Oakwood memorial honouring daredevil 'adrenaline junkie' Leeds pilot vandalised in 'sad and futile' act
A plaque honouring a “pioneering” daredevil pilot - who died when his biplane crashed in a Leeds field - has been vandalised.
Aviation pioneer William Rowland Ding (1885-1917) was a test pilot for the Leeds-based Blackburn Aeroplane Company, who in just three short years before his death managed to log 35,000 miles in the air.
Known for having flown more aircraft than any other pilot at the time, Ding flew many of his flights from Soldiers' Field in Roundhay.
On May 12, 1917, one of Ding’s routine test flights went fatally wrong, leading to him crashing his biplane on a field off Oakwood Grange Lane in Oakwood, before bursting into flames in front of around 1,000 spectators. He was just 31-years-old.
To commemorate the centenary of his death, the pilot’s family, alongside the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, unveiled a memorial plaque at the crash site in 2017.
However, cruel vandals have since defaced the memorial stone, which was originally adorned with a gleaming plaque, in an act branded “sad and futile”.
Anne Ward, who frequently visits the area and spotted the vandalised plaque, told the Yorkshire Evening Post: "On a walk last week, my friend and I noticed that this important memorial has been vandalised. The bronze plaque has been removed.
"This is so sad and futile. What is the point? It might be old history now but this man was described as a 'Victorian adrenaline junkie' by his grandson."
Roundhay councillor Jordan Bowen told the YEP he was “shocked” and said he planned to track down the owners of the memorial to restore it to its former state.
He said: “We're shocked that a memorial would be damaged like that. It's appalling behaviour.”
Ding was described as a “pioneer at the dawn of aviation” by Leeds Civic Trust bosses.
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Trust director, Martin Hamilton, said: “The damage to the Ding memorial is very sad indeed.
“He was a pioneer at the dawn of aviation, and his connection to Leeds is a strong if tragic one.”
West Yorkshire Police has been contacted for comment.