Scud II BGA.123(2) glider at Sutton Bank.

Between 1st and 9th September 1934 a national glider "derby" meeting was held at Sutton Bank and was arranged by the British Gliding Association. Some fifty pilots had agreed to take part in contests for soaring, distance, altitude, duration and other flying with between three and four thousand spectators travelling to Sutton Bank to watch by the second day. Over the course of the week a number of gliders were damaged in mishaps. During the morning of Monday, 3rd September 1934 London Gliding Club member Donald MacClement crashed fellow club member's R.Philip Cooper and Kit Nicholson's Willow Wren at Sutton Bank. The glider was badly damaged and must have been obvious to the owners that there was no hope of it being repaired in time to be used for the rest of the gliding competition. Leslie Baynes, owner of Abbott-Baynes Sailplanes, took his spare Scud II glider ( registered as BGA.123(2) ) to the event which was promptly bought by Cooper and Nicholson. Two trial flights were attempted over the western edge of the gliding site later in the day with Cooper as pilot but on both launches a wing struck the heather, the second mishap saw the glider cartwheel and was badly damaged. The damaged glider was later transported back to Abbott-Baynes for repair.

Pilot - Mr R Philip Cooper. London Gliding Club.

Abbott-Baynes Scud II BGA 123 was built by Abbott-Baynes Sailplanes Ltd. at Farnham in 1934. It was retained by the company until 3rd September 1934 when it was sold to Christopher "Kit" Nicholson and Philip Cooper. It was badly damaged by Cooper at Sutton Bank on the day of purchase and was then returned to Abbott-Baynes Sailplanes Ltd. at Farnham for rebuild. On 21st October 1934 it was returned to Kit Nicholson and Philip Cooper at Dunstable. On 31st March 1935 it was sold to L.H. Barker at Dunstable. In 1936 it was sold to J.D. Wood at Dunstable and appears to have still been owned by him when war broke out that saw it placed into store. In 1946 it was registered to B. Parslow at Portsmouth. In November 1947 it was registered to J.A. Allan at Dunstable and on 23rd March 1949 it was given the registration G-ALKZ by the C.A.A.. On 13th March 1950 the registration was cancelled. After this date nothing more is known about the glider.

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