Alfred Harmsworth
Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe ("Lord Northcliffe") was an aviation backer and newspaper owner who funded prizes such as the Daily Mail's $5000 prize for crossing the Channel.[1]
In 1912–1913 Northcliffe promoted the "Wake up, England!" campaign to get people thinking about military applications of airplanes.[2][3]
Northcliffe commented in 1918:[3]
"I persistently warned the public here that war was coming . . . When I endeavored to introduce the aeroplane to officials here, again the only support I got was from Lord Roberts. I had to encourage it by huge prizes for flights. Our Government ignored the aeroplane, but the German Government replied to my prizes by a steady stream of premiums awarded to the Germans who broke the records of other nations."
His brother, Harold Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere, was "Air Minister" during World War I.[4]
References
- ↑ Hallion, 2003, p. 237.
- ↑ Hallion, 2003, p. 238. "Northcliffe justly feared Britain would fall behind in aeronautics, a concern that lead him to urge a "Wake up, England!" campaign to make the country air minded; aviator Claude Grahame-White would lead a 'circus' of airplanes emblazoned with th eslogan around Britain in 1912."
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Paris, 1992, p. 69. "In 1911 the Daily Mail hired a French pilot, Louis Salmet, to give flying exhibitions at holiday resorts to promote interest in aviation, and it was an extension of this idea, in the summer of 1912, which brought together Claude Grahame-White and the owner of the Mail.
- ↑ Paris, 1992, p. 70. "Northcliffe had several official posts during the war years, culminating in his appointment as Director of Propaganda in Enemy Countries. There was some possibility of him becoming the first 'Air Minister,' but in the event this went to his brother Cecil (Lord Rothmere). Northcliffe on taking up his duties at Crewe House persuaded the air service to resume dropping leaflets on Germany—the only official aerial activity over which he ever had any control. In June–July 1918, over 3 million leaflets were dropped. These were based upon ideas provided by H.G. Wells and emphasized the will of the Allies to continue the war at any cost. Popular mythology, no doubt inspired by the Harmsworth Press, had it that this campaign was the final factor in breaking the German spirit and so hastened the Allies victory." [Note: it seems that Lord Rothmere, the Air Minister, was Harold Harmsworth, not Cecil Harmsworth.
Links
- Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, Viscount Northcliffe on Encyclopedia Brittanica
Publications by or about Alfred Harmsworth or Lord Northcliffe
- Northcliffe, 1907, The coming of the aeroplane (Simple title: The coming of the aeroplane, Journal: Ballooning and Aeronautics)
- Publication B2p0963e06, 1914, Lord Northcliffe England's patron of aviation. Giver of the $50,000 prize for cross-Atlantic flight (Simple title: Lord Northcliffe England's patron of aviation. Giver of the $50,000 prize for cross-Atlantic flight, Journal: Flying)
- Brewer, 1921, The Langley Machine and the Hammondsport Trials (Simple title: The Langley Machine and the Hammondsport Trials, Journal: Journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society)
| Names | Alfred Harmsworth |
|---|---|
| Birth date | 1865-07-15 |
| Death date | 1922-08-14 |
| Countries | GB, Ireland, England |
| Locations | Chapelizod, Ireland; London |
| Occupations | publisher, nobility |
| Tech areas | Airplane, competition, popularization |
| Affiliations | |
| Wikidata id | Q335193 |
