OXFORD and Cambridge Universities regularly compete at rowing, football, rugby, hockey and other sports – but an air race?

The answer is yes – the two universities did compete for supremacy in the air in July 1921.

Cambridge were declared the winners of the battle of the skies over West London, Essex and Hertfordshire.

Six 220hp SE5a aircraft, piloted by six students, three from each university, took part in the event which started and finished at Hendon aerodrome.

Oxford were represented by AR Boerce (Oriel), N Pring (New) and AV Hurley (Keble), and Cambridge by HA Francis and WS Philcox (both Caius) and RK Muir (St Catharine’s).

The course consisted of three laps of the Hendon-Epping-Hertford-Hendon circuit, a distance of about 129 miles.

The planes were distinguished by the university colours on the aircraft rudders – dark blue for Oxford and light blue for Cambridge. The race began with a false start, one of the Oxford pilots getting away before the flag dropped.

He had to circle back and re-cross the line, with the result that he fell behind the others who were already on their way.

The Cambridge team climbed high at the start, possibly hoping to find cooler air, while the Oxford pilots remained fairly low.

At the end of the first lap, two Cambridge men, Philcox and Muir, were leading, with Boerce (Oxford) in third place.

Cambridge were in an even stronger position at the end of the second lap, filling all three places, and maintained that position on the final lap.

For Oxford, only Boerce and Hurley finished the course, Pring having to land his plane at Epping.

Flight magazine, which published a report of the race, said the pilots had made ‘priceless landings’ at the end and described this first aerial clash of the two universities as an unqualified success.

Speeds ranged from 110 to 118mph. The air race was one of the events at what was described as an Aerial Derby Day at Hendon.

Organisers expressed disappointment at the number of aircraft which were entered, then withdrawn, and the low number of spectators.

Among the visitors was the Duke of York, the future King George VI, who saw the Oxford and Cambridge teams fly off but then had to leave for another appointment.

Details of the air race were uncovered by Memory Lane reader Peter Smith, of Arthur Street, Osney, who is researching Oxford’s aircraft history, particularly the role of Port Meadow aerodrome during the First World War. He tells me that the SE5a aircraft were former wartime fighter planes and among those involved in its design and test flying was Frank Goodden, a significant figure in the Port Meadow aviation story.

Flight magazine said it was hoped the university race would become an annual fixture but it didn’t.