| Name |
HALSTEAD, William Edward Quinnell |
| Birth |
11 Feb 1884 |
Marylebone, Middlesex, England  [1, 2] |
| Baptism |
6 Apr 1884 |
Christ Church, Notting Hill, Middlesex, England [2] |
| Gender |
Male |
 Census |
5 Apr 1891 |
100 Mornington Road, Kensington, Middlesex, England [3] |
| Age: 7y |
| Ω Census Son |
5 Apr 1891 |
100 Mornington Road, Kensington, Middlesex, England |
| Census |
31 Mar 1901 |
11 Redland Mews, St Marylebone, London, England [4] |
| Age: 17y |
| Ω Census Son |
31 Mar 1901 |
11 Redland Mews, St Marylebone, London, England |
| Occupation |
31 Mar 1901 |
11 Redland Mews, St Marylebone, London, England [4] |
| Draper porter |
| Census |
2 Apr 1911 |
Willesden, Middlesex, England |
| Census |
2 Apr 1911 |
Willesden, Middlesex, England [5] |
|
| Census |
19 Jun 1921 |
11 Saltram Crescent, Paddington, Middlesex, England |
| Age: 36y |
| Census |
19 Jun 1921 |
11 Saltram Crescent, Paddington, Middlesex, England [6] |
| Age: 36y |
| Occupation |
19 Jun 1921 |
11 Saltram Crescent, Paddington, Middlesex, England |
| Taxi driver |
| Occupation |
19 Jun 1921 |
11 Saltram Crescent, Paddington, Middlesex, England [6] |
| Taxi driver |
|
| Death |
13 Jul 1928 |
Croydon, Surrey, England [7, 8] |
| Newspaper Article |
14 Jul 1928 |
Scotland |
| The Scotsman |
| Newspaper Article |
14 Jul 1928 |
Scotland [9] |
| The Scotsman |
- AIR DISASTER
FATAL TEST FLIGHT
FOUR PERSONS KILLED
Four persons were killed and two injured when an Imperial Airways machine crashed at Purley about noon yesterday.
KILLED.
Those killed were:—
Miss Phyliss Smith, aged about 21, a typist, of Ferndale Road, Norwood.
Miss Emily Joan Benjarfeld, aged about 18, a typist, who had lodged at Whitehall Road, Thornton Heath, and whose home address was Winterborne, Stoke , Salisbury.
A Hall, aged about 40, of the Aeroplane Inspection Department, and living at Rosemount Avenue, North Finchley.
William Edward Halstead (42), bus driver, The Broadway. West Hendon.
INJURED.
The injured were:—
Albert Graham Tucker, storeman, of Mitcham Road, West Croydon, and
Captain John Spafford, the pilot, The Chase, Stafford Road, Wallington.
Their injuries were not serious and Tucker was early discharged from Purley Cottage Hospital, while Captain Spafford was discharged after a rest.
OFFICIAL ACCOUNT OF ACCIDENT.
Major Cooper, Inspector of the Accident Department, Imperial Airway's, who made prompt investigations into the disaster, gave a Press reporter an official report as follows:—
"The machine went up for a joy ride and test flight. There were six persons on board, five passengers and a pilot, all being employed at the aerodrome, and two of them typists.
"It was a single-engine Vickers-Vulean machine of a type not now used for passenger carrying. It was a machine now simply employed for carrying freight and baggage between London and the Continent.
"Some work had been done to the machine overnight, and the idea of going up to-day was for a test flight before it was replaced on the ' passenger service. It is quite a customary thing for the employees at the aerodrome to be taken up on little joy rides if they so desire.
"The disaster took place near Little Woodcote Road, Purley, which is about a mile from the aerodrome.
INQUIRY BEING HELD.
Imperial Airways last evening, issued the following official statement:— The chairman and directors of Imperial Airways (Ltd.) regret to announce that an accident occurred to-day to one of their small aircraft-not one of their regular service planes—whilst on a test flight at Croydon aerodrome, in which two members of the Company's staff, an Air Ministry official, and a motor' car driver, who were taking the opportunity of making a short flight, lost their lives. The pilot and another member of the staff escaped with slight injury.
The Board offer their deepest sympathy to the relatives of the victims in their bereavement. The cause of the accident has not yet been ascerained, but the Company are, holding an inquiry immediately into all tho circumstances, and the Air Ministry Inspector of Accidents has already visited the scene of tho accident.
TRIBUTE TO COMPANY'S RECORD.
