George Herbert "Bert" Volk (10 May 1881 in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

- after 1913) was a British automobile and general engineer noted as a pioneer builder of

seaplanes A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...

. He is also the second son of

Magnus Volk Magnus Volk FII (1851–1937) was a British inventor and pioneering electrical engineer. He is most notable for having built Volk's Electric Railway, the world's oldest operating electric railway. Career Aside from the Volk's Electric Railwa ...

, who built

Volk's Electric Railway Volk's Electric Railway (VER) is a narrow gauge railway, narrow gauge heritage railway that runs along a length of the seafront of the English seaside resort of Brighton. It was built by Magnus Volk, the first section being completed in August ...

, and Anna Volk (born Banfield). Volk's younger brother Conrad wrote a biography of their father, in which he recalls George Herbert Volk attending a

dame school Dame schools were small, privately run schools for young children that emerged in the British Isles and its colonies during the early modern period. These schools were taught by a “school dame,” a local woman who would educate children f ...

Walton-on-Thames Walton-on-Thames, locally known as Walton, is a market town on the south bank of the Thames in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Walton forms part of the Greater London built-up area, within the KT postcode and is served by a wide ran ...

. In March 1902 Volk sailed for

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, and he later served in Zululand with the

Natal Mounted Rifles NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ...

. During this period he farmed at

Mooi River (town) Mooi River ( af, Mooirivier) is a small town situated at 1,389m above sea level and 160km from the coast in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The first European settlement in the area was at Mooi River Drift in 1852. This was formally named Weston in 1 ...

near

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

and, in January 1908, married Annie Hephzibah "Hephie" Rosanna.Volk, 183. He returned to Brighton in 1909 and in March traveled to

Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pau (, ) is a Communes of France, commune overlooking the Pyrenees, and prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. The city is located in the heart o ...

in France, where

Louis Bleriot Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

had started a

flight training Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills. Flight training can be conducted under a str ...

school.Volk, 184. In 1910–12 he worked in a small workshop in the

North Laine North Laine is a shopping and residential district of Brighton, on the English south coast. Once a slum area, it is now seen as Brighton's bohemian and cultural quarter, with many pubs, cafés, theatres and museums. History "Laine" is a Su ...

district of Brighton. In this workshop he repaired cars and also made parts for engines, wings, floats, and fabric bodies for seaplanes. Once assembled, they were taken to Volk's carriage sheds on the beach at Paston Place, to an arch known as Volk's Seaplane Station. The Banjo Groyne at Paston Place was also home to his father's short-lived

Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway The Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway was a unique coastline railway in Brighton, England, that ran through the shallow coastal waters of the English Channel between 1896 and 1901. It was designed by Magnus Volk to extend hi ...

, which ran east from there. From Paston Place, seaplanes were carried down to Brighton beach and launched into the sea. Seaplane pioneer

John Cyril Porte Lieutenant Colonel John Cyril Porte, (26 February 1884 – 22 October 1919) was a British flying boat pioneer associated with the First World War Seaplane Experimental Station at Felixstowe. Early life and career Porte was born on 26 February ...

also worked at the Seaplane Station. Volk also worked for

Shoreham Airport Brighton City Airport , also commonly known as Shoreham Airport, is located in the parish of Lancing in West Sussex, England. It has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying i ...

during this period. In 1912 air pioneer

Claude Graham White Claude Grahame-White (21 August 1879 – 19 August 1959) was an English pioneer of aviation, and the first to make a night flight, during the '' Daily Mail''-sponsored 1910 London to Manchester air race. Early life Claude Grahame-White was born ...

brought his seaplane to Volk's sheds and gave demonstrations. In 1913 Volk returned to Natal. Upon the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1914, the government requisitioned the tiny seaplane base at Paston Place.

References

External links

1913 - 1049.pdf
Reference to Mr Volk and Flying Boats in Aviation History 1913, ''Flight Global'' site {{DEFAULTSORT:Volk, George Herbert 1881 births Aircraft designers English mechanical engineers Year of death missing People from Brighton