1.
Westland Aircraft
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Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil in Somerset. Formed as a company by separation from Petters Ltd just before the start of the World War II. During the war the company produced a number of unsuccessful designs. After the war the company focused on helicopters, and was merged with several other British firms to create Westland Helicopters in 1961. Orders for other aircraft followed during the First World War, including the Sopwith 1½ Strutter, the de Havilland designed Airco DH.4, Airco DH.9 and Airco DH. 9A and the Vickers Vimy. Following the end of war, Westland produced the Limousine and Woodpigeon light aircraft for the civilian market, in 1935 Petters split its aircraft manufacturing from its aircraft engine concerns to form Westland Aircraft Limited, based in Yeovil, Somerset. The Whirlwind was the UKs first cannon-armed fighter and faster than many other British aircraft at the time but was troubled by the inability of Rolls-Royce to produce the engines. The Lysander army co-operation aircraft was displaced for reconnaissance as too vulnerable, Westland tendered designs for new aircraft during the war but only the Welkin was accepted. The Welkin was a high altitude design to intercept attempts by high-flying German bombers to attack Britain. When the threat never appeared production was limited, Westland would then go on to be the major designers of the Supermarine Seafire, a navalised conversion of the Spitfire. The Westland Wyvern was a design of carrier-based strike-fighter for the Fleet Air Arm serving up to 1958. Post-war the company decided to get out of fixed-wing aircraft and concentrate solely on helicopters under an agreement with Sikorsky. Petter, the designer, who left to form a new aircraft division at English Electric that would go on to be very successful. Production started with the Sikorsky S-51 flying for the first time in 1948 and as the Westland-Sikorksy Dragonfly entering service with the Royal Navy, Westland developed an improved version the Widgeon which was not a great success. Success with the Dragonfly was repeated with the Sikorsky S-55 which became the Whirlwind, the W-81, a high speed, streamlined 32-passenger helicopter, with retractable landing gear and a top speed of 150 miles per hour. Similar to many modern helicopters of today it had twin engines mounted on the fuselage. A very large helicopter that could lift 15 tons in the military version and it was so big that jeeps and medium artillery could be parked side by side internally. Loading and unloading was to be accomplished through a clam shell door on the nose, power would be from blade tip system, where at the ends of each of the three massive rotor blades was a streamline pod, with two turbojet engines mounted in each pod
2.
Bristol Aeroplane Company
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In 1956 its major operations were split into Bristol Aircraft and Bristol Aero Engines. BAC went on to become a component of the nationalised British Aerospace. Bristol Siddeley was purchased by Rolls-Royce in 1966, who continued to develop, the BAC works were in Filton, about 4 miles north of Bristol city centre. BAE Systems, Airbus, Rolls Royce, MBDA and GKN still have a presence at the Filton site where the Bristol Aeroplane Company was located. Additionally, key personnel for the new business were recruited from the employees of the Tramway Company, including George Challenger as chief engineer and works manager. These flying schools came to be regarded as some of the best in the world, the companys initial manufacturing venture was to be a licensed and improved version of an aircraft manufactured in France by the Societe Zodiac, a biplane designed by Gabriel Voisin. This aircraft had been exhibited at the Paris Aero Salon in 1909 and had impressed Sir George with the quality of its construction. One example was bought and shipped to England to be shown at the Aero Show at Olympia in March 1910, since the machine had been sold with a guarantee to fly Sir George succeeded in getting 15,000 francs compensation from Zodiac. Work was then begun on designing a successor, drawings were prepared by George Challenger for an aircraft based on a successful design by Henri Farman whose dimensions had been published in the aeronautical press. The drawings were made in little over a week, and Sir George authorised the construction of twenty examples, the first to be completed was taken to Larkhill for flight trials, where it made its first flight on 30 July piloted by Maurice Edmonds, proving entirely satisfactory. Many served in the flying schools and examples were sold to the War Office as well as a number of foreign governments. Both of these were exhibited at the 1911 Aero Show at Olympia, at this time both Challenger and Low left the company to join the newly established aircraft division of the armament firm Vickers. Their place was taken by Pierre Prier, the chief instructor at the Blériot flying school at Hendon. In January 1912 the Romanian engineer Henri Coandă was appointed as chief designer, also at this time a highly secret separate design office, the X-Department, was set up to work on Dennistoun Burneys ideas for naval aircraft. Frank Barnwell was taken on as the engineer for this project. Barnwell was to one of the worlds foremost aeronautical engineers. The Company expanded rapidly, opening a factory at the Brislington tramway works. Official War Office policy was to only aircraft designed by the Royal Aircraft Establishment
3.
