Sadly we must record the deaths of five well known
colleagues: Eric Rubython who was Company Secretary and Director &
General Manager of Hawker Aircraft Ltd, Commercial Director and
Director & General Manager of Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd and
Deputy Chief Executive of British Aerospace Aircraft Group; Chief Test
Pilot Neville Duke; Head of Research Cliff Bore; and Maurice Gilson of
the DO. Not a Member, but certainly a 'Hawker person', Air Cdre David
Scrimgeour, best known to us when in command of the Kestrel Tripartite
Evaluation Squadron in 1964, died on April 1. The Association's
condolences to all spouses, relatives and friends.
We welcome new members Mike Azzopardi, Paul Barber, Betty Bore,
Arthur Brocklehurst, Keith Chard, Tony Cripps, Barry Elliot, Ann
Martin, Graham Roe, Chris Russell and George Smith.
Eric Rubython
John Glasscock remembers an eminent 'Hawker' person...
Members of the Hawker Association and many others have cause to
remember Eric Rubython who died earlier this year in San Diego,
California, where he had lived for many years.
In
association with (Sir) John Lidbury he helped to establish the
commercial strength of Hawker Aircraft and his determination to keep us
'in the black' stood us in good stead in the transition through Hawker
Siddeley Aviation and later into British Aerospace.
Born in 1921, married in 1943, preceded by Army service, he
became Company Secretary of Hawker Aircraft Ltd in 1953. Ten years
later he joined the Board of Hawker Siddeley Aviation as General
Manager, Hawker-Blackburn Division and moved steadily into more senior
positions - Commercial Director, General Manager, Managing Director and
Chairman.
He was appointed to the Organising
Committee of British Aerospace prior to nationalisation, became a Board
member and Deputy Chief Executive of the Aircraft Group in 1977, the
position he held until his retirement in 1982 - when he 'emigrated'!
