Vivian Hewitt lived in Bodfari near Denbigh, and while still a teenager he constructed the glider in this photo. He built and flew it in Bodfari at a time when few people in North Wales had seen a flying machine.In 1912 – by which time he had become a resident of Rhyl – Mr. Hewitt struck fame as becoming the first airman to fly from the UK to Dublin. During World War 1 he was based in Farnborough, Hants, working on improving and perfecting fighter aircraft.
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WED 2nd MAY 2018 UPDATE: Below is a postcard that shows a plane of one kind with which Mr. Hewitt became associated. No mention of him on the card, but the photo was taken at Kinmel Bay where he established an airfield.
"Harding Rhyl" refers to the photographer J.A. Harding.
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THU 6th DEC 2018 UPDATE: Vivian Hewitt himself appears in the image below, a photo taken on Rhyl sands in 1913. Mr. Hewitt is the first man standing to your right of the plane.
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