D.H.53 Humming Bird G-EBHX

I don’t believe that Ernest Kennett was a miner (unless he took to that employment later in life). When he appeared in court in 1936, for flying the Humming Bird without a licence, registration or CofA, he described himself as a garage owner of Station Road, Upper Walmer, Kent.

I was browsing through the stuff at a local antique/junk shop this morning. They had a 1977 guide to the Shuttleworth Collection. I had a quick look at the entry for G-EBHX. It didn’t add anything to what we already know other than to say that it had previously been owned by “a miner in Kent”. Presumably, that was Ernest Kennett. One of the coal mines in Kent was quite close to Deal.

It’s fine i’m nosey LOL  , the link takes you to Amazon USA   

The Shuttleworth Collection: The Official Guide Hardcover – Import, May 1, 1982

by David Ogilvy (Author)  

I personally would not be opening the above dodgy looking link 🙂

@avion ancien Thank you, Aerotony. Every little bit helps! Does the book say when Jackson found G-EBHX in the shed near Deal?

I saw that book for sale on amazon. The price is quite reasonable. You can refer to https://www.amazon.com/Shuttleworth-Collection-Official-Guide/dp/0906393183 geometry dash 

Thank you, again, Aerotony. One might speculate that Kennett operated G-EBHX until the outbreak of war, and the prohibition of civil flying, whereupon it was consigned to a shed, in the back garden of a house in East Kent, in which it remained, after the cessation of hostilities, with its constituent parts gradually disappearing until its discovery by Sqn Ldr Jackson.

There is an interesting story about Kennett and G-EBHX to be read at http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=22963.0. That led to the question asked in my initial post.

No it doesn’t but I’ve just looked at my copy of A.J.Jackson’s “De Havilland Aircraft Since 1909”. In that book it says “After a lapse of 20 years it was rediscovered in 1955 in the back garden of a house in Eastrey, Kent by Sqn. Ldr. L.A.Jackson  of The Shuttleworth Trust. Only the fuselage, mainplane, port aileron and the undercarriage remained but although none of the original drawings existed, the missing engine mounting, tail unit, controls and tanks were designed and built at The de Havilland Technical School.”

Eastrey is just a few miles inland from Deal and Walmer.

Thank you, Aerotony. Every little bit helps! Does the book say when Jackson found G-EBHX in the shed near Deal?

In his 1982 book “The Shuttleworth Collection”, David Ogilvy says that G-EBHX was “Found without engine in a shed near Deal in Kent by Squadron Leader L.A.Jackson, then the Collection’s manager”.

Walmer is right next to Deal and so it is likely that the aircraft had not travelled far and possibly did not fly after WW2. This is even more likely given the poor flying performance of the type.

Hope this helps in a small way.