FRIENDS OF THE AIR FORCE

Evening Star, Issue 23687, 21 September 1940, Page 3

FRIENDS OF THE AIR FORCE

At a time when Blenheim bombers and Hurricane Spitfire fighters figure in Air Ministry communiques every day of the week, we owe as a matter of decency (an aviator friend suggests to me) some acknowledgment to two personages whose initiative and liberality did more than anything eflse to make our principal bombers and our principal fighters what they are. One is Lord Bothermere, the other that strange woman, the late Lady Houston. The last Schneider Trophy race was flown, I believe, in 1931. There would have been no British entry then but for Lady Houston, who, when-the Government decided not to find money for aircraft and engines capable of keeping Britain in the van, made herself responsible for the total cost of the race —estimated at about £250.000. The result was the production by the Rolls-Royce firm of an engine that was the direct prototype of the Merlin engine which gives all our foremost types of fighters their predominance to-day. What, Lord Rothermero did was to commission the British Aeroplane Company to nroduce a commercial aeroplane of outstanding performance as a demonstration to the Air Ministry of what could be done. The direct descendant of that machine is the Bristol-Blenheim bomber of today.—“ Janus.” in the ‘ Spectator.’