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Arundel

Arundel House School Club


History

Arundel House School founded an Aero Club in 1908. Club member Cyril Burfield Ridley, born in Esher, Surrey on 15 January 1895, the son of Douglas and Victoria Ridley, built a Chanute type biplane glider in 1910. Another pupil, Owen Wilson-Jones of Surbiton, built another glider the same year but this remained unfinished.

In 1911, Ridley proposed a monoplane glider, but this appears to have not been built. Following school he continued with aviation, working for Sopwith before joining the RNAS in June, 1916, rising to the rank of Flight Lieutenant by April, 1918. After the war Cyril Ridley resumed flying with the RAF but, during a flight at Lindenthal, near Cologne on 17 May 1920 his aircraft collided with that flown by Flying Officer J.D. De Pencier. Both aircraft crashed from 450 feet and Ridley and De Pencier were both killed.

It is a matter of interest that teacher and club secretary, R.P. Grimmer along with one of his pupils, R.F. Mann, set up the company Mann & Grimmer to build model aircraft on a commercial scale in 1913, eventually progressing to full size aircraft by 1915.

Company References
  1. British Aircraft Before The Great War, Michael H. Goodall and Albert E. Tagg (Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2001)
  2. British Aeroplanes 1914-18, J.M. Bruce (Putnam, 1957)
  3. http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/england/ridley.php




Project Data top

Project No
Type No
Name
Alternative Name(s)
Year
Spec (Requirement)
Status
Qty
Description
References
     Ridley Biplane Glider    1910    Proto    1S biplane glider  1,2
     Wilson-Jones Glider    1910    Pro(n)    1S glider  1,2
     Ridley Monoplane Glider    1911    Proj    1S monoplane glider  1,2

Project References
  1. British Aircraft Before The Great War, Michael H. Goodall and Albert E. Tagg (Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2001)
  2. British Aircraft 1809-1914, Peter Lewis (Putnam, 1962)



Production Data

One glider only, no c/n or serial

   Total Arundel Production     1   

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V1.4.4 Created by Roger Moss. Last updated August 2020