George Stainforth | |
|---|---|
 Flight Lieutenant G H Stainforth (cigarette card) | |
| Born | (1899-03-22)22 March 1899 Bromley, London, England |
| Died | 27 September 1942(1942-09-27) (aged 43) Egypt |
| Buried | Ismailia War Memorial Cemetery |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army Royal Air Force |
| Rank | Wing Commander |
| Commands | No. 89 Squadron RAF (1941–42) No. 600 Squadron RAF (1941) No. 30 Squadron RAF (1937) |
| Conflicts | First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Air Force Cross |
Wing CommanderGeorge Hedley Stainforth,AFC (22 March 1899 – 27 September 1942) was aRoyal Air Force pilot and the first man to exceed 400 miles per hour.
George Hedley Stainforth was the son of George Staunton Stainforth, asolicitor.[1] He attendedDulwich College[2] andWeymouth College.[3] He joined theBritish Army before joining theRoyal Air Force.[4]
George Stainforth joined theRoyal Air Force on 15 March 1923 and was posted toNo. 19 Squadron RAF on 10 April 1924. He was promoted after four years toflight lieutenant on 1 July 1928, and was posted to theMarine Aircraft Experimental Establishment (MAEE) for duties with theHigh Speed Flight, also known asThe Flight.
Stainforth was serving withThe High Speed Flight in 1929, as pilot of theGloster VI entrant. The aircraft was withdrawn for technical reasons shortly before the competition, which was then won by his teammateFlt. Lt.H. Waghorn in aSupermarine S.6.
On the following day, 10 September 1929, Stainforth took theGloster VI up for an attempt at the record over a measured mile course. He achieved a top speed of 351.3 mph and a ratified world absolute speed record, averaged over four runs of 336.3 mph.[5]
Augustus Orlebar, in aSupermarine S.6, raised the record to over 350 mph two days later.
Flight Lieutenant Stainforth was also one of the team in 1931 when the Trophy was won for the third time in a row, and thus the competition won outright. Following the Trophy triumph on 16 September, he had the chance to once again break theairspeed record. His first attempt was made inSupermarine S.6BS1596, in which he achieved 379 mph. Following a minor taxiing accident during testing though, he caused S1596 to turn over and sink. Although she was recovered by divers the next day, he now transferred toS1595. This was another S.6B, which could also be fitted with the same specially prepared 2,600 bhpRolls-Royce R "sprint" engine, serial R27[6] and airscrew for the record attempt. The engine was using a specially prepared fuel mixture ofpetrol,methanol andethyl. Starting the engine was uneasy and there was considerable danger of engine explosion.[7]
On 29 September 1931, the record attempt was made. Due to the aircraft having no flaps, Stainforth took off from the water after a very long run up. The record was established at a height of 400 m.[8] He made a perfect record run over the four timed miles in opposing directions and achieved an average of 407.5 mph (655.8 km/h), being the first man in the world to exceed 400 mph.[7][9] For this achievement he was awarded theAir Force Cross on 9 October 1931.[10]
Stainforth later went on to break another record, this time by flying upside down for 12 minutes.[3]
Leaving the MAEE in 1935, Stainforth spent a short period asAdjutant aboardHMS Glorious. He was promoted tosquadron leader on 1 June 1936, served withNo. 802 Squadron in the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force and was posted as the Officer CommandingNo. 30 Squadron RAF inIraq. In February 1939, he returned toCentral Flying School Upavon as Officer CommandingExamining and Handling Flight. On 12 January 1940, he was promoted towing commander and commandedNo. 600 Squadron RAF. In June 1940, Stainforth andStanford Tuck, theBattle of Britainace, were posted toFarnborough in south central England. His task was to take part in comparison trials of a capturedMesserschmitt Bf 109E and aSupermarine Spitfire Mark II. The tests began with Stainforth flying the Messerschmitt and Tuck flying the Spitfire in level flight, dives and turns, and at various speeds at different altitudes.[8]
Stainforth was appointed as Officer CommandingNo. 89 (Night Fighter) Squadron in October 1941. At the end of that year, the squadron was posted to the Middle East, and on the night of 27 September 1942, Wing Commander Stainforth was killed in action while pilotingBristol BeaufighterserialX7700 at Gharib, near theGulf of Suez. He was buried with full military honours, at the British CemeteryIsmailia, Egypt.
Following his death, a dossier was compiled by his friends detailing many of his achievements, recorded remarks and memories of him by distinguished officers and men who served with him during his lifetime. It also includes extracts from his own thoughts and writings. A copy of the dossier has been presented to theRoyal Air Force Museum atHendon.[4]
The Stainforth Trophy was originally presented in 1974 to the Air Officer Commanding-in-ChiefRAF Strike Command, Air Chief MarshalSir Denis Smallwood by members of the No. 89 Squadron Reunion Club, to commemorate the long and distinguished career, both as an aviator and as a Royal Air Force officer, of Wing Commander George Hedley Stainforth. The Trophy had been commissioned and paid for, anonymously, by a Mrs Stella Sketch who died in May 2000.[4] The Stainforth Trophy is awarded annually by the Air Officer Commanding-in-ChiefRAF Strike Command to the operational station within the Command which has produced the best overall performance and is their most prestigious trophy. The Stainforth family are still represented at the presentation.[1]
The Stainforth Trophy was designed byRobin Beresford. The trophy depicts in silver three supersonic aircraft and spiralling vapour trails soaring into the stratosphere.[1] The artist also tried to display an awareness of the achievements of theSchneider Trophy Team in the design, being aware that these achievements resulted in the improved design and development, byR. J. Mitchell, of theSpitfire, which played such a major role in Britain's victory in theSecond World War. In the design of the trophy, the artist has tried to show the Earth as seen by the astronauts,vapour trails ending in arrows to depict high speed altitude flight, and with an outward sweep to infinity, which suggests that the sky is literally the limit of man's achievement in the air. Into his design, he has incorporated a star and its orbit to evoke the achievements of science and theRoyal Air Force mottoPer ardua ad astra.[4]
The image of G H Stainforth appeared in a number of Cigarette Card Sets including:
Theweather vane was originally presented toWeymouth College in 1932 (at that point known as Weymouth Grammar School, later renamed Weymouth Secondary School) as a memorial to Stainforth, its former pupil, who had set the world air speed record the previous year. Made ofhardwood and covered in acopper sheath, the vane was erected above Weymouth College chapel in 1932, but moved for safety at the start of World War II. It was later presented to the borough council and placed inGreenhill Gardens in May 1952. In 1996, the vane had to be taken down after the effects of years of sea spray and coastal winds had taken their toll, but it has since been restored and is now back in the gardens.[3]