“Designed and built in Kingston - a 100 years of world class
aircraft”. This was the slogan of the event celebrating the 100th
anniversary of the foundation of Sopwith Aviation, the Kingston
Aviation Festival held from 2nd - 5th June.
It was organised by the Hawker Association together with the Brooklands Museum and the Kingston Aviation Heritage Trust, supported by BAE Systems and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, with a Heritage Lottery Fund grant.
The historic town centre market place accommodated Brooklands’ Sopwith Camel and a new, yet to be completed, Sopwith Tabloid replica being built by Steve Green at Brooklands and funded by the Kingston Aviation Heritage Trust, as well as Harrier, Hunter and Hawk cockpits.
In the Market House was a comprehensive exhibition of models of
Sopwith, Hawker and British Aerospace Kingston aircraft from the
Brooklands Museum, and banners summarising the history of the
Sopwith-Hawker-BAe companies as well as other aviation related firms in
the borough, covering the achievements, the sites and the people who
worked there and, of course, the aircraft. On the first floor was an
exhibition of aviation paintings by Mark Bromley, large scale models
from BAE Systems and a specially prepared video presentation.
The Festival was formally launched by the son of Sir Thomas Sopwith, Tommy, at a reception for the Mayor and other local dignitaries. Also present were important personalities, including Ralph Hooper, Ambrose Barber, Chairman of the Hawker Association, Les Palmer, Chairman of the Kingston Aviation Heritage Trust, Allan Winn, Director of the Brooklands Museum, Barry Guess of BAE Systems as well as the event project leaders David Hassard and Bill Downey of the Hawker Association, and Project Manager Fiona Sturley.
The event proved to be very popular and certainly succeeded in
reminding those who knew the old factories, and informing those who
moved into the borough after BAe closed them in 1992, of the remarkable
contributions to world aviation progress made in Kingston upon Thames
by the people who worked at ‘Hawkers’.
The Kingston Aviation Centenary Project continues
with the recording of oral history from old employees, talks to local
schools and organisations, and other outreach activities, with the aim
of getting Kingston’s world-class aviation achievements better known.
All the information prepared and gathered will be kept in the Sopwith/Hawker Archive at the Brooklands Museum and in the Kingston Local History Centre and much of it will find its way onto the website www.kingstonaviation.org.
In addition a “Kingston Aircraft” art exhibition is planned for
November. If you would like a copy of the Festival “Designed and Built
in Kingston” leaflet send a 4 x 8 ¼ ins s.a.e. to David Hassard, 20
Tangmere Grove, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, KT2 5GT.