Harriet Quimby at Equihen, France, after her Channel flight.

Photo from the private collection of Giacinta Bradley Koontz.

by Graham Tutthill

gtutthill@thekmgroup.co.uk

An appeal is to be launched to raise £80,000 to erect a statue in Dover to commemorate Harriet Quimby, the first woman pilot to fly solo across the Channel.

It is hoped the unveiling of the statue will be the highlight of a celebration in April next year to mark the centenary of Harriet’s historic flight.

An international committee has been formed to run the campaign, but help is required to spearhead the initiative locally. Committee organiser Martin Young hopes that people from his home town, especially businesswomen, will support it.

Louis Bleriot and Charles Rolls have been honoured for their pioneering flights. Bleriot made the first solo crossing in 1909 and Rolls made the first non-stop return crossing a year later.

Special events were held in the town to celebrate their centenaries.

Mr Young, who works as a railway systems engineer, now lives in Dunstable but has parents who live near Dover.

He said; “Everyone knows the names of English aviator Amy Johnson and American Amelia Earhart, yet very few have heard of Harriet Quimby’s pioneering achievement, we want to put that right.

“I have already spoken to sculptor Martin Jennings, whose statue of John Betjeman stands at St Pancras Station. He is prepared to make a statue which is likely to cost in the region of £80,000.

“We are certain that it is possible to raise that money by public subscription in time for the centenary.

“However, the capital needs to be guaranteed by early September to start work on the statue, which is where help from the local business community is essential.

“We also believe it could have the added benefit of getting children enthusiastic about engineering.

“We have growing support in the United States and the Netherlands with a Dutch contingent already planning to fly a replica Bleriot XI plane across the Channel to mark the centenary.”

Anyone interested in helping can contact Mr Young via www.harrietquimby.org/projects or by email m.h.young@btinternet.com

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