Saunders-Roe
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Saunders-Roe Limited, also known as Saro, was a British aero- and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works, East Cowes, Isle of Wight. The name was adopted in 1929 after Alliott Verdon Roe and John Lord took a controlling interest in the boat-builders S. E. Saunders, prior to this the products were Saunders, the A4 Medina for example dating from 1926. Sam Saunders the founder developed the Consuta material used in marine, Saunders Roe concentrated on producing flying-boats, but none were produced in very large quantities – the longest run being 31 Londons. They also produced hulls for the Blackburn Bluebird, during the Second World War Saro manufactured Supermarine Walrus and Supermarine Sea Otters. Their works at Beaumaris, Anglesey, modified and serviced Catalinas for the Royal Air Force, in January 1931 Flight magazine revealed that Whitehall Securities Corporation Limited acquired a substantial holding in Saunders Roe. Whitehall Securities was already a shareholder in Spartan Aircraft Ltd, of Southampton. In 1938 Saunders-Roe undertook a re-organisation of the commercial and administrative sides of its business. First, the section, consisting of the shipyard and boat building business, was transferred to a new company. Laminated Wood Products Ltd. which had marketed most of the plywood output, major Darwin, managing director, left the company. On the aircraft side of the business Mr. Broadsmith continued as director, all other senior posts in the executive staff remain unchanged. In 1947 they flew the SR, no further new seaplanes were produced here. Modification work on Short-built flying boats continued at Cowes until 1955, the last fixed-wing aircraft they built was experimental SR53 mixed-power interceptor. In 1951 Saunders-Roe took over the interests of the Cierva Autogiro Company at Eastleigh including the Skeeter helicopter project. In September 1952 the company comprised, Saunders-Roe Ltd. with a Head Office in Osborne, East Cowes, Isle of Wight with works at Columbine I. O. W. there was a branch design office in London, during the 1950s. It was situated in Queens Square, overlooking the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children Saunders-Roe Ltd, Friars Works, Beaumaris, Ltd of Osborne I. O. W. with an office in London at 45 Parliament St. SW1. In 1959 it demonstrated the first practical hovercraft built under contract to the National Research Development Corporation to Christopher Cockerells design, in the same year Saros helicopter and hovercraft interests were taken over by Westland Aircraft which continued the Skeeter family with the Scout and Wasp. In 1964 all the businesses under Westland were merged with Vickers-Armstrongs to form the British Hovercraft Corporation. This, in turn, was taken over by Westland and was renamed Westland Aerospace in 1985, by the mid-1990s, over 60% of the worlds production of turboprop nacelles took place in the East Cowes works
4.
Leonardo S.p.A.
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Leonardo S. p. A. formerly Leonardo-Finmeccanica and Finmeccanica, is an Italian multinational aerospace, defence and security company headquartered in Rome in Italy and with operations worldwide. It is the ninth-largest defence contractor in the based on applicable 2014 revenues. The company is owned by the Italian government through the Ministry of Economy and Finance. On 1 January 2016, Leonardo-Finmeccanica became an industrial company by integrating the activities of its subsidiaries AgustaWestland, Alenia Aermacchi, Selex ES, Oto Melara. Leonardo-Finmeccanica is listed on the Borsa Italiana and is a constituent of the FTSE MIB, the company changed its name to Leonardo S. p. A. on 1 January 2017, after the Italian inventor Leonardo Da Vinci. The company was established in 1948 as a subholding for mechanical industry of state owned IRI, Finmeccanica has held for years some historic Italian enterprises, such as Alfa Romeo, Aeritalia and Ansaldo. In 1989 an internal IRI reorganization process brought STET electronic enterprises to Finmeccanica, Finmeccanica, which was previously fully state owned by IRI, went under a privatization process in 1993, when it was listed in Milan Borsa Italiana. In 1992 Finmeccanicas Agusta became a 32% partner in NHIndustries, the contractor for NH90 helicopter. In July 2000 Finmeccanica and the British GKN agreed to merge their respective helicopter subsidiaries to form AgustaWestland, in July 2003 Finmeccanica and BAE Systems announced their intention to set up three joint venture companies, to be collectively known as Eurosystems. These companies would have pooled the avionics, C4ISTAR and communications businesses of the two companies, in March 2007 BAE Systems sold its 25% share to Finmeccanica for €400 million. In January 2013 the company merged with Finmeccanicas other defence electronics companies, SELEX Elsag and SELEX Sistemi Integrati, in May 2008 Finmeccanica announced its intention to purchase the U. S. defense contractor DRS Technologies for nearly $5.2 billion. On 22 October 2008 the sale of DRS Technologies was finalized, during 2011–2013, Finmeccanica emails were published by WikiLeaks and Finmeccanica was subject to judicial inquiries on several fronts and management changes. On 12 February 2013, the executive, Giuseppe Orsi, was arrested on corruption charges. Prosecutors alleged that he paid bribes to ensure the sale of 12 helicopters to the Indian government, in July 2013, the Letta government appointed former police chief Giovanni De Gennaro as Chairman of Finmeccanica. In December 2013 Finmeccanica sold 39. 55% of its capital in Ansaldo Energia to Fondo Strategico Italiano. The remaining 15% of Finmeccanicas share will be sold by December 31,2017, the goal was to create a more cohesive and efficient group in which all processes are centralized and integrated and can interact more effectively. This encompasses the 100% owned companies of the aerospace and defence business being transformed into seven new Finmeccanica divisions. At the end of 2014, Finmeccanica transferred its stake in BredaMenarinibus to the newco Industria Italiana Autobus, thereby taking a further step in the Groups portfolio rationalization process
5.
