More Info →Alex Radford - Memoir

Description: Alexander Reginald George Radford (1890-1972) was born in Hanham near Bristol, England. He was an engineer and worked for various firms in England before emigrating with his wife and parents to New Zealand an 1911 and settling in Christchurch and later in Waimate. He enlisted for service in submarine chasers and left New Zealand 1916. Upon his return to New Zealand he settled in Palmerston North where he opened a garage in Fitzherbert Avenue which he operated until 1924. From 1925 to 1934 he was employed by the Manawatu Evening Standard, doing a rural paper and mail round in the afternoons and continued to do various motor and mechanical repairs in his private workshop. He devoted a great amount of time to designing and building his own plane, including the engine. The plane was on the way to completion when an accident in 1934 left him bed-ridden for 11 months and eventually cost him his right leg. After that, the plane was stored until 1940 when it was completed by someone else and flown by Darby West. After Alex's retirement in 1950 he moved to Foxton Beach. After the death of his wife in 1960 he resided with his son in Lower Hutt until his death. - Obituary [abridged] written by Alex's son for the 1972 "Sport Flying" newsletter.