Grace Marguerite Hay Drummond-Hay
Encyclopedia
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
- 12 February 1946 in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) was a British journalist who was the first woman to travel around the world by air, in a Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
. Although she was not an aviator herself at first, she certainly contributed to its glamour and the general knowledge about her aerial adventures by writing articles about it in mainstream American newspapers in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Early life
Gracie Lethbridge was the eldest daughter of Sidney Thomas Lethbridge and his wife Grace Emily (née Willis). She was married in 1920 to Sir Robert Hay Drummond-Hay (1846–1925) at the age of 25, her husband being nearly fifty years older. Sir Robert was born in Tangier, MoroccoMorocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and had been the British consul-general for years in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. Sir Robert was previously married to Euphemia Katrina Willis Flemming. Four children were produced in this marriage, Arnold Robert, Edward William, Cecil and Florence Caroline. The children were all significantly older than their new stepmother, Florence Caroline being 15 years older. After six years of marriage, Sir Robert died. Lady Drummond Hay then was 31 years old. As a young aristocratic widow she lived in her apartment in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Career
The Sphere (newspaper)
The Sphere was a British newspaper, published weekly from 27 January 1900 until the closure of the paper on 27 June 1964; the first issue came out at the height of the Boer War and was no doubt a product of that conflict and the public appetite for images...
, she became involved as a journalist for the papers of William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
in the late 1920s. As a star journalist, she wrote articles for The Chicago Herald and Examiner, edited by the Hearst Press, as one of the passengers aboard the first transatlantic flight of a civilian passenger Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
in 1928.
This airship, the LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin was a German built and operated passenger-carrying hydrogen-filled rigid airship which operated commercially from 1928 to 1937. It was named after the German pioneer of airships, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who was a Graf or Count in the German nobility. During its operating life,...
was also the first one to circumnavigate the world in 1929. This trip around the world took place in August 1929, taking off at Lakehurst
Lakehurst
There are a number of places named Lakehurst:*Lakehurst, New Jersey.*Lakehurst High School, a fictional school in Degrassi: The Next Generation*Lakehurst Mall, a defunct shopping complex in Waukegan, Illinois...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and arriving there again 21 days later, after stops in Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen
This article is about a German town. For the Danish town, see Frederikshavn, and for the Finnish town, see Fredrikshamn .Friedrichshafen is a university city on the northern side of Lake Constance in Southern Germany, near the borders with Switzerland and Austria.It is the district capital of the...
(Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Lady Hay Drummond-Hay, or Lady Drummond-Hay, as she was often referred to, was the only female passenger. Among her companion travellers were the Australian explorer Sir George Hubert Wilkins, the American multi-millionaire William B. Leeds, U.S. Navy Commander Charles Emery Rosendahl, Naval observer Jack C. Richardson, renowned American Hearst correspondent Karl Henry von Wiegand
Karl von Wiegand
Karl Henry von Wiegand was a German born American journalist and war correspondent.-Career from 1911:Von Wiegand worked from 1911 until 1917 for the United Press and from 1917 for Hearst Newspapers....
, Hearst photographer Robert Hartman, Spanish newspaper correspondent Joachim Rickard, German correspondent Heinz von Eschwege-Lichbert, and Geronimo Megias, a physician and the personal doctor of Spanish King Alfonso XIII. Hugo Eckener
Hugo Eckener
Dr. Hugo Eckener was the manager of the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin during the inter-war years, and was commander of the famous Graf Zeppelin for most of its record-setting flights, including the first airship flight around the world, making him the most successful airship commander in history...
was the captain of this flight around the world. Lady Drummond-Hay became a star after she arrived in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, her career as a journalist being consolidated for the next decade.
She went to war zones such as Abyssinia (Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
) and was a foreign correspondent in Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
(China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
). She worked closely together for many years with her senior colleague Karl H. von Wiegand
Karl von Wiegand
Karl Henry von Wiegand was a German born American journalist and war correspondent.-Career from 1911:Von Wiegand worked from 1911 until 1917 for the United Press and from 1917 for Hearst Newspapers....
. Being praised for her extraordinary beauty and wit, and the intelligence and flair with which her articles were written, Lady Drummond-Hay was a well-known and respected journalist of her time. At her funeral she wore a precious jewel that was given to her by the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie.
Last years
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Lady Drummond-Hay and Karl H. von Wiegand
Karl von Wiegand
Karl Henry von Wiegand was a German born American journalist and war correspondent.-Career from 1911:Von Wiegand worked from 1911 until 1917 for the United Press and from 1917 for Hearst Newspapers....
were interned in a Japanese camp in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. When they were set free in 1945, she was very ill. They returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but during their stay in New York, Lady Drummond-Hay died of coronary thrombosis in the Lexington Hotel. At her burial service many notables paid their last respects, including William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies
Marion Davies
Marion Davies was an American film actress. Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, as her high-profile social life often obscured her professional career....
. After being cremated, her ashes were brought to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by her life-long companion Karl von Wiegand.
Legacy
Being a star in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the fame of Lady Hay Drummond-Hay has long since faded. Her name is mentioned in the many books that have been written on the history of Zeppelin flights, but no major biography or other significant document has been written about her life.An Australian documentary called The Airships: Ship Of Dreams produced in 2004 included footage of her.
Semidocumentary Farewell
In 2009 a Dutch semidocumentarySemidocumentary
Semidocumentary is a form of book, film, or television program presenting a fictional story that incorporates many factual details or actual events, or which is presented in a manner similar to a documentary...
called 'Farewell'http://www.hollanddoc.nl/kijk-luister/documentaire/v/vaarwel.html was released, directed by Ditteke Mensink, researched by Gerard Nijssen, consisting of footage of her and the first Zeppelin flight around the world http://www.filmevona-z.de/filmsuche.cfm?wert=534511&sucheNach=titel&CT=1|Source.Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
described the documentary as 'absorbing' http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117941735.html?categoryid=31&cs=1. This documentary was later shown in the UK, on BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
as "Around The World by Zeppelin" on 7 February 2010. The substantial eighty-minute programme relied almost entirely on extensive newsreel footage from the time which showed in some detail how an airship operated. It was narrated (by Poppy Elliott) mainly by readings from Lady Drummond-Hay’s articles and journal and revealed that when she was told by Hearst that Karl von Wiegand was to be her mentor on the voyage she was very concerned because the pair had only ended an affair at his insistence and to her regret six months before. This gave a significant human-interest to the story and clearly led to some tensions. Apparently the affair was briefly resumed during the Tokyo stopover but stopped again after he received a telegram from his wife; after the flight they remained companions until Lady Drummond-Hay's death seventeen years later. However, some parts of the semidocumentary are fictitious; the airship's tail fin did not rip during the round-the-world flight, but during a previous transatlantic flight in October 1928, and the ship did not have to land on water to do repairs.
External links
- Lady Grace Drummond-Hay photographs and biography (letter is dated May 8, 1936)
- Lady Drummond-Hay's letter to Shorty Fulton, from summitmemory.org
- Lady Drummond Hay on the Graf Zeppelin as it launches from Lakehurst, from summitmemory.org
- Photograph of Lady Drummond-Hay and Captain von Schiller on the Graf Zeppelin's catwalk, from antique-images.com
- Around the World by Zeppelin (BBC programme)
