Beschreibung:

O'Brien (Sicele, 1887-1931, pioneering Irish pilot). A well-presented and photographically illustrated scrap album relating to the O'Brien family of Lohort Castle, Mallow, County Cork, early 20th century, photographs including interior scenes of the Castle, watercolour illustrations, autographs, a satirical recipe for 'Suffragette pudding', photographs of Miss O'Brien's horses and North Kildare Harriers hunting meets, visits to country houses in Ireland and England with signed cards including the Plunketts of Killeen Castle, the Lawrence family of Howth Castle, then entries for a visit to Prees Heath Camp and wartime entries including a photograph of Sicele O'Brien standing by her Red Cross ambulance, photographs of bomb damage at Ypres and St Omer Camp with her comrades, with further ephemera following the war including signed cards from Haselbech Hall (the home of the Ismays of White Star Line and Titanic), Stanford Hall, Loughborough and a trip to Italy, and ending with a section of photographs and ephemera relating to the Bournemouth Easter Flying Meeting, 16 April 1927, including an official race card, various clippings and cuttings, plus photographs of aircraft including the 1928 air crash which resulted in one of Miss O'Brien's legs being amputated, and finally of Scotland's First Air Rally, organised by Sicele O'Brien, a total of approximately 140 photos including some real photo postcards plus a number of other postcards, news cuttings, a few watercolours and sketches, various autographs including some on tipped-in sheets on rectos and versos of 70 leaves, 30 blank leaves at rear, all edges gilt, contemporary green straight-grain morocco, upper cover gilt-titled 'Lohort Castle 1892', slightly rubbed, 4to (23 x 20 cm) (Qty: 1) Sicele O'Brien was one of Ireland's pioneering pilots and only the second woman in Britain or Ireland to get a commercial pilot's licence. She grew up in Dublin, London and Cork and spent time in the family home of Lohort Castle (which was burned in 1921). She served as a First Aid Nursing Yeomanry driver during the First World War between May 1917 and April 1919. She obtained her commercial pilot's licence in 1927 and won the first women's air race - the Aerial Oaks - in 1926. On 20 October 1928 she lost her leg in an accident near Mill Hill Golf Course, Middlesex. She remained passionate about aviation nonetheless, writing articles, organising air rallies and working on behalf of the Air League of the British Empire and was one of the two founders of the Aviation Ambulance Association of England. She was killed in 1931 when her plane crashed on takeoff at Hatfield, Hertfordshire.