Alex Henshaw facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alex Henshaw
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Alex Henshaw, c. 1941.
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| Born | 7 November 1912 Peterborough, Northamptonshire, England
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| Died | 24 February 2007 (aged 94) Newmarket, Cambridgeshire, England
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| Occupation | Aviator, author and businessman |
| Spouse(s) | Barbara (Dowager Countess of Châteaubrun) |
| Children | Alexander Henshaw Jr. |
| Awards | Member of the Order of the British Empire Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct |
Alex Henshaw (born November 7, 1912 – died February 24, 2007) was an amazing British air racer in the 1930s. He also became a very important test pilot for a company called Vickers Armstrong during World War II. He was known for his incredible flying skills and bravery!
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Alex Henshaw's Early Life
Alex Henshaw was born in Peterborough into a well-off family. He went to schools like King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford-on-Avon, which is famous for being "Shakespeare's School."
Even as a young man, Alex was a hero. He received a special medal from the Royal Humane Society. This was for saving a boy's life from the River Witham.
Thrilling Air Races
Alex Henshaw loved speed! He started with motorcycles, then learned to fly in 1932. His dad bought him his first plane, a de Havilland DH.60 Moth. Alex quickly earned his pilot's license.
He became famous in the 1930s for his air racing.
- In 1933, at just 20 years old, he won the Siddeley Trophy in the King's Cup Air Race. He was flying a fast plane called a Comper Swift.
- Once, while doing cool aerobatics in an Arrow Active plane, it caught fire! Alex bravely parachuted out and landed safely.
A Close Call and a Record Flight
In 1935, Alex's plane crashed into the Irish Sea during a race. Luckily, a ship called the SS Ramsey Town rescued him. Alex was so thankful that he gave the ship's captain a special barometer as a thank you gift.
Later, Alex got a Percival Mew Gull plane. He won the first-ever London-to-Isle of Man air race in 1937 with it. After some changes to the plane, he won the 1938 King's Cup. He set a record, flying at an average speed of 236.25 miles per hour!
Flying to Cape Town and Back
Alex then decided to try long-distance flying. On February 5, 1939, he took off from Gravesend in his Mew Gull. His goal was to fly to Cape Town, South Africa, and back.
He flew 6,377 miles to Cape Town in just 40 hours! He refueled in places like Algeria and the Belgian Congo. After spending 28 hours in Cape Town, he flew all the way back to the UK.
The return trip took 39 hours and 36 minutes. He faced huge challenges, like tropical storms and extreme tiredness. He completed the entire 12,754-mile round trip in an amazing 4 days, 10 hours, and 16 minutes! He broke records for both parts of the journey. He was so exhausted when he landed that people had to help him out of the cockpit.
This incredible record stood for over 70 years! His adventures are told in his book, Flight of the Mew Gull. For this amazing flight, Alex was awarded the Britannia Trophy.
A Hero in World War II
When World War II started, Alex Henshaw became a test pilot for Vickers Armstrong. This meant he flew newly built planes to make sure they worked perfectly before they went to war. It was a very important and dangerous job.
He started by testing Wellington bombers. Then, he was invited to test the famous Spitfires in Southampton.
Chief Test Pilot at Castle Bromwich
In June 1940, Alex moved to the Castle Bromwich factory in Birmingham. This factory built more than half of all the Spitfires ever made! It also built 350 Lancaster heavy bombers.
Alex became the Chief Test Pilot, leading a team of 25 other pilots. Their job was to find any problems with the planes before they were sent to the front lines. This work was very risky. Two of his team members died testing new aircraft. Alex himself survived many emergency landings and a bad crash in 1942.
It's thought that Alex Henshaw tested 10% of all Spitfires and Seafires ever made! He would sometimes test up to 20 planes a day, even in foggy weather.
He also showed off the Spitfire to important people like Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Alex even famously flew a barrel roll in a huge Lancaster bomber, which many thought was impossible!
For his amazing work during the war, Alex Henshaw was given the title of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
Life After the War
After the war, Alex worked for an aircraft company in South Africa. But he returned to England in 1948. Even though he was still young, he never flew planes as the main pilot again. Instead, he managed his family's farming and holiday businesses.
He was honored again with the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct for helping people during the terrible floods of 1953.
Alex wrote two books about his flying experiences:
- Sigh for a Merlin (1979) is about his wartime test flying.
- Flight of the Mew Gull (1980) tells the story of his air racing and record flights.
In his later years, Alex was honored many times for his contributions to aviation. He even got to fly in a two-seater Spitfire a few times. His last flight was in 2006, when he was 93 years old! He took part in a flypast to celebrate 70 years since the first Spitfire flight.
Alex Henshaw passed away in 2007. An hour-long film about his life, called The Extraordinary Mr Spitfire, was shown on TV in 2007.
See Also
- List of aviators
Images for kids
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Prime Minister Winston Churchill talking to Alex Henshaw, after a 1941 demonstration flight on a Spitfire. Source: Imperial War Museum online collection IWM Collection No.H 14264