The following message from Sir Samuel Hoare, Minister for Air, has been received by Sir Eric Geddes, chairman of Imperial Airways:—
"Dear Sir, —I was much grieved to hear of the most regrettable accident which has occurred to one of your machines to-day during the course of a test flight , involving serious loss of life. I have not yet received full particulars, but understand several employees of the Company are among those killed. Will you please convey to their relatives an expression of my profoundest sympathy? Imperial Airways have such a magnificent record of immunity from fatal accidents that I feel sure public confidence in the safety of air transport will not be adversely affected . —Yours sincerely , (Sgd.) "Samuel Hoare"
|
| Newspaper Article |
31 Jul 1928 |
Scotland |
| The Scotsman |
| Newspaper Article |
31 Jul 1928 |
Scotland [10] |
| The Scotsman |
- JOY FLIGHT CRASH.
PURLEY DISASTER INQUEST THE PILOT'S EVIDENCE .
The inquest was resumed at Bandon Hill yesterday on the four victims of the aeroplane disaster near Purley on July 13, when Phyllis Smith and Emily Joan Benjafield, typists; Andrew Hall, an aerodrome official, and William Edward Halstead, bus driver, lost their lives.
Captain Spafford, pilot of the machine, for whose attendance the inquiry had been adjourned, entered the room on crutches. His right leg was heavily bandaged, and he looked very ill.
William Charles Richards, an employee of Imperial Airways , said the 'plane took off in the normal way. It was customary for passengers to go up on a test flight.
The Coroner— "I should have thought the testing of an aeroplane a very dangerous thing."
Witness— "Oh, no. We do not expect anything to go wrong. There is a certain amount of risk, but everything is done to make it safe."
Witness continued that it was not necessary for passengers to go up in the 'plane. They merely went up to have a fly round. He could not tell who gave the two girls the permission to go. It was not an uncommon thing for two girls to have the privilege of these flights . All passengers who took such a flight for recreation purposes signed a document indemnifying the Company against responsibility and liability for accidents .
Henry Hall, engineering superintendent for Imperial Airways, said the 'plane was reported all right on the previous day.
FRIGHTFUL FIVE MINUTES
Captain John Spafford , of Wallington, the pilot , gave evidence that the machine was a little slow to climb, and at 700 feet he noticed it began to sink rapidly. He put on more engine, but this had little effect. He saw that a safe landing was practically impossible with many high trees and houses about. He put on full throttle, and the machine then picked up and maintained height for a minute or two. Tho engine then began to lose power and the machine to sink again. It went down at an angle oE 45 degrees, and struck the ground.
"I found I was trapped with my right foot," he said, "and released myself after about two minutes. The left-hand side of tho engine then caught fire. I fell down several times, but eventually got to the door and opened it. Four of the occupants were stunned, but Tucker was conscious."
Captain Spafford told the Coroner that heat would to a certain extent account for the sinking-, and he had known a machine come down through heat. He denied that he had made an error of judgment. Asked if he had looked to see what was his air speed , Captain Spafford replied— "I looked at thousands of things in that frightful five minutes."
The jury, returning a verdict of accidental death, added a rider that in their view the practice of allowing employees to go up as passengers on test flights should be stopped.
On behalf of Imperial Airways, it was stated that the practice would bo discontinued .
|
| Person ID |
I3255 |
HalstedMaster |
| Last Modified |
13 Nov 2025 |
| Family |
SKERMER, Edith Agnes, b. 10 Sep 1888, Frederick Street, Marylebone, Middlesex, England d. 22 Sep 1963, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England (Age 75 years) |
| Marriage |
1 Aug 1910 |
St Saviour, Paddington, Middlesex, England [11, 13] |
- After Banns. The marriage was witnessed by William Henry SKERMER and Kate SKERMER.
|
| Children |
| | 1. HALSTEAD, Edith Kate I, b. 16 Aug 1911, Willesden, Middlesex, England |
| | 2. HALSTEAD, Edward William, b. 18 Dec 1912, Kensington, Middlesex, England d. Jan 1990, Havering, Essex, England (Age 77 years) |
| | 3. HALSTEAD, Marguerite Phyllis, b. 16 Mar 1915, Paddington, Middlesex, England |
| | 4. HALSTEAD, Frederick Frank, b. 28 Oct 1919, Paddington, Middlesex, England d. 20 Nov 2003, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England (Age 84 years) |
| | 5. HALSTEAD, Reginald Louis, b. 20 Dec 1920, Paddington, Middlesex, England d. Nov 1997, Dacorum, Hertfordshire, England (Age 76 years) |
|
| Family ID |
F2935 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified |
13 Nov 2025 |
1884 - 1928 (44 years)