London, July 25.
The 1,000 miles flying race round England for the King's Cup began land' ends at Heston' air-parkto-'Last year's winner was. Miss Winifred Brown, and she is again competing.
"Altogether, there were 41 entries, including six. women, amongst TOP Bailey and lise Crossley, the "daughter of the motor-car manufacturer, Sir Ken-
The only overseas competitor is among. the favourites. This is Mr. 3..G. Webster, a. Canadian.
Forty fliers took off this torning; four women being amongst. them, and The course is 982 miles, the landing places being at Norwic!
Leeds, Liverpool, Heston, Bristol, and then finishing at Heston.
Winifred Brown is flying a Sports Avian machine. Miss Jean Forbes Robertson, the actress, has. fan entry, which is being piloted by Flying Officer H.H, Leach. Miss Peggy Salaman, a girl of 21, is the! youngest competitor, Lieut. Tre-mayne-Todd being her pilot, and her machine is a Puss Moth.
The well-known airman, Plight-Lieut. D. F. Acherley, is flying a '8 Bluebird for Air Vice-Marshal Longmore. The scratch flier this year is Flight-Lieut. C. B. Wincott, piloting an Arrow Active.
Several competitors fell out of the race in the early stages this morning, among them being Lady Bail the' most heavily handicapped woman entrant, Sixteen entrants are flying Moth aeroplanes.
Flight Lieut. Gibbons, of the Royal Air Force, is leading in the race, He started 19th from Hes-{on this morning, was ninth at Norwich, first at Leeds and maintained that position at. Liverpool and Heston, where he landed at 2.56 this afternoon, He now has to fly to Bristol and return to Heston.
Flying Officer Edwa is second. He landed at Hester at 3.03 this afternoon, seven minutes behind Gibbons, on whose trail towards Bristol he is now in hot pursuit.
There were 14 withdrawals from the race by the time Leeds was reached, owing to serious casualties due partly to the unfavourable Jweather and bad visibility. Conditions are probably the worst ever experienced in this annual race. All women but-one have now with-Jdrawn from the race. The sole remaining lady competitor is Miss. Crossley.
July 25.
The King's Cup for the air race lof 982 miles round Britain was won' today by the Royal Air " Force, though its members were flying as Jamateurs in private machines. Flying-Oftcer E. C. T, Edwards, in Blackburn Bluebird, with a bandi-leap. of 1 hr. 40 min., was the first home. His average speed exceeded 117 miles an hour. Flight-Lieut. F. G. Gibbons, in a Spartan machine, second with a aloud of 108 lof 94 miles from Bi They were timed in together at Bristol and left together, Flying-Oftcer Edwards winning the by. only few minutes. Neith however, saw the other the whole ime.
The hest. speed was made by Lieut. P. G. Tremayne-Redd, of 127 miles an hour. He thereby won ithe prize of £100 presented by Lord Wakefield.
Four members of the Royal Air [Force took. part in the race. Their [success was probably due, in a large measure, to the fact that they are [accustomed to flying through the vilest weather, for the conditions today made the race very dificult, rain' clouds persisting throughout, Plight-Lieut, Gibbons said that he had encountered some of the worst fying weather in his experience, The weather was also responsible Hor the carly withdrawal of five of ithe six ladies who competed. The jonly one to finish was Miss Crossley, the daughter of Sir Kenneth Crossley. She arrived last but one.
The winner, Flying-Offcer Edwards, was with Miss Spooner when crashed in the Medi-Italy, last year, both ing to swim ashore—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.