Bleriot & Clement Talbot

The flight by Bleriot now over 115 years ago was one of the most important flights in the history of aviation. It ranks at the very top with the Wright Brothers, Alcock and Brown and perhaps even the journey to the moon. In the early morning on Sunday 25th July 1909 Louis Bleriot set out across the English Channel in his Bleriot XI. 22 miles and 37 minutes later he safely crash-landed near Dover. The landing caused a broken propeller, collapsed the landing gear and damaged the framework that carried the Anzani engine. Bleriot immediately became a global celebrity and won the £1,000 prize offered by Lord Northcliffe's Daily Mail. So what has this to do with Talbots? Lost in the small print of history is a minor report in a contemporary motoring journal of the recovery of Bleriot's damaged plane to the Clement Talbot factory in West London for repair. By 10 o'clock on the Monday morning his aircraft was on public display only a few miles away at Gordon Selfridge's large new Oxford Street  department store where in the three following days 120,000 people came to see it. 

Selfridge anticipated the value of the publicity and at the last minute he had bought the right to display the plane by donating a large sum to the London Hospital. On discovering this link to Talbot I searched to find out if this important event - the visit to the Talbot factory, not the flight - was recorded for posterity. It was! One photograph taken of the proud aviator with his machine (now repaired) was clearly taken at the entrance to the Talbot factory - the distinctive Barlby Road entrance pillars and railings appear in the background.

It is not initially clear when the photo was actually taken. By the Wednesday Bleriot was back in Paris via the boat train. Between his landing, before breakfast on Sunday, and the return to Paris he fitted in a civic reception in Dover, drove through waiting crowds on Monday morning at Victoria Station, attended a dinner organised by the Bleriot lamp company, a film premier at the Empire cinema (where film of his exploits was shown) and a formal dinner at the Ritz. When did he get to the Talbot factory? Was it during those first few days? One clue is that the photo shows him with a jacket with something on the lapel. The story is that because of the competition with Hubert Latham, his main Anglo French rival, Bleriot had set out very early and without too much planning. Latham was also attempting the crossing the same weekend. On arrival in England Bleriot was lent normal clothing for his visit - initially a jacket provided by the concessionaire of the Wright airplane company who was nearby because Count Lambert had also been attempting the crossing in a Wright. The loaned jacket carried a Legion d'Honneur on the lapel, as its owner was a Chevalier. Bleriot wanted to remove the decoration but was persuaded to delay. Before breakfast a telegram arrived to confirm that the French Government had conferred the same honour on Bleriot.

So was the image of Bleriot in the jacket with the possible medal photographed at Barlby Road early Monday after a new propeller had been fitted and a quick repair by Talbot? It may be. I like the lapel badge theory and, whenever it was taken, it clearly shows M. Bleriot, his famous plane and our Barlby Road. Gustave-Adolphe Clement was a key player in early French aviation and he had built airships by 1909. With his complex Anglo French business interests one can only now speculate on the possible connections with his compatriot that brought the work of repairing the Bleriot XI to his London factory. Alternatively either the Shrewsbury and Talbot / Northcliffe links or those with Bleriot lamps may have resulted in Talbot being involved. What is surprising is that, unlike Selfridge, little was made in any contemporary motoring press or adverts of the Talbot connection to Bleriot and of how Talbot were selected for the prestigious repair work. The plane was bought from Bleriot by the French Government for the glory of France!

Article appeared in Issue 40 of the TOC magazine 2009 to mark the 100th anniversary of Bleriot’s achievement, researched and produced by member  David Jones

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