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Aircraft :: Manufacturers based in Lincolnshire
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#RAFLincolnshire
Updated: 29 Sep 08
Some aircraft types and manufacturers have particular ties to the county, either because of their great numbers such as the Lancaster Bomber or because they had manufacturing facilities based in Lincolnshire. One in 14 of all aircraft flown during the Great War were manufactured in the City.
Aircraft Manufacturers in Lincolnshire during the Great War
During the Great War, Lincolnshire based firms produced more aircraft for the RFC, RNAS and RAF than any other county. Construction was under way by mid-1915.
Ruston, Proctor & Co Ltd
Ruston, Proctor & Co were the largest manufacturers of aero-engines during the Great War. The first contract for the supply of aeroplanes to the War Office was signed on 15 Jan 1915 by Ruston Aircraft Factory. By 15 Jul 1915 the first Ruston Aeroplane had been accepted by the War Office. On 4 Jan 1918 the 1000th airframe was delivered, with a total of 2725 under contract. The firm built in excess of 2 000 aircraft of which 1 600 were Sopwith Camel, 200 were BE2 and 250 Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutters, with serial numbers 7762 to 7811 (50), A2381 to A2430 (50), A8141 to A8340 (200) and B2551 to B2600 (50). They were based in an expanded facility by the River Witham in Lincoln. Types produced numbered RAE BE2c/e, Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter, Sopwith Camel and Sopwith Snipes. Many of the airframes were flown directly to the Western Front by volunteers.
Robey
Robey was located at the opposite end of Lincoln City to Ruston, Proctor & Co. 30 Robey 806 were built here. They manufactured the Sopwith Gunbus and Short 184 Seaplane. Robey's facility at Bracebridge Heath was opened in 1916 for the manufacture and flight testing of aircraft. This was taken over by the RFC within two years to become RFC Bracebridge Heath.
Clayton and Shuttleworth
Joseph Shuttleworth inherited a boat building business with which he formed a partnership with Nathaniel Clayton, an iron foundry owner in Lincoln, establishing a successful engineering firm, Clayton and Shuttleworth. They specialised in constructing steam engines and agricultural machinery. During the Great War, Clayton and Shuttleworth initially manfactured airship components, later moving on to the Sopwith Triplane and Sopwith Camel. Clayton and Shuttleworth's Titanic Works still stands in modern Lincoln, living on in local tradition as the Titanic Building.
Marshall & Sons
Marshall & Sons, a Gainsborough-based company, had a contract for the delivery of 150 Bristol F2B aircraft from their works located near the Great Northern Railway station.
Aircraft Manufacturers in Lincolnshire before and during World War Two
After the global recession and post-Armistice cutbacks of the 1920s many firms went bankrupt with empty order books or merged to survive.
Grantham-based British Manufacture and Research Company Ltd (later BMARC of the Iraqi Supergun affair) made aircraft cannon.
A separate series of pages has information on aircraft books currently available.
Aircraft made in Lincoln (Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology)
This is not just a book about the many historical aircraft building connections with the County but also covers the companies, the airfields, and the people who were involved in this work. It is lavishly illustrated with contemporary photographs from company archives and personal collections. 75 pp and 125 illustrations.
Buy it on Amazon (UK)
Aircraft types operated by Lincolnshire-based squadrons:
Armstrong Whitworth :: Battle :: BE2c :: Beaufighter :: Blenheim :: Camel :: Canberra :: DH4 ::DH6 :: DH9 :: Fawn :: Halifax :: Hampden :: Hart :: Hind :: Hurricane :: Hyderabad :: Lancaster :: Lightning :: Lincoln :: Manchester :: Mosquito :: NIMROD :: Phantom :: RE8 :: SENTINEL :: SENTRY :: Spitfire :: Stirling :: Tornado :: Valiant :: VC-10 :: Vulcan :: Washington :: WellingtonBE2c
Armstrong-Whitworth
Fairey Battle
Beaufighter
Blenheim
Boston
Sopwith Camel
Canberra
DH4
DH9
Fairey Fawn
Halifax
Hampden
Hart
Hind
Hurricane
Hyderabad
Lancaster
Lightning
Lincoln
Manchester
Mosquito
NIMROD R1
RE8
SENTINEL R1
E-3D SENTRY
Sopwith Camel
Spitfire
Stirling
Tornado
Valiant
VC-10
Ventura
Victor
Vulcan
Washington
Wellington
Whitley
Aviation
Heritage Lincolnshire
(Tourism)
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