Captain Frank Sowter Barnwell

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

AFC

FRAeS The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest aeronautical society in the world. Members, Fellows ...

BSc A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

(23 November 1880 – 2 August 1938) was a Scottish

aeronautical engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...

. With his elder brother

Harold Harold may refer to: People * Harold (given name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Harold (surname), surname in the English language * András Arató, known in meme culture as "Hide the Pain Harold" Arts a ...

, he built the first successful powered aircraft made in Scotland and later went on to a career as an aircraft designer with the

Bristol Aeroplane Company The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aircraft engines. Notable a ...

, designing aircraft such as the Bristol Fighter, the

Bulldog The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.Blenheim.

Early life

Barnwell was born in

Lewisham Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified i ...

in south east

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

but the family moved to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

the year after his birth he and was educated at

Fettes College Fettes College () is a co-educational independent boarding and day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, with over two-thirds of its pupils in residence on campus. The school was originally a boarding school for boys only and became co-ed in 1983. In ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, after which he served a six-year apprenticeship with the

Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company The Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited was a Scottish shipbuilding company in the Govan area on the Clyde in Glasgow. Fairfields, as it is often known, was a major warship builder, turning out many vessels for the Royal Navy ...

, of which his father was a partner, between 1898 and 1904. He attended the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

at the same time and received a BSc in naval architecture in 1905. He then spent a year in America working as a draughtsman for a shipbuilder.

Aviation career

Barnwell Brothers memorial (geograph 2587728)

In 1907 he returned to Scotland and established the Grampian Motors & Engineering Company in

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

in partnership with his brother

. The brothers had built an unsuccessful glider in 1905, and between 1908 and 1910 they constructed three experimental powered aircraft. The first lacked sufficient power to fly, but the second, a canard

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

, made the first powered flight in Scotland, piloted by Harold in July 1909. but was wrecked on the second attempt to fly it. The third, a mid-wing monoplane, was built during 1910 and flown by to win a prize for the first flight of over a mile in Scotland on 30 January 1911 at Causewayhead under the

Wallace Monument The National Wallace Monument (generally known as the Wallace Monument) is a 67 metre tower on the shoulder of the Abbey Craig, a hilltop overlooking Stirling in Scotland. It commemorates Sir William Wallace, a 13th- and 14th-century Scottish hero ...

. In late 1911 Barnwell was hired to work as a designer for a secret department set up by the

British and Colonial Aeroplane Company The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aircraft engines. Notable ...

to work on an unconventional seaplane project for the

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in collaboration with

Dennistoun Burney Sir Charles Dennistoun Burney, 2nd Baronet (28 December 1888 – 11 November 1968, in Bermuda) was an English aeronautical engineer, private inventor and Conservative Party politician.''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' Oxford: OUP. Ear ...

, resulting in the unsuccessful

Bristol-Burney seaplanes The Bristol-Burney seaplanes were a pair of experimental seaplanes produced by a collaboration between Lt. Dennistoun Burney and the Bristol and Colonial Aeroplane Company during 1912–14. The aircraft, neither of which was successfully flown, ...

. He then co-designed the

Bristol Scout The Bristol Scout was a single-seat rotary-engined biplane originally designed as a racing aircraft. Like similar fast, light aircraft of the period it was used by the RNAS and the RFC as a "scout", or fast reconnaissance type. It was one of t ...

with

Harry Busteed Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

. When war broke out in 1914 Barnwell enlisted in the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

and after qualifying as a pilot at the

Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at R ...

, Upavon, he joined 12 Squadron RFC but in August 1915 was released from service to become chief designer at Bristol. Here he put his experience of service conditions to use by designing the Bristol Fighter, one of the outstanding aircraft of the war. With the exception of a short period between October 1921 and October 1923, when he briefly emigrated to Australia to work as an aviation advisor to the Australian Government, he worked as Bristol's head of design for the rest of his life, designing aircraft such the

Bristol Bulldog The Bristol Bulldog is a British Royal Air Force single-seat biplane fighter designed during the 1920s by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. More than 400 Bulldogs were produced for the RAF and overseas customers, and it was one of the most fa ...

and

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...

. Barnwell was killed in an aircraft crash in 1938, piloting a small aircraft he had designed and had constructed privately, the Barnwell B.S.W. He was thrown into the air when he struck a bump when taking off from

Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport, also known as Whitchurch Airport, was a municipal airport in Bristol, England, three miles (5 km) south of the city centre, from 1930 to 1957. It was the main airport for Bristol and the surrounding area. Durin ...

and then stalled, crashing onto a nearby road

Family

Frank and Marjorie (née Sandes) Barnwell had three sons who all lost their lives in the second world war: *Pilot Officer David Usher Barnwell DFC, RAFVR, of

No. 607 Squadron RAF No. 607 (County of Durham) Squadron is an auxiliary squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1930 as a bomber unit in the Auxiliary Air Force and changed in 1936 to the fighter role. It fought in that role during the Second World War in ...

died aged 19 on 14 October 1941. *Flight Lieutenant Richard Antony Barnwell, RAF of

No. 102 Squadron RAF No. 102 Squadron was a Royal Air Force night bomber squadron in the First World War and a heavy bomber squadron in the Second World War. After the war it flew briefly as a transport squadron before being reformed a light bomber unit with the Secon ...

died aged 24 on 29 October 1940. *Pilot Officer John Sandes Barnwell, RAF of

No. 29 Squadron RAF No. 29 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was first raised as a unit of the Royal Flying Corps in 1915, and is one of the world's oldest fighter squadrons. The second UK, British squadron to receive the Eurofighter Typhoon, it is currently the Oper ...

died aged 20 on 19 June 1940.

Honours and awards

*7 June 1918 - Captain Frank Sowter Barnwell. Aeroplane Designer, The British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, Limited to be an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for services in connection with the War. *1 September 1918 - Capt. Frank Sowter Barnwell, OBE awarded the Air Force Cross in recognition of distinguished service.

Notes

References

Gutman, J. "Bristol F2 Fighter Aces of World War 1". Osprey Publishing 2007.

External links

*
RAF history article on Barnwell's role in the Bristol BlenheimStory from The Scotsman on the memorial
- ''

Flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...

'' article on Barnwell {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnwell, Frank 1880 births 1938 deaths British aviation pioneers People educated at Fettes College Aircraft designers Alumni of the University of Glasgow English aerospace engineers English aviators Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in England Officers of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom) Fellows of the Royal Aeronautical Society Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Air Force officers People from Lewisham Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1938