English Electric

Mention the name 'English Electric' in the vicinity of aviation enthusiasts and immediately thoughts centre on the Canberra and Lightning. Ask for the name of other aircraft bearing the 'English Electric' name and it is surprising to realise that there are only three others! The 'English Electric' story, which is complex, began with the opening of an electrical-engineering factory in Preston in 1897. During the First World War a group of companies in the same business became involved in the sub-contract production of aircraft. At the war's end they all amalgamated to form the English Electric Co. Ltd and returned to their pre-war specialities. But, the aviation bug had bitten hard. An aviation department was soon established and aircraft design and manufacture was begun. In 1926 the aviation business closed down, but in the late 1930s English Electric began building Handley Page Hampden and Halifax bombers. These were urgently needed for the great RAF expansion programme and for use in the forthcoming Second World War. When English Electric became a subsidiary of British Aircraft Corporation, and then of British Aerospace, the TSR.2, Jaguars, Jet Provosts and Tornados were built. With the Eurofighter Typhoon entering production the future looks good for this company.