Alice Beatrice Martha CUMBERBATCH

Female 1888 - 1971  (82 years)


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  • Name Alice Beatrice Martha CUMBERBATCH 
    Born 15 Apr 1888  Burnett, Somerset, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Female 
    Died 9 Apr 1971  Bungay, Suffolk, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Buried Cromer, Norfolk, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I23467  Patterson & Markham Family Tree
    Last Modified 17 Mar 2019 

    Mother Pamela PILLINGER,   b. 1850, Queen Charlton, Somerset, England Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 31 Mar 1944, Cromer, Norfolk, England Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 94 years) 
    Family ID F8718  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • Died at 8 Flixton Road

      1936 Oct-Dec The Times Index: Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigatorsof the British Empire - Grand Master, permanent, Oct 13, 18b:- Leadingarticle, Oct 13, 17c: -Reception, Oct 13, 18b, 19b: -Trophies andawards, Oct. 3, 14e; [Oct] 13, 18b; (photo), [Oct] 13, 20

      The Times 13th October 1936 pp. 18-19 - Air Pilots - Progress of theGuild - The Duke of Kent as Grand Master...
      Veteran Pilots - The Guild also awarded its new Reliability Trophy,recently presented by Miss A.B.M. Cumberbatch. The Court of the Guilddevoted much time to deciding on the first recipient of this trophy,and the claims of over 50 pilots, including test pilots andinstructors, were examined. It was decided to award it to SquadronLeader Brackley, Air Superintendent of Imperial Airways since thecompany's inception in 1924, who himself holds a current "B" licenceand continually acts as pilot. Squadron Leader Brackley will hold thetrophy for the year on behalf of himself and also of eight of the mostsenior captains of Imperial Airways' service, whose names are:- O.P.Jones, L.A. Walters, W. Rogers, A.S. Wilcockson, F. Dismore, F.J.Bailey, H.S. Horsley, and A.B.H. Youell.

      The Times 13th October 1936 p. 20 - Photo:- "The Duke of Kentpresenting the reliability trophy of the Guild of Air Pilots and AirNavigators to Squadron Leader H.G. Brackley at the Mansion Houseyesterday".

