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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 1424.PDF
576 FLIGHT, 5 October 1956 (Lett) The "pre- series I" Eagle engine of the early days of World War I, (Right) the first "F" engine, which in 1931 became the Kestrel. SIR HENRY ROYCE ... a luxury which only a few can afford. These qualities are essentialin an aircraft. Consequently, it was this industry that held great opportunities for the full growth of Royce's genius.Fate, the lecturer went on, had not yet delivered its last blow. The years of toil with inadequate meals and insufficient rest andrelaxation, which began in the early days in Manchester, and was only alleviated in the later years through the fatherly care of"C.J.," had taken their toll of Royce's strength and he became seriously ill. Realizing all that was at stake, CJ. took control,and Royce was taken to specialists. Largely due to Royce's per- sistent willpower, he gradually recovered strength. Again C.J.took no risks. After taking Royce through France and Italy, they wintered in Egypt, and in the spring went to the South of France.Here, at Le Canadel, C.J. built a villa for Royce in which he could spend his winters. He also acquired a residence in Crow-borough, Sussex, for summer use. The great man was never to go back to Derby and the battle of industrial life. Instead, he wasto gather around him a few people with whom he could carry on his work. Close to the Villa Mimosa at Le Canadel, there wasbuilt an office to house the staff—"the Bureau." The first occupant was Mr. A. G. Elliott, C.B.E., late vice-chairman of Rolls-Royce,and erstwhile chief engineer, and also Mr. Maurice Olley, later to become famous in the automobile industry of the U.S.A. NextC.J. found Royce a permanent home in England at St. Margaret's Bay, near Dover. The house was about half-way down the roadto the bay, with a view from the cliffs across the Channel to France. This house, Mr. Evernden understood, was demolishedby enemy action in the Second World War. Just when life for Royce at last appeared to have becomesettled, fate struck another blow. Royce was taken seriously ill in December 1912, when at Le Canadel, and had to be rushed toEngland for a major operation. Again the care of C.J. and the courage of Royce won the battle, but it was obvious that greatcare would be necessary if this valuable life were to be preserved. From the nursing home where Royce had recuperated from hisearlier illness, C.J. obtained a nurse to keep watch over the great man, and Miss Ethel Aubin stayed with him until he died. In an address to aeronautical engineers, said the lecturer, sucha detailed account of the early life of Royce and the birth of the car industry which he founded might seem out of place. However,he had given it to make two points. The first was that every event in his life during that period had a profound effect on thedevelopment of his genius. The misfortunes of his youth, although depriving him of the education he might rightly have deserved,had the virtue of forcing him to become first a mechanic, then an engineer. "This," said Mr. Evernden, "is a method of approachwhich, until recently, has been growing less in favour and more difficult to pursue. I am glad, therefore, that the scheme oftechnical education for engineering personnel in the plant, spon- sored so vigorously by Lord Hives, who, as 'Hs,' was for somany years the complement of Royce, now is a reality. It is a grim thought that, with our present system of education, wherechildren are fed with knowledge, filtered at intervals, and the residue passed off through selected channels, dependent uponthe results of an examination, Royce might have failed at the first filter, and would never have risen above the rank of a mechanic.This is equally true of other similar great men, like Henry Ford and Lord Nuffield. The second fact is, that had not Royce andhis associate, Claude Johnson, built up the motor car engineering firm of Rolls-Royce, and gathered together such people as ErnestHives, Tom Haldenby, Eric Platford, Arthur Wormald, A. G. Elliott, to mention only a few, there would not have existed in1914 the organization to design and develop, in but a few years, the aero-engines which were to play such an important part inbringing victory to this country in the 1914-18 War." Royce was a unique personality. Tall and erect, he had theshape of head which we associate with a scholar. In his days at Manchester and Derby, he had been a great taskmaster, expectingfrom his workmates the same devotion to the job that he himself would give. He was intolerant and of hasty temper. He wouldinstantly dismiss a bench hand for the incorrect use of a file. Next day, having forgotten, and finding him absent, he wouldsend for him to come back. He never took part in any pastime or sport; his recreation hadbeen his work. Although he married in 1905, he had no children. Later, Mr. Evernden formed the opinion that his attitude towardslife might have been modified if he had been blessed with a family, for he was uncannily popular with children and had a wayof charming them. He did not smoke and, in those days, did not drink strong beverages. Although he made the "best car in theworld," he never motored for pleasure—except for the thrill of trying out some new feature. Having declared war on Germany, the Government apparentlyhad no very clear idea of the part the motor car and the aeroplane could play in the struggle, or even of the contribution that couldbe made by the new industries they had created. Armament manufacture was confined largely to armament firms. Some peoplehonestly believed that the motor car and the aeroplane could be of little use in war. However, cars were provided for staff use andmany Rolls-Royce cars were rebuilt as armoured cars. This alone could not keep the Derby factory fully occupied and many of thepersonnel joined the Forces, in some cases only to be brought back later. After making flechettes and shells, the company wasasked to manufacture the Renault aero engine; but it was inevit- able that Royce and his team would not rest content for long withthe making of engines, the design of which offended the very tenets of their doctrine. At this time Royce was at St. Margaret'sBay, with a staff including A. G. Elliott and Maurice Olley. As early as August 1914 design work started on an aero-engine having12 liquid-cooled cylinders. The prototype ran on the test bed at Derby in February 1915. E. W. Hives was in charge of theexperimental department and it was a great day when he saw the engine first run and could report to Royce that already it wasdeveloping 25 h.p. more than he had predicted. This engine, named Eagle, was the first of an illustrious series. The lecturer went on to trace the development of the Eagle,the Falcon and the Hawk, and continued: "Early in 1916, I was directed to work for Rolls-Royce, Ltd., by the Ministry ofMunitions. I joined the Airship Design Office at Derby and soon learned of the mythical yet powerful personality bearing the nameof Royce. The more I learned of his work, his ideals and his teaching, the more determined I was to meet him and eventually,if at all possible, to become a member of his select team. My chance came in the summer of 1916. I wasted no time in goingdown and arranging to be introduced to him. I met him in the village, returning from a walk to collect pinecones for burning inthe household grates to save coal. A tall and erect genial man he was like a country squire, with a soft voice and rather piercingeyes that seemed to look right inside one's mind and to read one's thoughts. During conversation I had the opportunity of conveyingto him my wish to work with him some day. Not long after that time, life became rather hectic in the littlevillage on the cliffs. Shells from long-range guns crossed the Channel, aeroplane raids were made on the Channel fortificationsand a nearby town, while coastal guns frequently fired across the bows of unidentified Channel shipping. Anti-invasion precautionscaused Elliott to be arrested one night returning home late from work. A new home was found for Royce and his staff at West
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