Roly Falk (1915-1985) had an extensive flying career. He flew at least 350 different types of aeroplane. He played a central role in the early days of delta wing experimental flying as a test pilot, first of the Avro 707 series of aircraft, after which he piloted the Avro Vulcan - the most succesful of Britain's V bombers - on its maiden flight.
He flew for the press during the Abyssinian war of 1935-1936 and later during the Spanish civil war. After a spell on the London-Paris newspaper service in 1937 he joined the Air Registration Board as a test pilot, remaining there until the outbreak of war. From 1939-1946 he served with the RAF, becoming Chief Test Pilot with the rank of Wing Commander at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough in 1943.
After the war he went to Vickers Armstrong and after recovering from a major accident in a Wellington moved to Avro in 1950. He was pilot in charge of the Avro 707 tests which provided the experience of delta winged aircraft that led to the Avro Vulcan which he first piloted in 1952. He left active flying in 1958.
Avro Vulcan
Pictures and background information
Bill Thorn (1901-1947) had an extensive flying career but was killed in a flying accident in 1947 with Roy Chadwick (who designed the Avro Tutor, Anson, Manchester, Lancaster, Tudor and did the early design of the Vulcan)
His early life was as a soldier with the Coldstream Guards and then an Officer in the Royal Air Force. He worked at A V Roe as a test pilot for thirteen years doing test and development flying on the Tutor, Anson (first flighted), Manchester, Lancaster, York, Lincoln and Tudor.
Oswald Toynbee Falk (1879-1972) was a Stockbroker and Actuary and was a great friend and colleague of John Maynard Keynes. He was an economic advisor at the Verseilles conference after the first world war. In 1933 he set up a merchant bank called OT Falk & Partners. One of the companies financed was Power Jets Ltd. Power Jets, run by Frank Whittle, developed the Whittle jet engine in the 1930's.
The links below are sample links. There are others which I will add later.
text still to be written
Herman E Falk in one of his obituaries is called 'The Father of the Salt Trade'. He was born in Danzig in 1820 and came to England at the age of 18 to join his brother in a timber importing business at Hull. The firm obtained contracts from the engineer Robert Stephenson, for the supply of sleepers for railway construction and shipped salt as return cargo to the Baltic.
By 1856 he had taken possesion of a mine and salt works which began to be one of the largest concerns in the district. In the process he became the leading figure in the industry. In 1888, after a number of years of promoting a scheme for the complete union of interests in the industry 'The Salt Union' - sometimes called "Falk's Salt Union" - was registered as a company with a capital of £3,000,000.
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Copyright John Falk 1996. The copyright for the images is retained by the original owners and will be attributed to them once I get the references. upd020520