THIS postcard of 1906 commemorates the death at Haworth Gala of lady parachutist Lily Cove, who could be regarded alternatively either as being exploited or as an early liberated young woman.
Aged 21, from East London, “good-looking, well-proportioned” Miss Cove had been trained to make balloon ascents and parachute descents, with 20 successful jumps to her credit.
That June evening at Haworth, however, something went dreadfully wrong. Having ascended from the West Lane football field waving a handkerchief to a cheering crowd, she floated over Stanbury and left the seat under her balloon at Scar Top.
During her descent she unbuckled herself from her parachute and fell in a field near Ponden Reservoir. It is thought that, as a non-swimmer, she had been trying to avoid landing in the reservoir.
Haworth folk collected towards her funeral expenses. Her gravestone in Haworth Cemetery includes a graphic representation of a parachuting balloon.
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