Hawker - Places

The Hawker Hurricane - the RAF's forgotten fighter star of the Battle of Britain.

Places - Linked with the Hurricane (and Hawker & Sopwith)

Brooklands, Brooklands Museum Trust Ltd, Brooklands Road, Weybridge, Surrey. KT13 0QN
(Photo 23/8/2007) - (Updated 24/1/2012)
From the museum web site :-
World War One - "The Sopwith Aviation Company was even more prolific. Besides a large number of prototypes, numerous Camels, Snipes, Pups and Triplanes came off the production lines in nearby Kingston and were all test flown and delivered from Brooklands."
World War Two - "The Hawker Hurricane designed by Sydney Camm at nearby Kingston.
It was assembled and first flown in prototype form at Brooklands in November 1935. Altogether, 3,012 Hurricanes were produced at Brooklands – one fifth of the total built. When the Battle of Britain was fought in the summer of 1940 it was due to the tremendous production and test flying effort at Brooklands and other factories and to the skills of the RAF pilots that the Hurricane became the chief victor of this decisive engagement. At the time, Hurricanes equipped no less than two-thirds of RAF single fighter squadrons."

"A Brooklands-built Hurricane was recovered from Russia in 1997 and is now on display in the Aircraft Hangar"

Part of the main Brooklands runway looking towards Mercedes-Benz World and the Museum.

(Photo 23/8/2007)

(Updated 24/1/2012)

(maps.google.co.uk pointer - 51.343633, -0.471574)

Control Tower looking from Sopwith Drive
(maps.google.co.uk pointer - 51.344148, -0.473007)

From the museum web site:-
"A splendid Art Deco Brooklands Aero Clubhouse was designed by the young British airport architect Graham Dawbarn and opened in May 1932 as a lively new social centre for aviators."

(Photos 23/8/2007) - (Updated 24/1/2012)

Longbridge, Birmingham
East Works - the main "shadow factory" building was1500ft long by 400ft wide.
(to the south and east of Groveley Lane and Parsonage Road - south of the Flight Shed )
[Now cleared for redevelopment]
Flight Shed after final assembly, aircraft would emerge from the rear, ascend via a ramp lift to the airfield on the brow of the hill.
(photograph from the corner of Groveley Lane and Lowhill Lane) (maps.google.co.uk pointer - 52.384772, -1.988101 )
[Now cleared for redevelopment]
Cofton Aerodrome
active from the First World War until the end of aircraft production.
[Now lost under the MG car factory]

The Flight Shed (Photos 16/4/2011) - (Updated 30/1/2012)

The first Hurricane flew from Longbridge on the 8th. October 1940.

Windsor, Berkshire

Alexandra Gardens, Barry Avenue (maps.google.co.uk pointer - 51.485357, -0.616988)

(Photograph - Windsor - 18 April 2015)
(More Photos in my Flickr album - Sir Sydney Camm)

(Updated August 2012)
(Hurricane full size model) – “R4229” “GN-J” at Alexandra Gardens, Barry Avenue, Windsor, Berkshire.
A memorial to ......"Sir Sydney, renowned throughout the world of aviation as the ‘Brunel of aero engineers’ was born in Windsor and lived in Alma Road. The son of a carpenter’s apprentice, he was educated at the Royal Free School in Bachelors Acre and, without any formal engineering training, rose to become arguably the world’s greatest aeronautical engineer with 50 aircraft designs to his name and over 26000 aeroplanes built."
FromThe Sir Sydney Camm Commemorative Society web site.

10 Alma Road

The birth place of Sir Sydney Camm (1893 - 1966).

(maps.google.co.uk pointer - 51.483129, -0.614778)

(Photograph - Windsor - 18 April 2015)
(More Photos in my Flickr album - Sir Sydney Camm)

The original plaque of 1986 which was "lost" - the outline of which can still be seen on the brickwork.

(Photograph - Copyright Acknowledged - http://thamesweb.u.yuku.com/ )

This photo was taken at the corner of Arthur Road / Alma Road.
Cross the road and follow the footpath into Athlone Square -
the plaque is high on the wall on the left.

Athone Square, Ward Royal

The plaque reads:
"In a building on this site Sydney Camm designed
and built his first powered aircraft in 1911-1913.
Sir Sydney Camm C.B.E.
Chief Designer of Hawker Aircraft Ltd.
was responsible for the design of many
fighter aircraft for the Royal Air Force
including the Hawker Hurricane
during the World War 1939-1945
Sydney Camm 1893 - 1966"

(Photographs - Windsor - 18 April 2015)
(More Photos in my Flickr album - Sir Sydney Camm)

(maps.google.co.uk pointer - 51.482475, -0.614607 )

The Guildhall, High Street (maps.google.co.uk pointer - 51.482121, -0.607149 )

(Photograph - Windsor - 18 April 2015)
(More Photos in my Flickr album - Sir Sydney Camm)

The Windsor & Royal Borough Museum has a small display of the life of Sir Sydney Camm.

Windsor Parish Church, High St.

A commemorative service took take place at St John the Baptist Church, High St., Windsor on Friday 21st July 2006 at 15:00. To this service were invited Sir Sydney Camm’s family, his former colleagues, representatives of various service associations etc.

Following the church service, a plaque commemorating Camm’s life was unveiled.

(Photographs - Windsor - 18 April 2015) - (More Photos in my Flickr album - Sir Sydney Camm)

(maps.google.co.uk pointer - 51.481707, -0.606630 )

The plaque is on the left hand side of the Chancel.

V1.2 - 20 May 2015. ---- recommended resolution (1366 x 768)