Ernest Walter Hives, 1st Baron Hives (21 April 1886 – 24 April 1965), was the one-time head of the
Rolls-Royce Aero Engine division and chairman of Rolls-Royce Ltd.
Hives was born in
Reading, Berkshire
Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, Southeast England, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers River Thames, Thames and River Kennet, Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 mot ...
to John and Mary Hives, living at 31 Christchurch Road from at least 1891 to 1901. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
he was closely involved with the design of the
Merlin engine as well as numerous later Rolls-Royce
jet engines
A jet engine is a type of reaction engine discharging a fast-moving jet of heated gas (usually air) that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition can include rocket, water jet, and hybrid propulsion, the term typicall ...
. He began his working life in a local garage. However, in 1903 he got a job working at
C.S. Rolls' car company, after fixing Rolls' car.
Achievements
After becoming a chief test driver in 1908, he led the Rolls-Royce team in the Austrian Alpine Trial in 1913. During the First World War the company designed its first aero-engine, the
Eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...
, and Hives developed it successfully; by 1916 he was Head of the Experimental Department. In 1919 the Eagle powered the twin-engined
Vickers Vimy
The Vickers Vimy was a British heavy bomber aircraft developed and manufactured by Vickers Limited. Developed during the latter stages of the First World War to equip the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), the Vimy was designed by Reginald Kirshaw "Rex" ...
bomber on the
first direct flight across the Atlantic. In 1920 Hives was appointed
MBE. Other notable engines were later developed under Hives' lead. Of these the
Buzzard
Buzzard is the common name of several species of birds of prey.
''Buteo'' species
* Archer's buzzard (''Buteo archeri'')
* Augur buzzard (''Buteo augur'')
* Broad-winged hawk (''Buteo platypterus'')
* Common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'')
* Eastern ...
was the most important, leading to the ‘
R’ series, which powered the
Supermarine S.6 seaplanes that won the
Schneider Trophy
The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, also known as the Schneider Trophy, Schneider Prize or (incorrectly) the Schneider Cup is a trophy that was awarded annually (and later, biennially) to the winner of a race for seaplanes and flyin ...
in 1929 and 1931 for Rolls-Royce, and most importantly the famous
Merlin engine.
In 1936 he became the general works manager of the factory and a year later was elected to the board. He lived at 37, St. Chads Rd., Derby until around 1937, then at 'Hazeldene',
Duffield. In 1937, thinking war would soon be inevitable, he prepared the firm for a massive production increase in Merlin engines by splitting facilities between engineering and production and developing shadow factories. As the Merlin powered
Hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
s,
Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...
s and
Lancasters (as well as the best forgotten
Fairey Battle
The Fairey Battle is a British single-engine light bomber that was designed and manufactured by the Fairey Aviation Company. It was developed during the mid-1930s for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a monoplane successor to the Hawker Hart and ...
), this was a vitally strategic decision when war did come. Thanks to Hives no less than a hundred and sixty thousand Merlins were produced by 1945.
His team directive was ''"Work till it hurts and
W. A. Robotham said that when he was attached to ''"this remarkable man"'' for a few (wartime) days ''I became completely exhausted and made absolutely no contribution towards easing his load''. After visiting the Hillingdon Merlin factory, the night train from Glasgow to London arrived at Trent at the unearthly hour of 5.20 a.m. so (if you couldn't sleep on the train like Hives) walking with him round the Derby factory before breakfast was a gruelling experience. Robotham was responsible to Hives for the Car Division, and Hives supported Robotham in developing and manufacturing the
Meteor
A meteoroid () is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space.
Meteoroids are defined as objects significantly smaller than asteroids, ranging in size from grains to objects up to a meter wide. Objects smaller than this are classified as mi ...
tank engine.
In 1941-42 Hives had decided 'to go all out for the
gas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas generator or core) and are, in the directio ...
, to ensure the company a leading role in developing jet engines for civil and military aviation. In December 1942 when
Rover
Rover may refer to:
People
* Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian
* Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer
* Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist
Places
* Rover, Arkansas, US
* Rover, Missouri, US
...
was having problems with
Frank Whittle
Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, (1 June 1907 – 8 August 1996) was an English engineer, inventor and Royal Air Force (RAF) air officer. He is credited with inventing the turbojet engine. A patent was submitted by Maxime Guillaume in 1921 fo ...
and his company
Power Jets
Power Jets was a British company set up by Frank Whittle for the purpose of designing and manufacturing jet engines. The company was nationalised in 1944, and evolved into the National Gas Turbine Establishment.
