Westlands Aircraft…

Hi
My apologies, i will try to remember not to use the ‘s’ in future.
My only excuse is I always remembered hearing it refered to that way.
cheers
Jerry

Rather than a reply, this is a postscript to my last message;
In 1982, David Mondey produced a book on Westland as part of Janes Planemaker series. ISBN 0710601344
The text was excellent and it brought the Westland story up to the Westland 30, but the publishers would not agree to the inclusion of 3-view drawings, which would have made the book comparable with the Harborough Press series.
To paraphrase Harald Penrose ‘Very nearly a very good book’.

By the way chaps, I personally hate it when people add a terninal ‘s’ to Westland.
It makes the company sound like a High St drapers, which, whatever you might think of some of its output, it is not.
I don’t suppose there is any usage rule against it, just a grumpy old man complaining.

Incidentally the Westland site at Yeovil is the longest standing factory in the UK producing aircraft under the same (now hanging in there very precariously) name.

Dave Gibbings reporting for duty.

As you might imagine the loss of Fred was a severe setback,not only because he was a Westland man through and through, but also ‘A total Aviation Person’. Fred was also a bit of a ‘One man band’ (this is not a criticism!), but when they stop playing, you don’t get any music.

The AgustaWestland management are being very co-operative inreviewing the archive Fred built and digitising a lot of it, as you can imagine this is a massive undertaking.

I as an ex Fairey man have to struggle to get to grips with the pre-war management background of Westland, but I am sure that it will all surface in due course.

To bring this thread back on line. The three Harborough Press books (Bristol, Miles and Westland) along with Putnam, in my opinion set a standard for reference which few others achieve.

Fred always claimed there was an edition of the Westland book that included the Welkin. I have never seen it, does anyone out there have one!

In the meantime I intend to print out this thread for reference, and include it in the archive, for which I suspect will not be complete for some time. My aim is to have a worthwhile facility by 2015 (100years of Westland).

Message to admin: I hope I have not wandered from the thread too far.

Hi Stuart,
All very interesting,if you get more info can you post it if possible,I never found any reference to the merlin whirlwind that early on.
Nice to actually hear from someone that was at westlands at the time,and worked on the design.
It leads to more proof that the project actually existed, and must have been reinstated before the time menesforth wrote his letter offering it for production.

Now with another myth confirmed, all I need now is a photo of that whirlwind in luftwaffe markings…..
cheers
Jerry

Great work

Thanks that was quick, I had got confirmation of 1938 but the month is fantastic so again many thanks.

Stuart

John Brown took 50% of Westland A/C Ltd in July,1938. Petters and the Air Ministry were not then on the best of terms: S.Ritchie, Industry & Air Power, Cass,1997,P.46: “A.M intervened in Oct.1935 when it appeared (to be) on the verge of collapse” (P.186: when Petters floated Westland in {July} 1935 much of the proceeds) “went to Petters rather than Westland. Only the strongest possible (A.M.) pressure persuaded Petters to adopt a more responsible attitude towards Westland’s finances”.

The Petters here is the engineering family firm of which W.E.W was a scion. JBrown was introduced in the context of getting Spitfire wings flowing: Vickers had been backward in coming forward with drawings and data for the sub-contractors imposed by A.M on Spitfire production: fellow-mariner JB would not take competitive benefit from V-S know-how. W.E.W may not have been especially miffed with JB: his MD, Eric Mensforth, Family Engineers, Ward Locke, 1981,P113: “superb design engineer” Technical Director W.Petter sought “absolute control (in) all aspects (so with WAL’s) goodwill and the embryo bomber design (to be A.1)” migrated North as EE’s Design Office in 1944.

A query on date of take over

So to be precise did Browns invest in Westland in 1938. Any idea what month? I need the precision because I have been informed by someone who worked on it that the Merlin powered Whirlwind that Westland was working on as a private venture was cancelled by Browns once they took over. No wonder Petter didn’t get on with them but that is a matter for another thread.

Stuart [email]screenworx@gmail.com[/email]
www.screenworx.net