The de Havilland Aeronautical Technical School was founded in 1928, initially to provide owners of

de Havilland Moth The de Havilland Moths were a series of light aircraft, sports planes, and military trainers designed by Geoffrey de Havilland. In the late 1920s and 1930s, they were the most common civilian aircraft flying in Britain, and during that time ever ...

aircraft with technical maintenance skills. The Technical School was started at

Edgware Edgware () is a suburban town in northern Greater London, mostly in the London Borough of Barnet but with small parts falling in the London Borough of Harrow and in the London Borough of Brent. Edgware is centred north-northwest of Charing Cros ...

, London, England by Geoffrey de Havilland, founder of the

de Havilland The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited () was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of north London. Operations were later moved to Hatfield in H ...

aircraft company, together with Frank Hearle.The de Havilland Aeronautical Technical School
de Havilland Aeronautical Technical School Association, UK, ''www.dhaetsa.org.uk'', Retrieved 8 December 2019 In 1934, the School moved to Hatfield, Hertfordshire, following the establishment of

Hatfield Aerodrome Hatfield Aerodrome was a private airfield and aircraft factory located in the English town of Hatfield in Hertfordshire from 1930 until its closure and redevelopment in the 1990s. Early history Geoffrey de Havilland, pioneering aircraft desig ...

there. The curriculum widened to cover the design, manufacture, and operation of aircraft in general. The instructors were engineers from the de Havilland company. In 1940, the School was bombed by the Germans in a World War II raid and it was forced to move to

Welwyn Garden City Welwyn Garden City ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London. It was the second garden city in England (founded 1920) and one of the first new towns (designated 1948). It is unique in being both a garden city and a new town and ...

nearby. It then transferred to

Salisbury Hall The de Havilland Aircraft Museum, formerly the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre, is a volunteer-run aviation museum in London Colney, Hertfordshire, England. The collection is built around the definitive prototype and restoration shops fo ...

in 1941, now the location of the de Havilland Aircraft Museum. During 1947–48, the School was moved to Astwick Manor, to the north of Hatfield Aerodrome. In 1963, the de Havilland company became part of

Hawker Siddeley Aviation Hawker Siddeley was a group of British manufacturing companies engaged in aircraft production. Hawker Siddeley combined the legacies of several British aircraft manufacturers, emerging through a series of mergers and acquisitions as one of onl ...

and the School was renamed to become the ''Hawker Siddeley Aviation (Hatfield) Apprentice Training School'' in 1965. Later it became part of

Hatfield Polytechnic The University of Hertfordshire (UH) is a public university in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. The university is based largely in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. Its antecedent institution, Hatfield Technical College, was founded in 1948 and was iden ...

and then the University of Hertfordshire, moving to the College Lane campus.Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK
'the unofficial website for Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK', ''www.hatfield-herts.co.uk'', Retrieved 8 December 2019 There were also associated schools at Broughton, Christchurch, Lostock, and Portsmouth.

References

External links

de Havilland Aeronautical Technical School Association website

The Technical College c1965, Hatfield
Educational institutions established in 1928 1965 disestablishments in England Aviation schools in the United Kingdom Education in Hertfordshire Aeronautical Technical School Defunct aircraft manufacturers of the United Kingdom 1928 establishments in England {{aviation-stub

See also

References

External links