Ed. Laneshew Council School Father: Samuel Shoesmith Next of kin: A Dyson (uncle), 28 Blenheim St. Colne, Lancs prev. a motor mechanic and bus driver; he was fined £2 in 1928 for "having exceeded twelve miles an hour with a heavy motor bus". He did better than that 2 years later: Lancashire Evening News, 1930: "SPEED OF MOTOR COACH. PRESTON CONSTABLE'S ESTIMATE OF 52 MILES AN HOUR. COLNE MAN FINED FOR DANGEROUS DRIVING. 'That speed may be all right in the wilds of Cumberland or Wales, but in Preston it is dangerous, and particularly so where there are schools and entrances to parks’ said Mr. A. L. Ashton, Preston Borough Police Court, to-day, when prosecuting Joseph Shoesmith, motor driver, of 38, Brown-street, Colne, who was summoned for driving a motor coach with 30 passengers on board at a speed dangerous to the public along the Moor Park length of the Blackpool road." This time, he was fined £2 plus 2 guineas costs.
In 1936, he demonstrated a Hillson Praga at the Midland Flying Club's 'at-home', and at the Bristol and Wessex Aero Club's Garden Party. According to Flight: "There were demonstrations, and most enlightening they were. First Mr. Shoesmith in the Hillson Praga, with its unimpeachable flying qualities at both limits of the speed range." He entered a Praga (on behalf of the owners, F. Hills & Son) for the Cairo meeting in February 1937, and also [not the same aircraft, as its registration was given as G-AEUN, which was only registered in March 1937] for the Tynwald Air Race at the Manx Air Derby in May 1937, in which he came second. Postings: 14FPP, 4aFPP, 4FPP, 6FPP, 1FPP Second-in-Command of 14FPP from 1942, and 6FPP from 1944 Qualified on Aircraft Classes 1-6 (i.e. all types, including seaplanes) "He always sets an excellent example. He is a loyal and trustworthy officer. He is intolerant of second-class material and therefore fails sometimes to make the best use of this."
Commended for "valuable service in the air", 14 Jun 1945 Naturalized in the US in 1955 and d. 1981 in Los Angeles. Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file): |
1930