      GAPAN Guild News July 1997 (Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators) -{photo of the trophy} - On the Trail of Miss Alice Cumberbatch byAlison Hodgkinson
      The Cumberbatch Trophy is historically, probably one of the Guild'smost precious possessions. Described by Richard Skinner of BondStreet's Skinner & Co as "quite unique", the balloon-shaped trophydepicting small planes in a turbulent sky with a triumphant lioncrowning it, was designed by silversmith, Omar Ramsden in the 1930's.
      My interest in this trophy developed during the last AGM when JanetPerry, the outgoing Master's wife, had invited Mr Skinner, whorecently conserved several Guild trophies, to speak to thenon-aviators. His late father, Squadron Leader Lional Skinner (ofWorld War I Royal Flying Corps, then RAF) had designed and made theMaster's Badge which has since 1936, the same year that the CumberatchTrophy was first awarded by the Guild.
      I began wondering about "Miss Alice Cumberbatch": why had shecommissioned such a beautiful trophy especially for the Guild? Was herfather or her brother a pilot, I mused. Little did I realise that mysearch would tread between the Guild office, the Worshipful Company ofGoldsmiths, the Guildhall Library and further afield...having finallydiscovered that this magnificent piece of silverwork had been"adopted" by the Guild from another source.
      I made an appointment with the librarian of the Goldsmiths to enquireabout the exotic sounding silversmith, Omar Ramsden. No, he was notArab-English as somebody had suggested. He was actually born inSheffield in 1873 and his birth certificate gave his name as "Omar" (asuggested derivation of Homer). Apart from severaly childhood years inthe States Ramsden was apprenticed to a firm of Silversmiths inSheffield by 1887 and his creativity as a designer probably began withnight-classes at the Sheffield School of Art.
      The Cumberbatch Trophy was executed in London when "Ramsden may havehad up to twenty assistants working for him...and never worked on asingle pience himself"...(despite 'OMAR RAMSDEN ME FECIT' proudlyengraved into his commissions). An article in Art & Antiques quotes,"Not often does a working gold-smith or silversmith attain such aclassic reputation and experience as to give his work the standing ofan antique in the worker's lifetime... but Carl Faberge, the Russian,and Omar Ramsden, the Englishman managed to do just that in additionto founding a "school" of workers to cope with the masses ofcommissions they received."
      Viscount Rothermere's gift of a gold multi-coloured collar and jewelsto the Worshipful Company of Master Mariners was described as being"certainly the most magnificent of secular pieces" and the articlecontinues that only "four other City Livery Companies took care topossess Ramsden's solver in his lifetime: the Goldsmiths... theSkinners, Ironmongers and Carpenters." And what about the Guild of AirPilots and Air Navigators, I thought: GAPAN first presented thistrophy in 1936, yet Ramsden died in 1939?
      Two art hisorians, cataloguing the works of Omar Ramsden, appeared bythe desk where I was carefully leafing through Ramsden's precious tornand worn original workbooks. Could they see a photo of the GuildTrophy please? The only evidence they had unearthed was a letter fromMiss Cumberbatch dated December 11, 1936, giving the names of thefirst Guild recipients of the prize along with a pencil drawing or(sic) [of] the scrolled engraving. On this small piece of blue writingpaper, I discovered that Miss Alice Cumberbatch had lived at 79Madeley Road, West Ealing. She had a Perivale phone number andRamsden's Order No. for her commission was 6860 (sadly missing fromits workbook).
      At the Guildhall Library, WHO WAS WHO in 1931 listed two CUMBERBATCHentries: diplomat Henry Alfred Cumberbatch who was decorated "forservices rendered in Asia Minor" ...and eminent St. Barts physician,Elkin Percy Cumberbatch, and authority o "Electrotherapeutics".Neither immediately stepped off the page as aviators but the latterdid have an Ealing phone number as well as a Harley St address. When Itraced his Funeral notice, his daughter was 'Eileen'... No Alice yet.
      On October 13, 1936 The Times ran leader articles and columns devotedto the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators of The British Empire."The Duke of Kent accepted yesterday the permanent Grand Mastership ofthe Guild of Air Pilots... The Guid deserves the Royal recognition...because it helps to fulfil what must be the first requirement ofsuccessful aviation - namely safety." At the Mansion House reception,the Duke of Kent has presented "its new Reliability Trophy, recentlypresented by Miss A.B.M. Cumberbatch." From the claims of 50 pilots,including test pilots and instructors, "it was decided to award it toSquadron Leader Brackley, Air Superintendent of Imperial Airways" andalso on behalf of eight other senior captains who had served sincethe company's inception in 1924.
      That year, Jean Batten had been awarded the Johnston Memorial trophy "for the best feat of navigation in any one year for her flight fromLympne to Port Natal - including the South Atlantic Crossing - on Nov10 - 13 1935." At the time of the ceremony, she was completing hersolo flight to New Zealand.
      I thought my search for Miss Cumberbatch might end quickly when theclerl invited me to scour the early Minute Books in the Guld Office.There was no mention of Cumberbatch until a Court Meeting of 24 March1936 where Warden N.W.G Blackburn "had agreed to interview the presentholders of the trophy with a view to their relinquishing itunconditionally..>" A May 1936 meeting noted, "Letters from the LondonAir Syndicate Ltd. and Miss Cumberbatch had been received notifying usthat both parties were willing to relinquich all legal claims to theTrophy." Thus, who originally owned the trophy?
      The June 1936 GAPAN Journal solved that mystery. Beneath a photo ofheadline, GUILD TROPHY FOR RELIABILITY PRESENTED By MISS CUMBERBATCH,"Many people will remember that some years ago Miss Alice Cumberbatchpresented to the Hanworth Club a trophy for presentation incompetition. It was not, however, found possible to make any award..."I returned to the 'Report of Master of the Guild 1934 - 35' in MinuteBook One... Captain Guest had written, "Members of staff have visitedthe following aerodromes for the purpose of discussing membersproblems: Heston, Hanworth, Hamble, Brooklands, Croydon Renfrew." Whensenior pilots from the Guild had visited Hanworth, perhaps they haddiscovered this magnificent trophy awaiting a recipient? The Guilddeliberated, and created an award "amongst 'B' licence pilots inrespect of any act tending to increase reliability of our air routes."
      The week I discovered the Hanworth connection, the historians at theGoldsmiths also made a discovery. They found the original order withcost as finished on December 8th, 1931. Silversmiths write theirorders in code and Omar Ramsden had used Arabic which neededtranscribing. Order No. 4077 was for "the Cumberbatch Hanworth Cup".It showed a preliminary drawing, named the various silversmiths,measurements, materials... with a probable asking price of £250.00, aconsiderable sum in 1931.
      The former Hanworth Air Park is about to become a multiplex leisurecenter. the name, Cumberbatch, does not yet ring a bell with theHanworth History Society, soon to publish their story of HanworthAerodrome, a home for The National Flying Service during the earlyThirties.
      Although the Hanworth Club no longer exists, the Guild of Air Pilotsand Air Navigators continues to thrive and I am sure that Miss AliceCumberbatch would have been thrilled to know that her gift is stillhighly prestigious within the aviation profession. Every year it ismuch admired at the Trophies and Awards Banquet in the City of Londonand of course cherished and honoured by its recipients.
      Is there anybody who can enlighten us about Alice, the mysterybenefactress?
      Bibliography
      'Omar Ramsden - Silversmith & Salesman Extraordinary', C.G.L. Du CannArt and Antiques, July 19, 1975
      'Omar Ramsden - Centenary Exhibition', Birmingham City Museum & Artgallery 1973 Introduction by Dr Peter Cannon-Brookes
      GAPAN Journal, June 1936
      GAPAN Minutes, Book One
      The Times, 13 October, 1936; 30 March 1939

      Extract from 1993 Sotheby's valuation: A massive beaten aviation cupand cover, Omar Ramsden, London 1931, of hexagonal galleried foot andsix lobed button feet, relieved with six panels of racing monoplaneswith spirally engraved trails of flight at the waist beneath arepousse frieze of stylised clouds and lightning; the dome tapering toan upraised knob of clouds surmounted by a winged lion and set inenamel roundels with the conjoined initials A.P. and A.N., on astepped oak base with winners plates, 24 1/2ins. exclusing base,(cover screwed down), the base with an inscription, the underside alsoinscribed "Omar Ramsden me fecit".

      The rectangular sloping beaten desk note pad container, Omar Ramsden,London 1936, with shaped edges and pen shelf, the hinged cover with aninscription "From Alice B.M. Cumberbatch to H.G. BRACKLEY, O.P. Jones,L.A. Walters, W. Rogers, A.S. Wilcockson, F. Dismore, F.J. Bailey,H.S. Horsey, A.B.H. Youell Air Superintendent & Captains of ImperialAirways to whom was awarded the Cumberbatch Trophy for Reliability in1936" in a scroll tablet reserve, 8 1/2ins. (later pen by anothermaker), inscribed "Omar Ramsden me fecit".

      Will: 1971 CUMBERBATCH Alice Beatrice Martha of 8 Flixton Rd BungaySuffolk died 9 April 1971 Probate London 27 July 1971. £11,630[Probate Calendar]