FATHER OF N.Z. AVIATION.

Wairarapa Age, 7 May 1934, Page 5

FATHER OF N.Z. AVIATION.

DEATH OF SIR H. WIGRAM. CHRISTCHURCH, May -6. The death occurred early this morning of Sir -Henry Francis Wigram, after a week’s illness. Sir Henry has been frequently referred to as the father of aviation in New Zealand; and he was also well-known in Christchurch as a public man and generous benefactor for public and charitable objects. He was the first Mayor of Greater Christchurch and a member of the first elected Tramway Board. Before the war, he tried to interest the Government in aviation for defence, but when the Government did nothing he established the Canterbury Aviation Company, which trained 180 pilots for wsr service who went overseas. In 1921 the Government purchased the aerodrome and equipment and Sir Henry gave £lO,OOO towards the purchase price. Eleven years later, in 1932, he presented -81 acres more', making the aerodrome called the Wigram Aerodrome in his honour. It is one of the best in the Southern Hemisphere. For his services to aviation, he was knighted in 1926, and shortly afterwards he presented a Gloster Grebe, a fast fighting machine, to the Government. He was the patron and a generous supporter of the Canterbury Aero Club. Sir Henry Wigram was a member of the Legislative Council from 1903 to 1920.—(P.A.)