Balloon at Pickering Grand Gala.

On 26th July 1911 Dolly Shepherd was making a parachute jump from a hot air balloon at Pickering's Grand Gala. How the filling of the balloon with hot air was done seems interesting, a pit of fire was set in the ground and the balloon was held above it, the hot air inflating the balloon. Another famous balloonist, Capt Auguste Gaudron supervised this filling. On take off, the balloon with Dolly Shepherd aboard drifted through trees dragging her through them too. Not put off she got to the 1500 feet before casting loose and parachuting back to earth. The balloon inverted and came to earth soon after. She was unhurt. I add this incident as it is almost certainly Pickering's first air accident.

Pilot - Ms. Dolly Shepherd, uninjured.

Elizabeth "Dolly" Shepherd was born in 1887 in Potters Bar. She was an eminent parachutist and fairground entertainer in the Edwardian and Georgian eras. She later married and died in 1983 aged ninety six.