Yeovil
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Yeovil is a town and civil parish in south Somerset, England with a population of 45,000. It has palaeolithic remains, was on an old Roman road and was left in the will of King Alfred the Great to his youngest son Aethelweard. In the Domesday Book it is recorded as the town of Givele or Ivle, during the Middle Ages the population of the town suffered from the Black Death and several serious fires. Several other manufacturing and retail companies also have bases in the town, plans have been proposed for various regeneration projects in the town. Yeovil Country Park, which includes Ninesprings, is one of open spaces in the town. There are a range of educational, cultural and sporting facilities, religious sites include the 14th-century Church of St John the Baptist. It is on the A30 and A37 roads and has two stations on two separate railway lines. There is also a railway museum. Yeovil is on the main Roman road from Dorchester to the Fosse Way at Ilchester, the Westland site has evidence of a small Roman town. There were several Roman villas in the area, including finds at East Coker, West Coker, Yeovil was first mentioned in a Saxon charter dated 880 as Gifle. The name derives from the Celtic river-name gifl forked river, an name of the River Yeo. The town was recorded in the Domesday Book as Givele, a market community. The parish of Yeovil was part of the Stone Hundred, in 1205 it was granted a charter by King John. By the 14th century, the town had gained the right to elect a portreeve, the Black Death exacted a heavy toll, killing approximately half the population. In 1499 a major fire broke out in the town, destroying many of the wooden, Yeovil suffered further serious fires, in 1620 and again in 1643. During the 1800s Yeovil was a centre of the glove making industry, in 1853 the Great Western Railway line was opened between Taunton and Yeovil. The first railway in the town was a line from the Bristol and Exeter Railway near Taunton to a terminus at Hendford on the western side of the town. As an associated company of the GWR, this was a broad gauge line
6.
Somerset
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Somerset is a county in South West England which borders Gloucestershire and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east and Devon to the south-west. It is bounded to the north and west by the Severn Estuary and its traditional border with Gloucestershire is the River Avon. Somerset is a county of rolling hills such as the Blackdown Hills, Mendip Hills, Quantock Hills and Exmoor National Park. There is evidence of occupation from Paleolithic times, and of subsequent settlement in the Roman. The county played a significant part in the consolidation of power and rise of King Alfred the Great, and later in the English Civil War, the city of Bath is famous for its substantial Georgian architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Somersets name derives from Old English Sumorsǣte, short for Sumortūnsǣte, an alternative suggestion is the name derives from Seo-mere-saetan meaning settlers by the sea lakes. The Old English name is used in the motto of the county, Sumorsǣte ealle, adopted as the motto in 1911, the phrase is taken from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Somerset settlement names are mostly Anglo-Saxon in origin, but some hill names include Brittonic Celtic elements, for example, an Anglo-Saxon charter of 682 refers to Creechborough Hill as the hill the British call Cructan and we call Crychbeorh. Some modern names are Brythonic in origin, such as Tarnock, the caves of the Mendip Hills were settled during the Palaeolithic period, and contain extensive archaeological sites such as those at Cheddar Gorge. Bones from Goughs Cave have been dated to 12,000 BC, examples of cave art have been found in Avelines Hole. Some caves continued to be occupied until modern times, including Wookey Hole, the Somerset Levels—specifically dry points at Glastonbury and Brent Knoll— also have a long history of settlement, and are known to have been settled by Mesolithic hunters. Travel in the area was facilitated by the construction of one of the worlds oldest known engineered roadways, the Sweet Track, the exact age of the henge monument at Stanton Drew stone circles is unknown, but it is believed to be Neolithic. There are numerous Iron Age hill forts, some of which, like Cadbury Castle, on the authority of the future emperor Vespasian, as part of the ongoing expansion of the Roman presence in Britain, the Second Legion Augusta invaded Somerset from the south-east in AD47. The county remained part of the Roman Empire until around AD409, a variety of Roman remains have been found, including Pagans Hill Roman temple in Chew Stoke, Low Ham Roman Villa and the Roman Baths that gave their name to the city of Bath. After the Romans left, Britain was invaded by Anglo-Saxon peoples, by AD600 they had established control over much of what is now England, but Somerset was still in native British hands. The Saxon royal palace in Cheddar was used several times in the 10th century to host the Witenagemot. After the Norman Conquest, the county was divided into 700 fiefs, Somerset contains HM Prison Shepton Mallet, which was Englands oldest prison still in use prior to its closure in 2013, having opened in 1610. In the English Civil War Somerset was largely Parliamentarian, with key engagements being the Sieges of Taunton, in 1685 the Monmouth Rebellion was played out in Somerset and neighbouring Dorset
