An Cosantóir

31 Profile: Col. James "Fitz" Fitzmaurice was born in Dublin, January 6, 1898, and grew up in Portlaoise. Like many other young men, he joined the British Army at the beginning of the First World War. He commissioned to the rank of second Lieutenant in November 1917, and at this time he volunteered to join the Royal Flying Corps. In 1921 he resigned his RAF commission. In 1922, he returned to live in Ireland; he presented himself at Baldonnel aerodrome where the new Irish Air Corps was based. 1925 saw his promotion to Acting Commandant and he was appointed second-in-command of the Irish Air Corps. In September 1927 he was promoted to the rank of Commandant and this is the rank he held when the Bremen flight occurred. After completing the Atlantic crossing from East to West, Fitz was retroactively promoted to Major, before a further promotion to Colonel on 24 August 1928. February 1929 saw the conclusion of Fitzmaurice's service in the Irish Air Corps. Small Anecdotes: • Fitzmaurice tried to join the7th Battalion of the Leinsters at 16, he was taken out by his father for being underage. • The aircraft had flags on each side of the cockpit, one German and one Irish. As he climbed into the Bremen, Fitzmaurice took his flag and placed it in his pocket. This is the first tricolour to fly across the Atlantic Ocean and is now on display in the museum in Casement Aerodrome. • The weight of the aircraft was such a concern due to the amount of fuel being carried, that even the oranges brought on board were peeled before loading, in an attempt to keep the weight down. • The crew emerged from the aircraft ecstatic and were met by an astounded Lentemplier family, who were keepers of the lighthouse. The aircraft had nearly landed on their doorstep. • Alfred Cormier, who operated the local telegraph office, sent two messages after the Bremen landed. "German plane at Greenly Island, wind southeast, thick. The second read: " German plane Bremen landed Greenly Island, noon, slightly damaged, crew well" THE BREMEN FLIGHT The first mishap of the journey happened on the take-off roll. A sheep wandered into the path of the aircraft that was gathering speed in order to take-off, to strike the animal would have resulted in the aircraft becoming a wreck. There was barely sufficient speed for Fitzmaurice and Koehl to get the aircraft off the ground; it touched back down before finally lifting off just before the end of the extended runway. It skimmed the perimeter hedges and trees and it sluggishly made its way into the sky. The time was 05:38am, when the wheels of the Bremen lifted off the runway. It was a bumpy runway and that increased the risk factor given the dangerous cargo the aircraft was carrying. The three aviators made good progress across the ocean during the daylight hours, but as darkness fell, they encountered a violent storm. The world waited anxiously amid ominous predictions of a similar fate to those that had gone before them. With only 2 hours of fuel remaining, they though they spotted an ice-bound ship. This turned out to be a lighthouse, which had a flat area alongside it. The flight touched down at Greenly Island in Quebec, Canada, after 36 ½ hours of non-stop flying. They landed atop an iced- over reservoir, and as the aircraft came to a stop it broke through the ice and the tail projected into the air. All three were safe, and they had just achieved the goal of so many. "The Bremen flight was a feat of extraordinary bravery and heroism, which is of global significance in aviation and commercial history. It is also a landmark in of technical achievement and innovation, which links Baldonnel with Germany and Quebec". The crew of the Bremen received accolades across the world. In New York they were presented with the United States Distinguished Flying Cross, this was awarded for "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight", by former president Calvin Coolidge. They were awarded the freedom of the city of Dublin, for contributions to the life of the city. In honour of the famous Irish man, the Fitzmaurice Flying School opened in Baldonnel in 1998. In an industry where technological advancements and the drive for the next best thing are constant, it is important to remember where it all began. We recognise those who paved the way for the future of aviation and remember the pivotal moment where an Irishman, Baldonnel and the Bremen were at the forefront of aviation evolution. Col James "Fitz" Fitzmaurice

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