Samuel Franklin Cowdery was born in Davenport, Iowa, USA in 1867. But that's not what he'd want you to believe. He would instead say that he is S.F Cody, a wildwest showman and relative of W.F Cody, known to most people as 'Buffalo Bill'.
Cowdery changed his name, appearance and the trajectory of his life in pursuit of the fame that his hero Buffalo Bill had achieved. And though it was his stage shows which first put him in the public eye, it was his impact on British aviation for which he will largely be remembered for.
S.F Cody was a showman. He travelled with circuses and touring theatres across the USA performing routines which combined shooting and theatre, in the same vein as his idol Buffalo Bill.
Buffalo Bill had toured the US and Europe with his travelling show and inspired young Samuel with his show that featured reenactments of stage coach robberies, attacks on wagon trains, and sideshows performing feats of skill and telling stories of the frontiers of the Wild West.
But it was at the end of the 19th century when his interest in kites and flight began to take a hold. He began to build bigger and bigger kites, typcially square in shape and eventually large enough to hold the weight of a person. He would eventually become Chief Instructor at the Balloon School after gaining the attention of the British Army.
Between 1907 and his death in 1913, Cody would work on kites, then powered kites, then airships and finally aeroplanes. His job with the War Office stopped in 1909, but he remained commited to his work and continued to build and fly his own aircraft, often attracting large crowds. His flight on 16th October 1908 is considered to be the first piloted heavier-than-air flight in Great Britain
ACM1963.91.40- Winchester '73 Rifle, engraved and gilt with scenes of Diana and the hunt by C.F Ulrich. Said to have belonged to W.F Cody, a.k.a Buffalo Bill.
Between 1907 and his death in 1913, Cody would work on kites, then powered kites, then airships and finally aeroplanes. His job with the War Office stopped in 1909, but he remained commited to his work and continued to build and fly his own aircraft, often attracting large crowds. His flight on 16th October 1908 is considered to be the first piloted heavier-than-air flight in Great Britain.
On August 7th 1913 his 'Cody Floatplane', his working concept for a hydroplane, took flight near Farnborough. Unfortuantely, the plane broke up in the air and Cody and his passenger William Evans, a famous first-class cricketer, were thrown from their seats and killed. Neither of the men were strapped in. Cody was buried with full military honours and his funeral procession drew in thousands of people from Hampshire who had been inspired by his achievements, as he was once inspired by Buffalo Bill.
SH2023.21- A letter by LCpl Albert Slack to his girlfriend Florence Jones telling news of the death of S.F Cody after attending the scene. It is written upon a fragment of canvas from the Cody Floatplane which crashed and killed Cody and his passenger. This object is currently on display at Aldershot Military Museum.