Irish speed king who loved and lost his life, but left an intriguing legacy

Born in County Clare, Desmond Lucius Studdert Arthur was a dashing young sportsman whose love of speed and thrills saw him win a number of motoring trials.

He became a Lieutenant in the Army Mo t o r Reserve in 1908 and, two years later, attended the first Irish Aviation Meeting at Leopardstown Racecourse where the desire to become a pilot was forged.

After completing his trials at Brooklands, he joined No.2 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps in April 1913, then based at Up p e r Dysart, near Montrose, before its move a few miles north to the Broomfield home which would become its permanent base.

Arthur perished on the morning of May 27 1913 when a routine training flight from Upper Dysart to Lunan Bay went tragically wrong. He was found more than 150

yards from his crashed machine, having died instantly.

The circumstances sparked an inquiry after an initial finding around a shoddy repair was overturned and the airman blamed for his own demise due to dangerous flying.

A later investigation in 1916 reinstated Arthur’s reputation finding that the crash was due to the damaged wing on BE2 biplane No.205.

Reports of his ghost surfaced in the following years, but dropped away until the Second World War, when the Broomfield base was again the subject of haunting stories.

Arthur’s personal story was revealed by his own diary, confirming his love for Ha r t l e p o o l ship owner’s daughter Miss Winsome Ropner, who he had visited.

In his will he left her the bulk of his fortune, amounting to more than £1 million in modern money.

In 1918, Winsom married another RFC pilot – but never forgot her first love and named her first-born son Desmond.

Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre volunteers continue to maintain Arthur’s grave in Sleepyhillock Cemetery, Montrose.

Dashing Desmond Arthur.