From a large collection of glass stereoviews that belonged to Dr William Gardiner Anglin (1856 - 1934) who lectured at Queens University in Kingston, Ont.
The 1909 Hurlingham Club Balloon Race, the international balloon race held in May, with three German entrants, one Belgian, and 11 British. The target was about 30 miles away, near Billericay in Essex, and competitors reached over 8,000 feet on the way there, averaging about 13 mph. One of them, forced down early, complained: ‘Stratford is not the best part of England. The people there are rather common and keep asking for money.’ Britain took the first four places.
(information corrected from original post)