Info required on Yorkshire-based WW1 aircraft manufacturers etc.

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Member for

13 years 2 months

Posts: 1,101

I am trying to find info on companies that were based in Yorkshire, who made aircraft, aero-engines or parts for same during WW1 "not the Blackburn aircraft co".

Info on names of the companies, what types they built, what types of components etc that they made etc.

Can any one confirm that Portass of Sheffield made fuselages for Avro 504's, or that they built 50 Sopwith Snipes ?, or if March, Jones & Cribb of Leeds completed any of the Snipes they were contracted to build ?.

Bob T.

Original post

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18 years 4 months

Posts: 2,810

I seem to recall that Brian Rapier produced a monograph many years ago about this very subject. someone may have a copy around.

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19 years 7 months

Posts: 1,772

Pegler Bros & Co (Doncaster) Ltd = 20x Sopwith Cuckoo

Portass & Son at Butterworth = 50? Sopwith Snipe + floats for various other aeroplanes

Phoenix Dynamo Manufacturing Co Ltd, Bradford = Includes: 62x Short 184 , 6x Shorts 225, c. 50x Felixstowe F.3

Christopehr Pratt & Sons, Bradford = sub-contract work from Phoenix

Thornton Engineering Ltd = sub-contract work on components

March, Jones & Cribb = DH5s, Sopwith Camels and Snipes.

These details are drawn from the excellent "British Built Aircraft" (Vol 5 includes Northern England) ) by Ron Smith

Tim

Member for

13 years 2 months

Posts: 1,101

scotavia- I will see if I can find a copy of Brian Rapier's book.

Tim- I have looked through Ron Smith's book, & it was fairly helpfull.

The problem is that there are a number of sources, & they all seem to differ from each other on the types & numbers produced, for instance, one source says that March Jones & Cribb built 10 Snipes, another says that they completed 30+ Snipes before the contract was cancelled, & all of them were delivered to straight to store, whilst another says that no Snipes were completed by them.

I have also heard that Sheffield Simplex made some aircraft as well as aero-engines.

I spoke to some one at Peglers a few years ago, & they were convinced that the company made Camels, not Cuckoo's :confused:.

I know that by trying to find other sources of info, will probably only add to the confusion, but there is always the chance that some one out there has cast iron proof of who made what.

If Portass made fuselages for Avro 504's, which company would they have been made for ?.

Cheer's.
Bob T.