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The celebrity WW1 test pilot who crashed in Leeds
William Ding survived a number of crashes on his way to becoming a celebrity in Yorkshire.
This is the story of William Rowland Ding who was a test pilot during the 1910s.
In May 1917, hundreds of people saw the moment of tragedy, as one delicate wing of the White Falcon aeroplane flown by celebrity test pilot William Rowland Ding broke away and sent it spiralling to the ground. For hundreds of feet it fell before crashing, less than a mile from the crowds at Soldier's Field at Roundhay Park in Leeds.
A memorial to Ding has been there since 2017 but was recently vandalised - his grandson Julian spoke to Jane Chesworth from the 麻豆社.
Image Credit: Julian Ding
