to loan their items for the duration of the Cody Centenary Display.
The life of Samuel Cody is an amazing adventure, beginning with
his origins in America, his time as an entrepreneur with his Wild West shows
and his self-penned successful melodramatic plays, through to his interest in
man-lifting kites, airships and gliders, and on to his pioneering days as
designer, builder and pilot of the first British plane to take to the air in
this country. Cody enjoyed further successes in aviation, being a multiple
winner of Michelin Trophies and succeeding against all comers in the first
British Military Trials of aircraft, before being tragically killed in an air
crash on Laffan's Plain in 1913.
The Friends
exhibition will celebrate Cody's first flight, his life and many other
achievements and they are delighted already to have the support of leading
experts on the great man. John and Peter Cody, great-grandsons of Samuel Cody,
have given the Friends their backing and have generously offered to loan some
fascinating items from their personal collection. Jean Roberts, who has spent a
lifetime conducting ground-breaking research into Cody's life has also given
her full support, and local author Peter Reese, whose biography of Cody "The
Flying Cowboy" was published to great acclaim last year, is closely involved in
the planning of the exhibition.
Some of the first items to be loaned have been from Mr Bob Robinson, late of the Royal Aircraft Establishment in Farnborough, who has kindly made available some rare photographs which were previously in the RAE Boardroom. Other members of the public have generously agreed to loan items from their personal collections for the duration of the display and the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust (FAST) have also given their assistance and co-operation. The Friends are grateful to all who are giving their support. The Curator of the Museum is giving her professional expertise to the Friends project.
If anyone has any items which they would be willing to loan for the display they are invited to contact the friends, e-mail to friendsamm@hantsweb.org.uk.
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