New Mini Display At Treasure House Explores ‘Mr Aviation’

New Mini Display At Treasure House Explores 'Mr Aviation'
New Mini Display At Explores ‘Mr Aviation’

A new mini display on an intriguing East Riding figure has opened at the Treasure House in Beverley.

Albert Neville Medforth (1924-2007) was the Director of the East Yorkshire Aero Company in the 1950s & 1960s, and his primary goal in life was to restart flying from the former Hedon Aerodrome, an airfield which had been in use for ten years prior to World War Two. Although ultimately unsuccessful in this venture, he did eventually found an airfield in Paull, which was open until the early-1980s.

Known as Hull’s ‘Mr Aviation’, he worked tirelessly for many years to achieve a local air service for the people of Hull and the neighbouring communities.

Educated at Hymer’s College in Hull, Medforth joined the school’s cadet corps and later the Withernwick Home Guard. After a spell in the Air Training Corps, he entered the army, serving with the 1st Battalion the Duke of Wellington’s regiment. He saw active service in Italy and after the war was posted to Palestine on peacekeeping duties.

Medforth was also heavily involved in the amateur athletics scene during the late-1940s and early-1950s. During this time he was a Yorkshire County Athletic champion and coached extensively as an amateur, including athletes from and .

In 1949 he was chosen to represent the Yorkshire team in the Inter-County Championships, held at the White City Stadium in London.

The display contains sporting trophies and equipment relating to Medforth’s athletics career, as well as items connected with his Home Guard service during the Second World War They are on loan from his grandson Alexander Slingsby, who has published a book about his grandfather’s life and career – The Hedon Aerodrome Saga: Death of an Airport.

The display can be found in the Recent Acquisitions case in the Museum on the first floor of the Treasure House and will run for approximately six months.



More From HU17.net

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *