Westland Aircraft since 1915

263 Pages·1991·172.1 MB·English

by  Derek N. James

r
Westland
Aircraft
since 1915
Derek N James
Westland Aircraft
since 1915
Westland
Aircraft
since 1915
Derek N James
The Wyvern was Westland's last fixed-wing aircraft. These Wyvern S.4s of No.813
Squadronbasedat R ASFordarcseenncarBeachyHeadduring 1953.
BYTHESAMEAUTHOR
CONTENTS
GlosterAircraftsince1917
Schneider Trophy Aircraft1913-1931 !'reface VII
(>nginand HistoryoftheCompany I
18 67
Wagtail 74
Wca el 81
limousine 85
Walrus 94
I readnought 98
Woodpigeon 104
Widgeon 110
Yeovil [21
Wizard 126
Westbury 133
Wapiti 139
Witch 159
PterodactyllAand IB 163
Interceptor 171
Formy wife, Brenda Westland [Vand We sex 176
andtheJames boys- .O.W. Gun Fighter 185
William, Benjamin, Harry andEdward Pterodactyl IV 189
PV.3 195
Wallace 202
PV.7 209
PterodactylV 216
©Derek James 1991 C.29 223
F.7/30 226
Lysander 232
FirstpublishedinGreat Britain1991 by
CL.20 253
PutnamAeronautical Books,animprintof
Whirlwind 256
ConwayMaritimePressLtd
101 FleetStreet Welkin 272
LondonE 4Y IDE Wyvern 285
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData Helicopters 304
James, Derek,
Westlandaircraftsince1915. DragonflyandWS-51 304
I. Great Britain. Aircraft,history Widgeon 315
I.Title Whirlwind 320
629.133 Westminster 338
ISBN085177847X Wessex 345
Scout 364
Allrightsreserved. Unauthorisedduplicationcontravenes Wasp 371
applicablelaws. Sea King 376
Lynx 399
Typeset byTheWordShop.Bury.Lancashire Westland30 427
Printed in Great Britain at theAlden Pre s, Oxford EH 101 434
Appendix A-Individual Aircraft Notes 444
Appendix B-ProductionofOtherManufacturers' Aircraft 480
Preface
AppendixC-Fixed-wingProjectsand Rotary-wing Projects 488
Appendix D-Remotely-PilotedHelicopters 503
Appendix E-FactoryExpansions 504 In [:ngland it issaid that salt water runs in the veinsofmost West CouJ1lrymen.
Appendix F-WestlandGroupCompanies 505 II thisbeso, then the rush ofwingsi in theearsoftheothers, forwhom theroar
Appendix G-OldestExtant WestlandAircraft 507 III aero-enginesismusictotheirsouls.
Appendix H-Westlandand theGulfWar 508 Bctween the Severn and thc Solent could once be found some of the great
Bibliography 510 n>mpanies which, for more than half a century, were at the heart of Britain's
Index 512 .mcraft industry. Their names have long since vanished; Supermarine Aviation
.lIld Bristol Aeroplane into the maws of British Aerospace and Rolls-Royce;
I'arnall long ago turned to domestic appliances for its fortunes, while Gloster
Aircraftjustslippedquietly intothe historybooks.
Only Wcstland, a sturdy 76-year-old survivor, remains intact, but not
untouched, in spite of industry rationalisation and take-over ballJes, still
retaining the proud name first voiced in 1913 by the wife ofPercy Petter, oneof
thetwin brotherswho founded the business.
Westland is unique. Despitc many vicissitudes, not least the traumas of its
financial restructuring during 1985-86, the company stands alone, having been
the core around which other British helicopter manufacturers, under Govern
mcnt edict, coalesced in 1959-60. No other British aircraft manufacturer hasso
dramatically and successfully changed from producing one type of aircraft to
another of totally different concept, or has occupied the same factory site since
Itsinception.
The Westland tory begins in an ironmonger's shop in Yeovil High treet
duringthe late 1860s, moves into the manufactureofagriculturalequipmentand
progres es into the sub-contract production ofaircraft for other manufacturers
during and after the 1914-18 War. The creation of militar fighters and
hombers, autogyros, civil transport· and light aircraft, among which were the
unu ual taille Pterodactyl family, spanned not only the 21 intcr-war year but
also thoseofthe 1939-45 War. Then, in the followingyear, We tland truck out
on a new course. This led it into the still relatively new field of rotary-winged
night through the licenced-production of Sikorsky helicopters. Thu , for the
greater part of its life, Westland's design, engineering and marketing efforts
havebeendedicated to thisclassofaircraft, withgreat uccess.
The burden ofresponsibility for chronicling the historyofthis great company
has been greatly eased by the willing assistance of many people, chief among
them being Harald Penrose, Fred Ballam and Peter Ballen. For several years
this triumverate carried the author along with their buoyant enthu iasm for
Westland and all its works. Harald Penrose, the doyen ofBriti hte tpilots, not
only provided a mass ofsource material on the company's general history, but
gave personal comment and reminiscences about"its aircraft and access to his
extensive collection of photographs. Fred Ballam cheerfully undertook the
daunting task of reading and correcting the raw manuscript covering all the
helicopter chapters, discovered long-forgotten project drawings and answered
hundreds of questions, drawing on his lifetime service with We tland. ny
errors and omissions must, however, be laid at the author's door. Peter Ballen
undid the Gordian Knot of differing company photographic reference systems
. - - -
used over countless years by his predecessors, and produced a wealth of prints
depicting Westland aeroplanes, people and events. Without their never-failing
Origin and History of the Company
and always cheerful help, advice and constructivecriticism, this book could not
have been completed. Many people have asked whether this book includes the
story of a turbulent period in the company's history known as the 'Westland Ihe root stocks from which gre\ Great Britain's aircraft industry were legion
Affair'. Clearly,thisvital financial restructuringoperation could not beomitted; hut, sadly, it was the needs of war which provided the forcing house
however, as at least one complete book devoted to those convoluted cnvironment in which manyofitsaviationscion'searlygrowth first flourished. It
negotiations has already been published, readers will have to be content with a \\a~in the peaceful creation ofweirsand locks. electric tramcars, lawn mowers,
succinct summary ofwhat then took place. I am extremely grateful to SirJohn motor omnibuses, architectural decoration-even wire netting-that many of
Cuckney who, as Westland's chairman. steered the company through the the founding fathers ofthe companieswhich formed that Industry received their
problem period and who kindly added important refinements to my own brief cngineering training. It was to tand them in good stead when they became
summary. attracted to the still nascent business of aviation and u ed their skills and
It wasverygratifyingto receivesupportand assistancefrom otherpresent and experiencetoset upas manufacturersofairships,aeroplanesand engines.
past member of the Westland team, particularly Sue Eagles, David Gibbings, The foregoing horticultural analogy is particularly apt when de cribing the
Peter Miles and Helen Goddard (EHI), R K Page and Ken Reed, and from A history of the Westland company for its roots are deep in the fertile soil of
Hirst,T Jaque and W Woodford, one-timeemployeesat Westland's Doncaster Somerset.
factory, and from such aviation experts as Christ Ellis, William Green, Bill
Gunston, Mike Hooks, Eric Myall, Elphan ap Rees, Mike Stroud and Ray
Sturtivant. Others who put their specialised knowledge and facilities at my
disposal were the staff of the Public Record Office, Brian Kervell (RAE
Farnborough), Gordon Day and Richard King (Air Historical Branch, MoD),
the Director of Contracts/Air 4 and P A McKenna (MoD Procurement
Executive), Arnold ayler and Brian Riddle (Royal Aeronautical Society), Air
Commodore Dan Honley (SBAC), Stuart Witts (Bristow Helicopters) and
Marian Barnes (Museum of South Somerset). Ialso acknowledge with thanks
the valued contributionsofCarl G Ahremark, whose many fine new three-view
drawings are among those in this book, and of Julian Mannering of Conway
Maritime Presswhoappliedagentlespurto mypen, wheneveritwas required.
Photographs and information from overseas were of much value and I am
greatly indebted to Arthur L Whittaker of Boort. Victoria, Australia, K M
Mol on (founder curatqr of the ational Aviation Museum of Canada), Line
Seguin ( ational ArchivesofCanada), A J Shortt ( ational Aviation Museum
ofCanada), Antoni Rudnicki (Australian War Memorial) and Pamela Garfield
(Civil Aviation Authority, Au tralia).
Finally, I must record the immense debts ofgratitude lowe to John Stroud
and his late wife, Patricia, for their quiet guidance, encouragement and help
with five Putnam booksover many years, and to mywife. Brenda, who not only
James Bazeley Petter's ironmongers shop in Yeovil"s High Street during the 1890s.
decoded my execrable fist to produce the final typescript and hared the
(CourtesyMuseulllojSowhSomerset)
proof-reading, butwhoalso kept twootheraviationenthusiasts,ouryoungson ,
Ben and Harry, fullyoccupiedwhile Ijoustedwith Westland. During 1868a youngSomerset man namedJames Bazeley Petterwas married
and, as a wedding gift, his father gave him the well-e tablished Yeovil
DNJ ironmongery business of Haman and Gillett. While young James Petter was
Barnwood, Gloucester.January 1991 busy with this prosperous undertaking, his wifewasequally busycaringfor their
fifteen children among whom. the third and fourth, were twin boys born on 26
May, 1873. They were named Percival Waddams and Ernest Willoughby and
were destined to playa major role in the future development of indu try in
Yeovil. Meanwhile. their father had decided to expand and diver ify hi
business's interests, if only to provide the money to support his large and
growing family. To this end he took in a partner and by the mid-1870s the Ill"Obs. The efficiency and simplieity of this engine in comparison with others
company name had been changed to Pelter and Edgar and its interests now '"''tohaveagreateffecton the futuredevelopmentofthebusiness.
included theproductionofagricultural equipment; moreover, Petterwasableto I"owardstheendof 1895the'horselesscarriage' wascompletedwhen the3hp
buyThe Yeovil Foundry and Engineering Works and produce the ca tings for nglne was installed in the chassis of an old four-wheel horse-drawn phaeton
the autilus patented fire grate, the success ofwhich was secured when Queen produced by Messrs Hill and Boll who were local coachmaker in Yeovil. On
Victoria chose it for use both at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight and tnals it reached aspeed of 12 mph, was shown at the Crystal Palace in South
BalmoralCastle, london and appeared in the Lord Mayor'sShowduring 1896. In the beliefthat
the future prosperity of the business lay in the production of 'hor ele
',lHiages', James Bazeley Petter formed a Limited Company with £1,000
',Ipital, named itThe Yeovil MotorCarandCycleCompany Limitedand builta
new factory on his land at Recklcford. With Ernest Petter charged with the
,Idministration ofthe foundry, autilusstove, and motorcaractivities, business
prospects appeared bright. Again, Percy Peller records in his privately
published book The Slory of Pellers Ltd, 'I remember a day when Colonel
IlarbinofNewton House asked my brother Hugh how the cars weregettingon.
"Wc're still pushing them", he replied. "You usually are when I ee you", aid
thcColonel.'
But the Motor Car Company'seffort to satisfy itscustomers' widely differing
requirements, whether for a commercial traveller's car or a country bus, was
financially disastrous. There were, too, the attendant problemsofobtainingthe
correct grade of fuel and the law requiring aman with ared flag to proceed all
mechanical vehicles moving on public roads. However, following a closer
examination of their products and potential markets, the engine side of the
business gave promise of better prospects and after moving their account from
Stuckey's Bank to the Wilts and Dorset Bank (later acquired by L1oyds) to
obtain a£7,000 loan, the Petter brothers were able to finance production of 1
Hill and Boll's four-wheel 'horselesscarriage' with a 3 hp Petterengine. The two central and 11/2 hp oil engines for agricultural and dairyingapplications. Then, in 1901,
passengersare Percy(left)and rnest Petter. (CourresyFredBal/alll)
came a second financial crisis when all three busine ses 10 t om £3,000 of
which halfwasattributabletotheenginebusiness. Again, therewa thepre ing
Their father's inventive nature was oon apparent in his children and Percy need to rai ecapital and, with the help of friends, £4,000 was acquired and by
Petter has recorded ho\~, while still attending Yeovil Grammar School, he and the followingyearthe businesshad been turned around,aprofitof£2,000being
his eldest brother built rudimentary hand-cranked velocipedes and rode made. By now the company was regi tered as James B Petter and Son,
'penny-farthing' bicycles on weekend jaunts into the surrounding countryside. Benjamin Jacobs had been appointed chiefengineer and arange ofengines up
After leaving school he first joined his father's foundry to learn how to make to22hpwasavailable,
iron castings and repair agricultural machinery, then moved to the autilus During the latter half of the nineteenth century, Somerset was to ee many
grate section of the factory where he gained more experience before being aeronautical events as the result of pioneering work undertaken by John
appOinted manager of the foundry in 1893 aged 20. Percy Petter admitted that Stringfellowand William Henson,bothofwhom lived inChard, Hensonand his
he was too inexperienced but, fortunately, soon afterwards, the company family having moved to thcre from ottingham in the early 1830 ; moreover,
engaged a new foundry foreman named Benjamin Jacobs. He proved to be an manyballoon andaeroplane flightsweremadein thecounty. Theseallservedto
accompli hed draughtsman, pattern maker, machinistand fitterwho was able to stimulate Percy Petter's interest in human flight; indeed, in 1898he delivered a
teach others in all these arts. When Petter wanted an engine for one ofthe new lecture on the subject, illustrated with lantern slides and model, to the Yeovil
'horseless carriages' of the type which were being developed in France, Jacobs YMCA in the Town Hall. He often di cussed with Benjamin Jacob the
was the 'design leader' in this project. Petter records that in 1894 he had shown possibilityofdesigningan aeroplanewith alight internalcombustion engine,but
to Mr Jacobs a Boy's Own Paper article on 'How to make a model oil engine'. this nevercame to fruition; however, Petterdid build whatwasintended tobea
After looking at the drawings, Jacobs said he thought he could make a better flying bicycle, which failed to fly, and later, in his garden, he constructed a
engine for this carriage. And he did. Although Percy Petter modified and powcred revolving vertical shaft with four long arms carrying box kites to
simplified this single-cylinder oil engine after initial running, which much experiment with vertical lift. Further experimental work was made impos ible
improved it, hc always insistcd that thc principal credit belonged to Benjamin due to pressure of work with the company's engine business, but it fore ha-
2 3
dowed theadvent ofrotary-winged flightat Yeovil somehalf-a-centurylater.
Percy Petter's early interest in flying continued and undoubtedly influenced
later decisions. first. to undertake aircraft construction during the 1914-18 War
and.second. tosupportaproposal tobuildautogyrosin 1933.
In 1910 Petters Limited was registered as a public company to carryon the
business of making oil engine~of all sizes. and two years later had about 500
employees annually producing some l,Son engines. In order to sustain such
output the foundry was working to its limits and, in spite of working day and
night shifts, it was apparent that to achieve future growth it would need to be
enlarged. This was not possible at Reckleford \ here all the availablespace was
built on: thus it was decided to look for a new site and Mr Hardiman. the
foundry manager. urged the Petterbrothers toconsiderthe possibilityoffinding
one which could have railwaysidings. As Percy Petterrelated in his book, 'One
day he a ked me to accompany him to afield at West Hendford which seemed
ideal. We went. . along anarrow lane which terminated in high wood doors.
Beyond them we sawafine piece ofmeadowland slopingupgradually from the
Yeovil and Taunton branch railway. It seemed perfect'. The outcome of this
visit was the formation ofaseparatesmall privatecompany topurchase 75 acres
to the north ofthe proposed foundry site. Percy Petter's brotherJohn, who was
an architect, and his partner were asked to produce aplan for agarden village
with housesfor Petter'semployees, all linked to the foundryand worksbyanew
main road. OneSaturdayafternoon in 1913Percy Petter, hiswife and two small
daughters,Norahand Kathleen. werepresent when the first turfwascut. As this
site wason the west sideofYeovil Mrs Petterchose the name 'Westland' for the
proposedgardenvillageand works.
Early in 1914 the new foundry was ready for occupation and the first castings
were soon being poured. Work had also begun on the engineering department
and the first bay of an intended row of buildings for machinery and erecting
shops was completed during June of that year. That building was still in use in
1991.
With the start of the.1914-18 War on 4 ugust. most of Petter's overseas
businessdeclined. but bythe endofthe yearthe demand forengines formilitary
Percival Waddam~ Petter (left) and Sir rne~l Willoughby Pelter. the founders of the
use wasbeginningto outstrip the prewar busine~s.Theeffectsofthe war on the
We~tlandcompany.
peopleofSouth ast Englandwere very different. for they became the target of
direct attacks by the German Air rm which the Royal Flying Corps and the Thesubsequent immediatecourseofeventswasdescribedbySir rnest in the
ground defences appeared powerless to prevent. Then, during early April 1915 15 September. 1936, issue of Peller's MOIl/hly elvs. 'A copy ofthi resolution
Mr Lloyd George, Prime Ministerofthe ational Government. made aspeech was, the same day, sent to the War Office and the Admiralty. From the former
in the House ofCommons which shattered many popular illusions that the war nothingwasheard, but almost the nextdayatelegram came from the Admiralty
would beoverbyChristmas. In it he revealed theshortageofsuitablearmament asking that two representatives might go up for a conference.' Accordingly,
and equipment with which tocontinue to fight the warandcalled for immediate Ernest and Percy went to London for a meeting which was attended by five
action. Shocked by the gravity of the situation the two Petter brothers gentlemen, at least three ofwhom were Lordsofthe Admiralty, who toll them
responded rapidly. Ernest convened a Board meeting at which the Directors, that their great need was for seaplanes. They asked the brothers whether they
with one exception, approved his resolution to offer the company's entire were willing to make them. 'We explained that ourexperience and factory were
manufacturing resources to the Government for the production ofwhateverwas not exactly in line with their requirements but we were willing to attempt
required. Only the Chairman, W RMoore, was opposed to this resolution for it anything which would help the Country. "Good", said they, "You are the
was against his conscience to undertake the manufacture of any kind of fellows wewant; we will send you the drawingsandgiveyou all the helpwecan.
armament. He resigned from Petter's Board and was succeeded asChairman by Get on with it". So we got on with it'. Shortly afterwards, Pelters received a
Ernest Petter. confirmatory letter from the Admiralty saying that the company might build
5
4
Naval aircraft becauseit wasconsidered that the wood pattern-makerswould be
very suitable craftsmen for this work. The company was also a ked to send
representatives to Short Brother to ee the type of work required, and Percy
Petter, hi brotherJohn and Mr Warren, who was foreman ofthe Pattern Shop,
went to RochesterwhereShorts had built a new factory on the right bank ofthe
Medwayduring 1913. Withoutdoubt, itwasOswaldShort,whowasinchargeof
floatplane production there, who first introduced the Petter representatives to
the intricacies of aircraft manufacture. Percy Petter later confessed that, on
seeing the nature ofthe work' ... my heart nearly failed me butJohn and Mr
Warren were very sure of their ability to upervise construction of such
machines'. Here Percy Petter takes up the story. 'In the first instance they were
put in charge of the Works. However, I was not satisfied that their experience
was really adequate for this difficult undertaking'. It was clear that in order to
become a Shorts' sub-contractor an experienced aircraft engineer was required
toguide Petter'sstaff. A yearorsoearlierwhen thecompanywasseekinga new
works manager for the engine business, one of those interviewed was Robert
Arthur Bruce who was, at that time, the manager of the British & Colonial
Aircraft Company at Filton, Bri tol. 'Though I had not thought that
management of the engine business was suitable for him, I now kept thinking
that ifonly we could get hold of him he was the man for this aircraft bu iness',
recalled Percy Petter. 'Unfortunately, Icould not get in touch until one day it
occurred to me to see if he was a member of the Institution of Mechanical A Short 184 f10atplane of the type built by Peller's Westland Aircraft Works during
1915-16.
Engineersand, finding hisname in the Directory, Iwrote to him'.
Theoutcomeofthis letterwas that Petterdiscovered Robert Bruce, by now a Sir Ernest had remembered the name which Percy Petter's wife had chosen for
Lieutenant RNVR, serving as an Admiralty inspector with Sopwith Aviation the proposed garden village and works. Other reason have been mooted but
Company, whose works were in a building previously a skating rink at this author is happy to accept Sir rnest's story for, even though it was written
Kingston-on-Thames. Petter wrote to the Admiralty requesting his release so 21 years after that April morning, he would have recalled with great clarity uch
that he could take up a more important role at Yeovil and in June 1915 the an important event in his company's history. The story of Petter Limited after
46-yearold BrucebecamemanagerofPeller'snewaircraft bu iness. Hebrought 1915 encompasses massive production of diesel engines throughout the war
a wealth of skills and experience to his new job, having worked in civil years and after when, in association with Vickers, enginesof up to 400 hp were
engineering and aircraft manufacturing and had been the hydraulics expert for built. Between-the-wars activity included an ever-wideningover ea market for
Louis Brennan'sgyrosco'pically-stabilised monowheeltrain and car projects. On these products with civil engineering, power generation, agricultural, mining
his arrival he was faced with a contract to build twelve Short 184 floatplanes. and marine applications, and the joint production with the Dougla eaton
powered by225 hpSunbeam engines, in a single workshop only 100 ft longand organisation of Seaton-Petter motor cars in the I( 18 hp range bel\ een 1926
60 ft wide. As theirspan was63 ft 6 in and their length was40 ft 7 in, this alone and 1933. During early 1939 the Yeovil Foundry and Nautilus Work clo ed
musthaveposed problems. when Petterswasacquired by the Brush Groupwhich moved all that production
It is at this point in history that the paths of progress of the parent Petters to Loughborough in Leieestershire, where the needs of the 1939 5 War were
LimitedCompanyand itsaircraftoffspringbegin todiverge. First, there was the met. In 1947 Petters moved to taines in Middlesex and ten year later became
decision by the Petters Board that this new business, though fully owned by part ofthe HawkerSiddeleyGroup when it acquired the Brush Group. Then, in
Petters, would operate as a separate entity with Bruce as manager in control of 1986 came a change of name when the company was merged with Listers, the
all the business, technical and production aspects. Second, as such, it needed a long-established Gloucestershire engineering firm which also produced diesel
nameotherthan the Aircraft Department ofPetters Ltd. The first paragraph of engines. With the closure of the Staines factory in 1988 Lister-Pett r engine
Sir Ernest Peller'sshort article in Peller's MOil/illy News of 15September, 1936, production was centred on Dursley in Gloucestershire with a rationalised range
referred to on page 5, recorded his recollection of how the name wa given. ofengineswith powersfrom Ilj2hp up to 150hp.
'Twenty-one years ago last April', he wrote, 'three men walked down to the To return to 1915 and Westland Aircraft Works at Yeovil, among Robert
corner ofa field just outside Yeovil where there was a small farm hut. One of Bruce's early tasks was the employment of a team of draughtsmen and
the three, theonlysurvivorand theauthorofthis littlestory,opened thedoorof craftsmen. It has been recorded that he enlisted his wife's help in preparing
the hut and solemnly said "This i the Westland Aircraft Works'''. Presumably drawings for assembly jigs, thus certainly making her the British aircraft
6 7
industry's first femalejigand tool draughtsman-ifthat is not acontradiction in (ontract, were test flown by Sydney Pickles, a freelance test pilot. Here,
terms. The first to be recruited from Petters was 24-year-old engine designer Westland's first aeroplane was assembled, test flown and, it is believed. was
Arthur Davenport who was appointed chief draughtsman. A number of delivered to the R Scoastal air station on Calshot Spit across Southampton
craftsmen transferred from the Nautilus Works and they were joined by Water. The story of the part which the fourth floatplane built by We tland,
carpenters, joiner and mechanics from other local companies. In addition to \erialled 359, played in the Battle of Jutland during May-June 1916 and its
human resources Bruce was aware of the need to provide them with modern preservation by the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton is referred to on
'tools'; thus he was responsible for the installation of an open-circuit wind page480.
