Museum of Science and Industry

MOSI is appealing for help to take replicas of a 90-year-old toy cat to America to celebrate the first Transatlantic flight, made by Mancunians Jack Alcock and Arthur Whitten-Brown in 1919.

The original ‘Lucky Jim’ and ‘Twinkletoes’ cuddly cats were given as mascots to the pilot and navigator by Kay Kennedy (Whitten-Brown’s fiancée) to take on their historic crossing in a Vickers Vimy aeroplane. Lucky Jim is the only surviving cat and is now in MOSI’s collections.

Two replica Lucky Jim and Twinkletoes cuddly cats are available as Christmas presents to the first two people who call MOSI who can show they have tickets going to America direct from Manchester before the end of 2009. The giveaway is part of the end of year celebrations for the Museum’s Year of Aviation anniversary for 100 years of flight’. The Museum asks that the cats are taken on a flight to America to commemorate 90 years since Alcock and Brown flew across the Atlantic.

Jack Alcock died just a few months after his historic achievement, on 18 December 1919. MOSI will be holding a costume character performance of Jack Alcock – with Lucky Jim - this Saturday at 2.40pm, to commemorate his life.

Nick Forder, transport curator said: “Jack Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown’s flight across the Atlantic was an incredible achievement, just ten years after Manchester-born AV Roe managed to fly his Triplane a few hundred metres. Lucky Jim is just one of a number of highly prized items we have at the Museum related to Alcock and Brown. This black cat cuddly toy was one of the good luck charms associated with the flight (a horseshoe was carried under Alcock’s seat and the aircraft was the 13^th Vimy made), but it has become quite symbolic. It would be great if we could mark the 90 year anniversary with his namesake flying to America!”

Jack Alcock was born in Old Trafford in 1892 and died in a flying accident on 18 December 1919, six months after the Transatlantic flight. He is buried in Southern Cemetery, Manchester. Arthur Whitten Brown was born in Glasgow in 1886 and moved to Chorlton–cum-Hardy. Both Brown and his father worked for British Westinghouse in Trafford Park. Brown died in 1948. Alcock and Brown made the first ever non-stop flight across the Atlantic, from Newfoundland to Ireland on 14-15 June 1919 in a Vickers Vimy aeroplane.

The sixteen and a half hour epic journey covered 1880 miles from Newfoundland to Ireland, at that time the longest distance ever flown by man. The aviators survived appalling weather conditions in their open cockpit aeroplane and had to rely on quite primitive navigation aids. Alcock and Brown won £10,000 as part of a competition prize offered by the Daily Mail for the first non-stop Transatlantic flight.

If you have tickets from Manchester to America before the end of 2009 please call 0161 606 0176/ 07847 372647 to be the first to claim your replica Lucky Jim or Twinkletoes! A costume character performance of Jack Alcock will be held in MOSI’s Air & Space Hall this Saturday 19 December at 2.40pm. FREE entry.

For more information or images please call Sarah Roe on 0161 606 0176 m: 07847 372647 or Diane Inglis on Tel: 0161 606 0173.  

Notes to editors

MOSI’s Year of Aviation featured a year-long programme of events to mark 100 years since the first all British flight, by Patricroft- born AV Roe, in July 1909.

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