Episode 54: 23 July 2012 – Manchester Interplanetary Society and Stanley Davis

Stanley Davis The August 2012 edition of Spaceflight, the monthly
magazine of the British Interplanetary Society, carried
an article in which I discuss the Northwest of England’s
contribution to Rocketry during the 1930s. An extended version
of that article is available for free download on Astrotalkuk.org -
here. So on to today’s episode. In 1937, two teenagers, Harry and
Stanley, with an outrageous ambition to design and build rockets
for space travel, joined a newly formed group with a name to match
– the Manchester Interplanetary Society. Soon, each met a girl,
fell in love, exchanged wedding rings and got married. They went
off on their separate ways but pledged to stay in touch. In
addition to his interest in rockets, he was also strongly
interested in science. In the late 1930, he went by train to London
to hear a talk from H.G. Wells. Had he not died prematurely, he,
like Harry, would have immersed himself in the sci-fi fandom
movement that was blossoming in Britain from the early 1930s.
Wooden Statue of Abraham Lincoln. Carved by Stanley Davis Members
of the Manchester Interplanetary Society. Harry Turner is 1st on
the left Two years later, the ferocious and violent events of World
War II began that would shatter their dreams and lives, along with
those of millions of others around the world. Harry Turner spent
much of the War in India and, following his return, enjoyed a
successful career as an artist. Stanley Davies died in August 1941
from injuries he had sustained at Dunkirk. Recently, this shared
story brought together Harry’s son, Philip, and Stanley’s daughter,
Ann.  In episode 50, Philip recalls his father's memories, and
in this episode, Ann Sutcliffe remembers her father, Stanley
Davies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UV37Bnbo0Q