Silk ribbon from floral wreath, death of Cody and Evans

EARLY AVIATION PIONEERS - THE SAMUEL CODY ARCHIVE: On 7 August 1913, Cody was test flying his latest design, the Cody Floatplane, when it broke up at 200 feet (61m) and he and his passenger, the cricketer William Evans, were killed at Ball Hill, Laffans Plain, Cove Common near Farnborough. The two men, not strapped in, were thrown out of the aircraft and the Royal Aero Club accident investigation concluded that the accident was due to "inherent structural weakness", and suggested that the two might have survived the crash if they had been strapped in. Cody's body was buried with full military honours in the Aldershot Military Cemetery the funeral procession drew an estimated crowd of 100, 000. This lot includes original silk sash/ribbons retained by the family from some of the floral wreaths given by, among others, Hendon Aviators In Memory of England's Greatest Airman, The Royal Aero Club, and a gilt ribbon bearing the names of prominent early aviators. Also included period photographs and postcards of the funeral, one which is believed to show The Hendon Aviators memorial wreath in the shape of a biplane with one of these sashes on the wreath

100000 Airman Aldershot Aviators Believed Broke Buried Cody Codys Concluded Cove Cricketer Englands Estimated Farnborough Floatplane Hendon Honours Includes Inherent Investigation Laffans Memory Might Names Pioneers Prominent Retained Ribbons Sashes Strapped Structural Suggested Survived Thrown Weakness Wreaths

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