Dolly Shepherd

Dolly Shepherd photographed in 1911

The high-flying, and descending, Dolly Shepherd got her start as a waitress at Ally Pally. After hearing her customer had grazed his wife’s head in a trick-shot gone wrong leaving him without an assistant, Dolly immediately volunteered. Dolly then went on to risk life and limb in the name of entertainment.

Dolly performed several of her death-defying acts at Ally Pally where she would ascend thousands of feet into the air in a gas balloon and free fall down before deploying a parachute. A thrill-seeker throughout her life, she completed her final jump in her 90s.

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