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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 0205.PDF
SLIGHT, 12 February 1960 TELEPHONES:- HEAD OFFICES:- N«2 PO. 74-* 3O7-4- NATIONAL. WORKS-4FI1.TOIX NXTIOIUU.. AVIATION, BRISTOL CODES:- A LA.B.C* MORCINO SIR GEORGE WHITE,BART. SAMUEL WHITE. G STANLEY WHITE SECRETARY, H WHITE SMITH HEAD OFFICES:- CLARE STREET HOUSE, MANAGER, SYDNEY E.SMITH. BANKERS, IANK OP ENGLAND. June 7th. 1910. By G. WANSBROUGH-WHITE, ARAeS DRAWINGS BY DAVID HARPER "For it is not names which give confidence in things, but things which give confidence in names."—Chrysostom. IN 1881 was published a portrait (right) and, with it, these words:"There are, perhaps, few men in the country who have playedso important a part in securing for our towns and cities the immense boon of Tramway riding, as the subject of our portrait,Mr. GEORGE WHITE, the indefatigable secretary of the Bristol and Bath Tramway Companies. A man who, at the age of 27,is a prominent member of the Bristol Stock Exchange . . . whose advice and aid have been sought by nearly every town in the Westand Midlands where trams have been projected during the past seven years; who is as much at home among the Private BillCommittee Rooms of Westminster as he is in a Director's meeting —is no ordinary man." The "standard" and most frequently published portrait ofSir George White was at about the time of his death in 1916. On this occasion, and with this brief history, it seems appropriateto portray the young man who was later to found so great an enterprise. For it was the man who became the thing and whoadded to the fame of Bristol. "Shipshape and Bristol fashion" —it was long a name of reputation and once Second City of theKingdom, and Bristol is now synonymous with a prestige for famous aircraft and engines. But something does not start from nothing; and, as the youngman matured to his later appearance and stature, so the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company was born of the Bristol andBath Tramways. On the engine side the story is paralleled with Brazil Straker becoming Cosmos Engineering and merging withBristol Aeroplane. It is also the story of a family, and an example of a privatefamily business of comparatively little economic (but early to become of great national) importance which grew into a largepublic company with international responsibilities. In the years prior to 1910 Sir George, with his brother Samuel White, hisnephew (later Sir) William Verdon Smith, and other members of the family, had developed a number of electric tramwaysystems, started manufacturing and operating motor buses, reorganized the Taff Vale Railway in South Wales, initiated orrevitalized a variety of local businesses, and displayed exceptional energy and vision in many other directions. One of these directions was in taking an immediate interestin the aeroplanes he saw at Pau in 1909. France was at least a year ahead of Britain, and whilst some enthusiastic young men—as pilots, or as manufacturers such as the Short Brothers and Handley Page—had already begun their work, no financier or manof commercial substance and experience had viewed the new dimension with vision; or if they had, none acted so quickly andso decisively. On February 16, 1910, at a meeting of the Bristol Tramwaysand Carriage Co Ltd, Sir George announced his intentions: — "I may tell you that for some time my brother and I have been directing our intention to the subject of aviation, which is one yet hardly ripe for practical initiation by such a Company as the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Co. Ltd., 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 dose to Bristol, we shall give our own city a prominent place 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 already have on order several aero- planes of the best designs hitherto produced, with the intention to develop a British industry and make Bristol its headquarters." The "centre of attraction" was Filton, beginning with (old)Filton House and some tramway sheds. Old Filton House still stands, joined by the "new" administrative block.The aeroplanes on order were those of the French Zodiac company, originally (and still) manufacturers of airships, and thisexplains the "trade-mark" in the original company letter-head. It was quickly followed by a later symbol—the signs of the Zodiac. Five Zodiacs were to be built, but, as the first proved to beunsatisfactory, the project was abandoned; quite undeterred, Sir George and his co-directors decided, much earlier than antici-pated, to take up design and under the hand of Challenger was born the "Boxkite" on the basis of the Farman. The early pilotswere also French—Edmond, Tetard, Prier and Jullerot, and this
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