Southport's flying circus

AS SOUTHPORT gets set to turn its eyes to the sky for the airshow, one family explains how a plane disaster brought them to the resort.
Martin Lamb said: "My family's first connection with Southport goes back to a crash landing
on Southport beach by a civil aviator, Charles D Barnard, my
great-grandmother's brother.
"Charles was a well-known pioneer of flying in this country, and at one time held a record for the fastest flight from London to Cape Town, with the Duchess of Bedford - the "Flying Duchess" - as a passenger."
The dashing young pilot pulled off an impressive list of daredevil stunts which became the stuff of family legend.
Charles' mum Susanne Lamb said: "He was quite a notorious relative, the older brother of my maternal Grandmother.
"I think she quite hero-worshipped him, but later on some of his behaviour tarnished his image considerably.
"He had his own rooms at Woburn Abbey, because he was the Duchess' pilot. He was a bit of a rake, he was married - but that didn't last very long.
"He flew the inside of the crater at Vesuvius and he made the first landing on Malta."
Setting up his own flying circus, Charles used his military training (he had been a member of the Royal Flying Corps) to typically flamboyant effect.
Eventually however his devil may care attitude landed Charles in trouble.
Martin said: "Some time after the First World War, we think during the 1920s, he crash landed on Southport beach whilst giving
a pleasure flight."
Charles had two passengers on board, both of whom leapt from the aircraft to safety before it crashed.
"Charles wasn't so lucky and was severely burned in the resulting landing, and was put into the Promenade hospital, having been picked up by a furniture van which happened to be
passing," said Martin.
Susanne added: "I know that Charles was treated by an Indian doctor, quite a rarity in those days, at the Promenade, and that he was absolutely wonderful, although this was of course pre McIndoe, so the techniques of grafting were very primitive.
"My mother remembers that his skin would split in cold weather, and my grandmother told me you could always see where his watch had burned into his wrist."
His injuries led to a lengthy stay in Southport, and eventually drew the rest of the Lamb family here.
Martin said: "His mother moved up to Southport to be with him, and moved into the Prince of Wales, and his sister, my great-grandmother, came up to visit.
"In the 1960s, the family gradually relocated to Southport, my
grandfather's job in showbusiness having brought him first of all to a production job at ABC Television in Manchester, and latterly to a job as a variety agent in Liverpool."