English Electric Aircraft

The English Electric Company was established in 1918 to amalgamate the electrical and mechanical interests of a number of companies which included the Phoenix Dynamo Manufacturing Co and the Coventry Ordnance Works, both of which had produced their own aeroplanes. This work records the Phoenix and COW designs and other related types before dealing with those bearing the English Electric designation which began with the Wren of 1923 and continued into recent times with the Canberra and the Lightning. The design, development and histories of all these types are covered in the usual Putnam detail and there are production lists and service histories, including those of the United States built Martin B57 version of the Canberra. The authors were given full access to the company's archives and to the records of its most famous designer, W O Manning. Projects ranging from early flying boats to supersonic and VTOL airliners are listed, with many illustrated by three-view drawings. Some 250 photographs are also included. Stephen Ransom and Robert Fairclough have had a long association with English Electric and its descendants.