YOUR picture of the aircraft on Knavesmire is wrongly captioned (Yesterday Once More, September 1). The occasion is described by John Pudney in his biography of the Atcherley brothers, A Pride of Unicorns.

Number 2 Squadron of the recently formed Royal Flying Corps was flying from Montrose in Scotland to Salisbury Plain. The purpose of the exercise, according to the Yorkshire Post, was: “Not so much of a test of the flying machine but as a criterion of the motor transport section to keep pace with them.”

The 12 B.E.2A aircraft were scheduled to land on Knavesmire on Friday, May 15, 1914 and to continue their journey on the Monday.

The aircraft left Seaton Carew for York but encountered bad visibility and only three reached Knavesmire; eight landed safely elsewhere, but one crashed near Northallerton, killing the pilot, Lieutenant Jack Empson, 23, and his engineer, George Cudmore, 21.

Jack Empson was the cousin of the ten-year-old Atcherley twins and when the news of his death became known to the crowds on Knavesmire, Lady Atcherley said to her sons, “That finishes flying for you two boys.”

The two boys, in fact , went on to have distinguished RAF careers. Both reached the rank of Air Vice Marshal; David was reported missing when flying a Meteor in 1950, while Richard retired in the 1950s.

How many York people have even heard of these two sons of Fulford?

L Mackenzie, Elmark View, York.