Interview with Elaine and Pam Edwards

Matthew McCarthy interviews Elaine and Pam Edwards about family member, Lamont (Lal) Parsons, a local aviator with a memorable career.

Recorded at Gordon G. Pike Railway Museum on February 11, 2023
Interviewer: Matthew McCarthy
Videographer: Christina Hearn
Duration: 1 minute, 48 seconds

Elaine Edwards: So when he would come from England and go to fly to Torbay, he would go up the harbour with not much below his plane. He was a daredevil in that plane. He would then turn around, he would then go, his wife Valera was from Carbonear and they lived in Carbonear.

EE: So she’d take the, he’d go down through there and swoop up over Bristol’s Hope and that’s where the picture of his plane, why he tipped and the wings went through, well I don’t know if they went right through, but that’s what it was.

Pam Edwards: It was a salute thing I think . I remember, you know him talking or granny talking because I called him Old Uncle Lal because we have a young Uncle Lal, mom’s brother’s name is Lal. So he was always Old Uncle Lal to me. He never took any offence to it I don’t think, but we always called him Old Uncle Lal.

PE: But I think the ‘tipping of the wings’, was like a little a shimmy to say it’s me, hello, a little salute kind of thing to his people. And he’d come, you know he’d come out around Harbour Grace and do these foolish things because of course you know, you’d hear the plane I’m sure.

PE: And he’d roar up and then he’d fly over and then he’d do the tip or whatever and that, and Ian Sparkes, Bill or Ian? [Ian], Ian Sparkes did that picture and that was inspired by that story. Do I think Uncle Lal flew ‘vroom’, right through the spires? No, [laughs], it’s a lovely story if you want to totally take it out of context, but do I think he kind of just tipped one wing down in?…..Yes.