tunnel-or 'wind channel' as it was named at that time. This tunnel was
modified and more powerful motors were gradually installed until, in 1938, it
became aclosed-circuit tunnel with an open working section. In 1942 it finally
becameafullyclosed-circuit tunnel.
In response to an Admiralty telegram of 24 June, Davenport was sent to
Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey to where the third production Short 184.
serialled 843, had been delivered for examination and measurement by
representatives of the five companies sub-contracted to built this type of
f1oatplane. The other four were Mann, Egerton & Co. orwich; Phoenix
Dynamo Co at Bradford; Frederick Sage & Co, Peterborough; and S E
Saunders Ltd, East Cowes. At Sheerness. Davenport and the other representa
tives were shown over the aircraft and then they had to produce drawings to
enable them to be builtat their respective factories. During this visit Davenport
became friendly with Victor Gaunt from Phoenix Dynamo; this friendship was
to be of great value [0 Westland in the years ahead when Gaunt became Ahorse-drawn cart takesShort 166wingsandcentre-sectionsfrom the factory to Yeovirs
superintendentofthecompany'sexperimentaldepartment. Great Western Railwayjunction.
When production of these twelve floatplanes was nearing completion,
Westland received asecond sub-contract order. This was for abatch of twenty
Short Type 166 floatplanes powered by 200 hp almson liquid-cooled radial
engines which embodied the patented wiss Canton- nne design feature in
which alltheconnectingrodsdroveacage revolvingon thecrankpinonepicyclic
gears. These floatplaneswereofan earlierdesign than theType 184andonlysix
had been produced by Shorts at Eastchurch on the Isle of heppey. Whether it
was the small size of this batch or the Type 166's similarity to the even earlier
Type 136, enabling them to be built 'by hand and eye', it is impo ible to
establish, but Shorts was unable to supply Westland with a complete set of
production drawing. There was an additional problem in that the twenty
Westland aircraft were to be built without torpedo carrying equipment,
necessitatingsome rede ign by Bruce and Davenport and the production ofthe
missing drawings. In spite of these difficultie , which underlined the need to
Thefuselage ofaShort 166beingloaded intoarailwaywagon in thesidingofWestland'S
expand Westland's design office, the fir t Short 166. 9751, was delivered to
despatchdepartment in 1916.
Hamble for flight testingon IJuly, 1916.
Byearly August, production ofWestland's first Short 184.serialled8356. had While production of the remaining twenty-four floatplanes proceeded at
startedand wa completed bythe endofDecember. On IJanuary, 1916, having Yeovil, the company was makingplansagainst the daywhen orders for wheeled
been dismantled, it left the factory on three horse-drawn carts and was taken to aircraft, rather than floatplanes, wouldbe received. Theseled to thepurchaseof
Yeovil Junction on the Great Western Railway. Later in the year, sidings were Northover Fields, part of the present aerodrome, from the Yeovil and District
built in the factory so that the crated aircraft could travel all the way by rail. Hospital Board. As this was farmland, a considerable amount of work was
From there it went by rail to Hamble where the Admiralty had provided required to grub out ancient hedges, fill ditchesand generally level the site. II
Richard Fairey with asiteon the Spit at the confluence ofthe Hamble river and this work was justified when a contract for fifty Sopwith 11/2 trutter
Southampton Water. at which Short 827 floatplanes. also built under sub- fighter-reconnaissance aircraft for the RFC was received. This III:! trutter
8 9