On this day 90 years ago, a Laois man flew on the the maiden flight from East to West across the Atlantic ocean.
Born on January 6, 1898, the aviation pioneer James Fitzmaurice was the first pilot to fly transatlantic from east-to-west.
On the morning of April 12, 1928, in the famous ‘Bremen’ German aircraft, James Fitzmaurice, his German co-pilot Hermann Kohl, and plane owner Ehrenfried Gunther Freiherr von Hunefeld took off from Dublin’s Baldonnel Aerodrome.
Through harsh weather conditions and a series of compass issues, the men landed on April 13 atop an iced-over reservoir on Canada’s Greenly Island.
Just as the plane came to a stop, it broke through the ice and the tail projected 20 feet into the air – but all the crew were safe.
The crew then began a two-month tour of American and European cities to be welcomed as heroes.
James was from Portlaoise and was educated in the Christian Brothers.
According to Irish Central, in 1914 he joined the Irish National Volunteers, and at sixteen he enlisted in the seventh Battalion of the Royal Leinster Regiment (the Leinsters). He was quickly released for being underage.
Fitzmaurice enlisted in the British army again in 1915; throughout his service he held the titles of Corporal, Sergeant, and Commander.
He was posted to the School of Military Aeronautics and trained in Eastbourne in England. Shortly after the formation of the Irish Free State, Fitzmaurice joined the Irish Air Corps and was promoted to Captain a year later.
It is said he developed an interest in aviation from spending time in a garage in Portlaoise, which had an aircraft suspended in the ceiling.
Reportedly, that aircraft was the first man made aircraft in the Republic of Ireland.
Days after landing the Bremen, the three men were presented with the United States Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for “heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight,” by former President Calvin Coolidge.
They were also granted the Freedom of the City of Dublin, and rewarded for contributions to the life of the city – 78 people have been given this award, including Mother Teresa, John F. Kennedy, and Nelson Mandela.
For the 70th anniversary of the flight, a short film was made profiling the life of Fitzmaurice with a dramatic reconstruction of the flight. The Fitzmaurice Flying School opened in Baldonnel, Co. Dublin in 1998.
There is a plaza in Portlaoise called after James Fitzmaurice and today there will be a ceremony in Baldonnel today to mark the brave achievement.
There is also an event in Bremen which Laois Cathaoirleach Padraig Fleming and a delegation will be in attendance.
Catherine Casey, Teddy Fennelly, Paddy Buggy and Brendan Deacy will be there also at an event at the museum.
SEE ALSO – RTÉ presenter to lead the Woodenbridge Blueway Walk
