• Vickers Ltd

The company traces its origins to a steel foundry established in Sheffield in 1828 by miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law and foundry owner George Naylor. Vickers' railway investments later allowed him to gain control of the company, known as Naylor Vickers & Co, and in 1854 his sons Thomas and Albert joined the business. In 1863 the company moved to a new site in Sheffield at Brightside, its business focused on the production of high-quality steel castings. The company went public in 1867 as Vickers, Sons & Co and gradually acquired more businesses, branching out into such sectors as marine shafts and propellers and armaments. In 1897 the company acquired Maxim Nordenfelt Guns & Ammunition Co Ltd, thereby acquiring offices in Victoria Street, London, and was renamed Vickers, Son & Maxim Ltd. The company was restyled Vickers Ltd in 1911. The company received a contract from the Admiralty in 1908 for the construction of a rigid airship and, although the airship never flew, the contract led to the formation of Vickers Ltd (Aviation Department) in 1912 to build the REP monoplane, under licence from the French aircraft designer Robert Esnault-Pelterie, at Joyce Green, near Dartford, Kent. That year the company also established a flying school at Brooklands flying ground. In 1915 Vickers Ltd (Aviation Department) relocated manufacturing to Brooklands, where it produced a series of pusher aircraft which included the Gunbus, Britain's first practical fighting aircraft. The company's expertise and business grew during the First World War and the Vimy became the first aeroplane to be flown non-stop across the Atlantic by Alcock and Brown in 1919. In 1925 a subsidiary company was formed to exploit the rights Vickers Ltd had in patents relating to metal construction granted to the French aircraft designer Michel Wibault, a consulting engineer to the company since 1922. In 1928 parts of Vickers Ltd merged with the heavy engineering, and non-aviation, interests of Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd, to form Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd. Vickers Ltd, by far the largest shareholder in Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd, retained its aircraft building business. Later in 1928 Vickers Ltd (Aviation Department) became a separate aircraft company, as Vickers (Aviation) Ltd, under the management of Robert McLean. To develop the capability of the new company a manufacturer of flying boats, Supermarine Aviation Works Ltd of Southampton, was acquired for £390,000 in 1928. The acquired firm was renamed Supermarine Aviation Works (Vickers) Ltd. Vickers Ltd provided the combined Vickers (Aviation) Ltd with £250,000 in 1929 to support research and development. A number of fighters, bombers, flying boats and transporter aircraft were subsequently designed and built. In 1939, due to government concerns over delays in the Spitfire and Wellington manufacturing programmes, Vickers (Aviation) Ltd and Supermarine Aviation Works (Vickers) Ltd were reorganised under a single management as Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd. Both aircraft subsidiaries were then formally wound up, although Supermarine continued to design, build and trade under its own name.