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| A V Roe and Company | |
|---|---|
| Name | A V Roe and Company |
| Type | Private |
| Industry | Aeronautics |
| Fate | Merged/Nationalised |
| Founded | 1910 |
| Founder | Alliott Verdon Roe |
| Headquarters | Hamble, Manchester, Chadderton |
| Products | Aircraft, engines, components |
A V Roe and Company was a British aircraft manufacturer established in 1910 by Alliott Verdon Roe. The firm became a central player in British aviation, producing pioneering designs and serving both civil and military customers. Throughout its existence the company interacted with numerous institutions and firms across the United Kingdom, Europe, and the Commonwealth, leaving a legacy that shaped postwar aerospace consolidation.
A V Roe and Company was founded by Alliott Verdon Roe, who had earlier flown a Roe I triplane at Wicken and worked with figures such as Tom Sopwith and Claude Grahame-White. Early expansion included engagement with Gordon England and links to Avrocar-era concepts later echoed by Folland Aircraft and de Havilland. During the First World War the firm collaborated with Royal Flying Corps and supplied types used by units involved in the Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Arras. Postwar reorganisation brought contacts with industrialists from Barclay Curle and Vickers circles, while the interwar period saw technical exchanges with Handley Page, Short Brothers, and Gloster Aircraft Company. In the Second World War the company worked alongside Supermarine and Bristol Aeroplane Company to support the Royal Air Force and Allied operations such as Operation Overlord and the Arctic convoys. After 1945 Avro designs influenced policies debated at Whitehall and led to involvement with national programmes overseen by the Ministry of Supply and later the British Aircraft Corporation.
Avro produced a wide range of aircraft including early types like the Roe I and Roe IV, civil types comparable to those by de Havilland Dragon and Handley Page H.P.42, and iconic military designs such as the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber which served in raids linked to Operation Chastise and the Combined Bomber Offensive. The company developed the Avro Anson for training roles used by Empire Air Training Scheme units and later created the jet-powered Avro Vulcan strategic bomber which formed part of V bomber force deterrent posture during the Cold War and crises such as the Suez Crisis. Other models included the Avro Manchester, Avro York transport, and experimental types that paralleled research at institutions like Royal Aircraft Establishment and Aerospace Corporation. Engine and component work intersected with suppliers such as Rolls-Royce, Armstrong Siddeley, and Bristol Siddeley. Avro's civil variants saw operations by airlines including Imperial Airways and British European Airways.
The company's management structured divisions resembling contemporaries like Vickers-Armstrongs and Fairey Aviation Company. Manufacturing sites coordinated supply chains involving firms such as Shorts, Armstrong Whitworth, and CHC Helicopter-linked contractors. Financial relationships included dealings with banks in London and investment from groups associated with Harland and Wolff. Quality control and testing worked with agencies including Civil Aviation Authority predecessors and research links to NPL and University of Manchester. Labour relations reflected national patterns seen at National Union of Railwaymen and Transport and General Workers' Union, while procurement negotiations involved entities such as the Air Ministry.
Avro secured major contracts from the Royal Air Force and Commonwealth air arms, supplying bombers, transports, and trainers to forces including Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, and Royal New Zealand Air Force. The Lancaster participated in campaigns coordinated with the United States Army Air Forces and bomber commands linked to figures like Sir Arthur Harris. The Vulcan’s strategic role tied into NATO planning and consultations involving SHAPE and Winston Churchill-era defence debates. Avro also provided prototypes for guided weapons programmes and collaborated with research establishments like Admiralty Research Laboratory and DSTL for avionics and systems.
Avro's corporate life ended through mergers and nationalisation waves that created conglomerates such as the Hawker Siddeley group and later the British Aircraft Corporation, which itself became part of British Aerospace and then BAE Systems. These consolidations connected Avro’s lineage to later projects at Rolls-Royce plc and to European partnerships involving Airbus and EADS. The company's design philosophy influenced successors at BAC, Hawker Siddeley Aviation, and influenced aircraft preserved by museums including Imperial War Museum and Science Museum, London. Notable alumni found roles at English Electric, Marconi, and Ferranti.
Principal facilities included the original Brooklands and St John's Wood associations, factories at Chadderton near Oldham, the Woodford Aerodrome complex, and assembly lines at Hamble and Yeadon. Test flying operated from aerodromes such as Ringway and collaborated with establishments like Defford and Boscombe Down. Supply chains routed components through ports at Liverpool and Southampton and used rail links integrated with London and North Western Railway heritage lines. Overseas support and spares networks linked to maintenance depots in Egypt, India, and Canada.
Founding and leadership figures included Alliott Verdon Roe and his brother Humphrey Verdon Roe, with executives and designers such as Roy Chadwick, Stuart Davies, and Geoffrey de Havilland–era contemporaries influencing practice. Engineers and test pilots associated with the firm included pilot-designers who later worked at Supermarine and de Havilland; program managers moved between Avro and organisations like BAC and Hawker Siddeley. Board-level contacts reached peers at Vickers, Short Brothers, and finance directors connected to Lloyds Bank and Barclays. Many key personnel are commemorated in archives at RAF Museum and university special collections at University of Cambridge and University of Manchester.
Category:Aircraft manufacturers of the United Kingdom Category:British aviation history