Welcome to Discover Lakeside - Doncaster takes to the skies
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1909 Aviation Meeting and World War One
About a mile behind you as you read this is Doncaster racecourse. On this site the first Aviation meeting in Britain was held in October 1909.
The aviators included Samuel Franklin Cody, an American who signed British naturalization papers to try and win a prize offered by the Daily Mail for the first British pilot in a British aeroplane to fly a circular mile. Unfortunately, he crashed and did not win.
Leon Delagrange broke the world speed record by achieving 53 mph in his Bleriot plane.
Roger Sommer, flew a total of 136 miles and 280 yards, the greatest distance flown by any pilot over the total period of the air show.
Doncaster racecourse was used as a landing ground during World War One. The hangers and accommodation were on the north-west side of the racecourse.
From January 1916, the racecourse was used by the Home Defence squadrons with others using the site throughout the war.
These included:
- No 80 Training Squadron – they were formed on 1 January 1917 as a Canadian Unit
- No 82 Squadron Royal Flying Corps, formed on 7 February 1917
- The site closed in 1919.
Swans at Doncaster Lakeside
The swans at Lakeside are Mute Swans (Cygnus Olor). Although they are usually silent, they sometimes hiss or snort when angry. Cygnets make a soft whistling sound. A male swan has a larger black base on its beak.
Swans feed on water vegetation, insects and snails, but also occasionally graze on short grass.
The swans at Lakeside have three or four favourite nest sites and do pair up, nest and rear young most years. Sometimes they are not successful, due to interference.
In 2016 a pair of swans hatched six cygnets and reared five of them successfully. Doncaster Lakeside is home to a resident swan population, but sees a lot of arrivals and departures, so
numbers vary during the year. It is a popular site for young adolescent swans, as it is a large and reasonably safe haven for them to gather for safety in numbers.
You may see birds with small metal rings on their legs, also large yellow or red rings. Swan ringing groups ring birds all over the country, including at Lakeside, recording the place of origin. Three of the 2016 cygnets had been ringed by the end of the year.
The content of this trail has been developed by the Doncaster Lakeside Wildlife Action Group. Visit their website at: http://lakesidewildlifeactiongroup.weebly.com/ or follow them on Twitter @WildlifeLakeDN4.
Question
What museum can be found at Lakeside?
Answer: South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum