FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1940
1940 - 0530.PDF
170 FEBRUARY 22, 1940 Their Majesties at the Gloster woiks. With them in this picture are Mr. " Jerry " Sayer, Mr. Hugh Burroughes, Mr. F. McKenna, and, on the extreme right, Mr. F. S. Spriggs. THEIR MAJESTIES at "GLOSTER' LAST week we recorded the visits to the aircraft factoriesat Yeovil and Bristol of Their Majesties, the King-* and Queen. There is not a more hard-working couple among their subjects than Their Majesties, and on this occasion they gave up their week-end in order to see for themselves, during the Saturday, how work is pro- gressing at the Glostcr factories. Their Majesties arrived at 10 a.m. accompanied by Air Vice-Marshal Portal, Air Member for Personnel, and by Mr. E. J. H. Lemon, Director-General of Production. Mr. Lemon presented to Their Majesties Mr. F. S. Spriggs (chairman and managing director of the Gloster company, and chairman of the Hawker-Siddeley group), and he in turn presented Messrs. Hugh Burroughes (director), F. McKenna (director and general manager), W. G. Carter (chief designer), R. V. Atkinson (works manager), P. E. G. Sayer (chief test pilot), Wing Commander Jones (A.M. overseer), Sqn. Ldr. Reynolds (A.M. overseer), C. C. Copperthwaite and J. H. Larrard (resident technical officers), and A. C. Coulam (A.M. inspector-in-charge). The King's Amazing Knoivledge During the tour of the works and drawing offices Their Majesties saw Hawker Hurricanes and Henleys, and Gloster Gladiators, being prepared for test flights, and in the ex- perimental shops they inspected new prototypes of which nothing may be said, As usual the King displayed* an amazing knowledge of the different types. How His Majesty can, in view af his vast and exacting duties, retain in his memory so many facts about aircraft is a never-ending source of astonishment to those who have had the good fortune to come in contact with him. The fact remains that he does remember details of aircraft in thu most remarkable way. The Queen also displayed the keen- est interest in all she saw, but as was natural she was more concerned about the life and welfare of the workers than about technical matters. After light refreshments in the board room, Their Majesties, departed amid a veritable tornado of cheering. They expressed their pleasure and satisfaction with what they had seen, and commented particularly upon the con- duct and deportment of the workers generally. For the benefit of the thousands of new readers of Flight it may be recalled that the firm came into being during the last war, and that high-speed aircraft have always been a Gloster speciality. The " Bamel " won the Aerial Derby three years in succession (1921-22 and 23), and several seaplanes were designed and built for the Schneider Trophy Contests. The company was taken over by the Hawker company in 1934 an^ 's thus now a subsidiary of the Hawker-Siddeley group. That is not to say that it has in any way lost its individuality. Far from it; the firm is hard at work on original new designs, but of these nothing may be said at present for obvious reasons. The mantle of chief designer has now fallen upon Mr. W. G. Carter, after the departure of Mr. H. P. Folland some years ago, and the name " Gloster " is likely to remain prominent in British aviation for a long time to come. Mr. Carter was Hawkers' chief designer, a position now held by Mr. S. Camm.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
