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Aviation History
1940
1940 - 0475.PDF
FEBRUARY 15, 1940 149. BOX KITE to BEAUFORT A Record of Achievement : The Bristol Company Completes 30 Years of Unbroken Activity By C. M. POULSEN THIRTY years is a long time in the life of any firm.When, as in the case of the Bristol company, theperiod covers not only the birth of the firm but the birth of the industry concerned, the three decades may be expected to be eventful ones. So, indeed, they have been for " Bristols." It has been my good fortune to be in close touch, through Flight, with "Bristols" during 29 of the 30 years which that company cele- brates this week. And before I joined this journal in 1911 I knew of the Bristol and Colonial Aeroplane Co., Ltd., for was I not, indeed, next door to them, so to speak, when I was supposed to learn flying and aircraft construction in nearby Gloucester? Supposed is the right word, for, needless to say, I learned neither at Gloucester. When I discovered this, I applied to Bristols for a position, and was notified that*my application would be kept in mind. I wonder if that application still exists in the archives at Filton? Anyway, Flight attracted me instead, and so my life so far has been devoted to writing about aeroplanes rather than to build- ing them. However, what I started out to say when I was side- tracked into reminiscing was that even in 1910 I knew the Bristol "Box Kite," and well I remember how im- pressed I was with the fine workmanship put into it. The efforts I had seen hitherto had been mainly of a somewhat amateurish nature, and to see an aeroplane in which obviously nothing had been scamped for lack of funds was something of a revelation to me. And, incidentally, I was witnessing, although I did not realise it, the foundation of a fundamental policy in aircraft manufacture. The Beginning It was on February 16, 1910, at a meeting of the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Co., Ltd., that Sir George White (Bart.) announced his intentions as follows: — '' I may tell you that for some time past my brother and I have been directing your attention to the subject of aviation, which is one hardly yet ripe for practical initia- tion by such a company as The Bristol Tramways Company, but yet seems to offer promise of development at no distant date; so much so that we have determined personally to take the risk and expense of the endeavour to develop the science from the spectacular and commercial point of view. "If, as we believe, we can make the headquarters close to Bristol, we shall give our own city a prominent place in the movement nationally, and secure for The Tramways Company a very important source of new traffic, as we shall take care that the centre of attraction is located upon the system. And it is obvious that the public interest in the subject will attract enormous crowds from the whole West of England to witness the numerous demonstrations that will take place. " Incidentally, I may say that we have already on order several aeroplanes of the best designs hitherto produced, with the intention to develop a British industry and make Bristol its headquarters." On February 19, 1910, the new company was regis- tered under the title of The Bristol and Colonial Aero- plane Co., Ltd., and Sir George White would, had he lived, have been delighted with the position his firm has attained as the largest single aeronautical unit in the world. Truly those he left behind to carry on the good work have lived up to the vision and foresight which he handed down to them. BII No more appropriate name could be chosen for an aero engine than "Pegasus," and no more appropriate decoration for the Bristol offices built a few years ago at Filton. The reference in Sir George White's speech to "the best designs hitherto produced'' related to certain French products which Sir George had seen on visits to France. He was not content with securing the British rights in these designs, but also brought over to Filton several famous French pilots of the day, among whom I may mention such names as Edmond, Tetard, Prier and Jullerot. Sir George was, however, determined to make his company an all-British one at the first oppor- tunity, and to that end he also engaged such well-known British pilots as Collins Pizey, Howard Pixton, Harry Busteed, and Warren Merriam. Pizey (" Little 'Appy " was his nickname) is dead, but the other three are still with us, and Harry Busteed is now an officer of high rank in the R.A.F. The Filton Factory The Bristol factory was established at the Filton ter- minus of the Bristol Tramways, with offices in a charm- ing old house which served the company well until a few years ago, when the present modern offices were built. The decoration at the top of this page shows the " Pegasus," which decorates the new office building. Flying schools were started at Larkhill, on Salisbury Plain, and at Brooklands; and in 1911 no fewer than 109 pupils "took their tickets" at these schools. Two of the present directors of the company were among the first, Mr. Sidney E. Smith, on November 22, 1910, and Mr. H. J. Thomas, on January 24, 1911. At the Army Manoeuvres on Salisbury Plain in 1910 the Bristol military biplane, a development of the " Box Kite," was the only aeroplane to fly, and in 1911 the firm received an order for four of these machines. This was the first order ever placed by the Government, and al- though Sir George White intended to foster flying as a means of civil passenger transport, it is in the military field that the name "Bristol" has become famous all over the world. If actual figures could be quoted (I have already men- tioned that the Bristol firm is the largest aeronautical unit in the world) it would be found that the size, equipment and number of workers are nothing short of staggering. It is always difficult to assess the factors which have con- tributed towards making a firm great, but in the case of Bristols I would venture the view, based upon close and very friendly co-operation with the company through many years, that the main factors are three in number and are : adequate capitalisation, a board of directors will- ing to incur huge expenses on research and development, and the happy gift of attracting men of high technical and administrative ability, forming them into a group in which
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