Arthur Edward George

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Arthur Edward George
Born(1875-06-17)17 June 1875
Fordington, Dorset, England
Died8 September 1951(1951-09-08) (aged 76)
Bingley, Yorkshire, England
NationalityBritish

Arthur Edward George (17 June 1875 – 8 September 1951) was an accomplished sportsman, an aviation pioneer, aircraft designer, racing driver, engineer and businessman. He served in the Second Boer War (in the British Cape Colony armed forces), in World War I and in World War II, and was awarded the Silver medal of the Royal Aero Club posthumously for his "Services to aviation over 50 years".

Early life

Arthur Edward George was born in Fordington, near Dorchester, Dorset, England on 17 June 1875; his family moved to Newcastle upon Tyne while he was a child. He was a talented athlete, being a swimmer, figure skater and racing cyclist at international level.[1]

After serving an engineering apprenticeship in Newcastle, he lived for some time in South Africa, where he became national cycling champion[citation needed] and represented South Africa at the 1899 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Montreal, Canada.[citation needed] He served with the Cape Colony Cyclist Corps from 7 January 1901 until 12 May 1902 in the Second Boer War, receiving the Queen's South Africa Medal with three clasps.[2][3] On his attestation (joining-up) form he is described as being "Age: 23(?), Nationality: English, Trade: Cycle Mechanic, Height: 5 ft 10½in, Weight: 150 lbs, Chest: 38in, Complexion: Fair, Eyes: Blue, Hair: Black, Character: Very good." It was noted that he "Supplies own bicycle".[4]

Later life

In 1902, having returned to England, he formed the company George and Jobling in

Fordson. Between 1907 and 1970, the firm had branches in Hexham, Glasgow, Darlington, Bowness and Leeds and is credited with inventing the forerunner of the trolley-jack and the breakdown-truck. It became well known as 'expert witnesses' in court cases involving serious motoring accidents.[1]

George was a keen racing driver and competed at home and in mainland Europe in road races, hill climbs and sand racing. He achieved third place driving a Darracq in the 1908 RAC Tourist Trophy race[nb 1], during which he also set the fastest lap time,[5] and won many races in a stripped-down Ford Model T at Brooklands and Saltburn. This same car was later fitted with a polished brass body and became known as the 'Golden Ford', which is still preserved.[nb 2] During the National Strike of 1926, he was involved in driving newspapers from Newcastle to London."[2]

In August 1909 George became an active member

Air display
in Newcastle; his application to the banks for more funds to continue designing and building aircraft was refused on the grounds that it was too dangerous; after this setback, he concentrated his efforts on customising and selling cars.

He nevertheless took an active interest in flying throughout his life: he was a leading member of the Newcastle upon Tyne Aero Club; he obtained his Civil Aviation Class A Pilot's Licence in 1935 and his Class A glider pilot's licence in 1937; in World War II he served from July 1939 until November 1940 as Commanding Officer of 131 Tyneside Squadron, Air Defence Cadet Corps.[1]

A.E.George volunteered for military service in

Home Guard and the Royal Navy
.

On 8 September 1951 George died of cancer in Bingley, Yorkshire, aged 76. His funeral was held in Newcastle and was attended by local dignitaries, representatives of the aviation world and previous employees.[2] The local RAF Air Cadets performed a fly-past over the funeral ceremony. In honour of his services to aviation, the Royal Aero Club awarded him a posthumous Silver Medal.[12]

References

Footnotes

  1. Metallurgique.[5]
  2. ^ A photograph of the "Golden Ford" can be seen here.

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d Encyclopaedic site about A.E.George and George & Joblin
  2. ^ a b c National Archive information about A.E.George
  3. ^ Medals awarded to Sergeant A.E.George in 1901 and 1902
  4. ^ National Archives Ref WO 126/20 for the Boer War service records
  5. ^ a b "Results of the Isle of Man 1908 TT race". Archived from the original on 21 August 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  6. ^ A.E.George donated 4 guineas toward the purchase of the club's clubhouse Flight Magazine 11 September 1909
  7. Flight Magazine
  8. ^ a b Turner, p.14.
  9. Flight Magazine
  10. Flight Magazine
    2 April 1910
  11. ^ "Volunteer Force". London Gazette (31179).
    HMSO
    : 2264. 14 February 1919. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  12. ^ "Awards and Trophies: Silver medal of the Royal Aero Club". Royal Aero Club. 2009. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2010.

Bibliography

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