Gertrude Bacon
| Gertrude Bacon | |
|---|---|
John Bacon, Gertrude Bacon, and Stanley Spencer
|
|
| Born |
19 April 1874 Cambridge, England |
| Died | 22 December 1949 (aged 75) Sway, Hampshire |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | author, aeronautical pioneer, astronomer, botanist |
| Spouse(s) | Thomas Jackson Foggitt |
| Relatives | John Mackenzie Bacon |
Gertrude Bacon (19 April 1874 – 22 December 1949) was an aeronautical pioneer. She achieved a considerable number of "firsts" for women in aeronautics, as well as making contributions in the areas of astronomy and botany. Gertrude popularized aeronautics through her writing, and promoted both commercial and popular flying as fields for women.
Gertrude was born at Cambridge, to John Mackenzie Bacon (19 June 1846 – 26 December 1904) and his first wife, Gertrude Myers. The family moved in 1876 to Cold Ash, Berkshire, near Newbury. Gertrude's father, John Mackenzie Bacon was an astronomer, aeronaut, and scientist, who educated his children at home.
Gertrude became her father's scientific collaborator in both astronomy and aeronautics. She was an original member of the British Astronomical Association, and a member of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
She accompanied her father on expeditions to film total solar eclipses in Vadso, Lapland (1896), Buxar, India (Dec 1897-1898), and Wadesborough, North Carolina (May 1900). When their first expedition was unsuccessful, due to cloudy weather, they went home and planned another. Their second and third attempts were successful.
Aeronautics fascinated Gertrude. She was the first woman in England to make a proper balloon ascent, with her father, in 1898. A more hair-raising balloon flight occurred on 15 November 1899, when John Mackenzie Bacon and Gertrude Bacon ascended with Stanley Spencer to observe the Leonid meteor shower from above the cloud layer. Ten hours later, they landed near Neath, South Wales, a narrow escape from drifting out over the Atlantic.
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