Thomas Sopwith
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Sir Thomas Sopwith CBE, Hon FRAeS |
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Thomas Sopwith, c. 1910
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| Born |
Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith 18 January 1888 Kensington, United Kingdom |
| Died | 27 January 1989 (aged 101) Hampshire, UK |
| Resting place | Little Somborne |
| Nationality | United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Aviation pioneer · yachtsman |
| Years active | 1910—1980 |
| Organization | Sopwith Aviation Company · Hawker Siddeley |
| Spouse(s) | Beatrix Hore-Ruthven (m.1914), Phyllis Brodie (m.1932) |
| Children | Thomas |
| Parent(s) | Thomas Sopwith & Lydia Gertrude née Messiter |
| Medal record | ||
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Representing  United Kingdom
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| Men's ice hockey | ||
| European Championships | ||
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1910 | Great Britain |
Sir Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith, CBE, Hon FRAeS (18 January 1888 – 27 January 1989) was an English aviation pioneer and yachtsman.
Sopwith was born in Kensington, London on 18 January 1888. He was the eighth child and only son of Thomas Sopwith (a civil engineer and managing director of the Spanish Lead Mines Company, Linares Spain) & his wife Lydia Gertrude née Messiter. He was educated at Cottesmore School in Hove and at Seafield Park engineering college in Hill Head.
When he was ten years old, whilst on a family holiday on the Isle of Lismore, near Oban in Scotland, a gun lying across young Thomas's knee went off, killing his father on 30 July 1898. This accident haunted Sopwith for the rest of his life.
Sopwith was interested in motor cycles, and took part in the 100-mile Tricar trial in 1904 where he was one of four medal winners. He also tried hot air ballooning, his first ascent being in C.S. Rolls' balloon in June 1906. Together with Phil Paddon he bought his own hot air balloon from Short Brothers. For a while he was in business with Phil Paddon selling automobiles as Paddon & Sopwith, Albermarle St, Picadilly, London.
In his youth, he was an expert ice skater and played in goal during Princes Ice Hockey Club's 1908 match with C. P. P. Paris and during the 1909–10 season. He was also a member of the Great Britain national ice hockey team that won the gold medal at the first ever European Championships in 1910.
Sopwith became interested in flying after seeing John Moisant flying the first cross-Channel passenger flight. His first flight was with Gustave Blondeau in a Farman at Brooklands. He soon taught himself to fly on a Howard Wright Avis monoplane and took to the air on his own for the first time on 22 October 1910. He crashed after travelling about 300 yards (275 m), but soon improved, and on 22 November was awarded Royal Aero Club Aviation Certificate No. 31, flying a Howard Wright 1910 Biplane.
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