History
Founded on 27 Januar ...
in developing their first gas turbine engine, the
Rolls-Royce Welland
The Rolls-Royce RB.23 Welland was Britain's first production jet engine.Janes 1989, p.268. It entered production in 1943 for the Gloster Meteor. The name Welland is taken from the River Welland, in keeping with the Rolls-Royce policy of naming ...
, Hives met with
Spencer Wilks
Spencer Bernau Wilks (26 May 189110 March 1971) was a British manager and administrator in the motor manufacturing industry. He served variously in positions including Managing Director, Chairman, and President of the Rover Company from 1929 unt ...
of Rover and arranged to exchange Rover's gas turbine business for Rolls-Royce's Nottingham factory producing
Rolls-Royce Meteor
The Rolls-Royce Meteor later renamed the Rover Meteor is a British tank engine that was developed during the Second World War. It was used in British tanks up to 1964. It was a result of co-operation between Leyland Motors and Rolls-Royce who bet ...
tank engines (which Rover were already producing). This exchange (effective 1 April 1943) gave Rolls-Royce (whose major product was piston aero engines) an entry into jet engine manufacture.
Vice-Chief of Air Staff Sir
Wilfrid Freeman, one of the masterminds behind the dramatic advances in British aircraft production before and during World War II, paid tribute to Hives's dedication in a letter to his wife:
Hives became managing director in 1946 and chairman of Rolls-Royce from 1950 till 1957. He was Chairman of the
National Council for Technological Awards
The National Council for Technological Awards was a UK statutory body responsible for awarding Diplomas in Technology and Engineering undertaken in higher education colleges. It operated from 1955 to 1964 when its responsibilities devolved to the ...
from 1955 to 1960. He was appointed to the
Order of the Companions of Honour in the
1943 Birthday Honours
The King's Birthday Honours 1943 were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by people of the British Empire. They were published on 2 June 1943 for the United Kingdom and Canada.
The re ...
and on
7 July 1950 he was raised to the peerage as
Baron Hives
Baron Hives, of Duffield in the County of Derby, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created 7 July 1950 for the Ernest Hives, Chairman of Rolls-Royce Ltd. the title is held by his grandson, the third Baron, who succeeded ...
, of Duffield in the County of Derby.
Robotham has a chapter on Hives (Chapter 21) in his own biography.
He played a critical role in the UK Nuclear Submarine programme. When the highly irascible but utterly pivotal
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
Admiral Rickover visited the UK in 1957 to inspect the British nuclear design team at Rolls-Royce, Rickover was "at his obnoxious worst". After one particularly difficult morning he was introduced to Lord Hives.
Personal life
He married Gertrude E Warwick (born 9 December 1890) in 1913. His son, Pilot Officer Edward Ernest Hives, was killed in action flying with
RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...
in October 1940.
He retired in 1957 and died on 24 April 1965, aged 79, at the
National Hospital for Nervous Diseases
The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (informally the National Hospital or Queen Square) is a neurological hospital in Queen Square, London, Queen Square, London. It is part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundatio ...
in
Queen Square, London
Queen Square is a garden square in the Bloomsbury district of central London. Many of its buildings are associated with medicine, particularly neurology.
Construction
Queen Square was originally constructed between 1716 and 1725. It was formed ...
.
[England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1965, page 549] He was succeeded in the barony by his son John.
His younger daughter, Philippa Hives, married
Judge Alexander Morrison in 1978.
Arms
References
Notes
Bibliography
*Lumsden, Alec. ''British Piston Engines and their Aircraft''. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. .
* Pugh, Peter. ''The Magic of a Name - The Rolls-Royce Story - The First 40 Years''. Cambridge, England. Icon Books Ltd, 2000.
* Furse, Anthony. ''Wilfrid Freeman: the genius behind Allied survival and air supremacy 1939 to 1945''. Staplehurst. Spellmount, 2000.
*
Hennessy, Peter and Jinks, James. ''The Silent Deep'' Allen Lane 2015
*
* Watson, W.R. ''The Derbyshire village of Duffield, past and present''. Chevin Books, 1991.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hives, Ernest Walter
1886 births
1965 deaths
Rolls-Royce people
Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Royal Aeronautical Society Gold Medal winners
20th-century English businesspeople
Barons created by George VI