We much regret to record the death of Mr. C.
S. Rolls, who was killed at Bournemouth on Tuesday when flying in his biplane. He was trying to descend at a given mark on the flying ground when the strain put upon the tail of his machine by a sudden turn caused it to buckle, and the balance being upset the aeroplane fell heavily to the ground. Mr. Rolls was killed at once. This is a severe blow indeed to British aviation. The first English aviator to lose his life was perhaps the man who could least be spared. He had a passionate and deeply intelligent love of all machinery, and he was one of the pioneers of motor-cars. He was also an experienced balloonist. He was a man of iron nerve, and though his hobby was primarily intellectual, he never hesitated to take any physical risk rendered necessary by his experi- ments. His double flight across the Channel is still fresh in one's memory. We may also note that on the following day the German dirigible Erbsloh' was wrecked by an explosion and its five passengers killed. The conquest of the air is causing, and will, we fear, continue to cause, a casualty-list of terrible length.
Previous page
