Arundel
Arundel House School Club
Contents
History
Arundel House School founded an Aero Club in 1908. Club member Cyril Burfield Ridley, born on 15 January 1895 in Esher, Surrey, 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 and received Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate 2474 on a Maurice Farman biplane at Hall School, Hendon on 20 February 1916, before joining the RNAS in June, rising to the rank of Flight Lieutenant by April 1918, by which time he had been awarded the Distinquished Flying Cross (DFC)
After the war Cyril Ridley resumed flying with the RAF but, whilst serving with 12 Squadron in Cologne, Germany, during a flight at Lindenthal, near Cologne on 17 May 1920 his aircraft collided with that flown by Flying Officer John Dartnell "Jack" De Pencier. Both aircraft crashed from 450 feet; 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 and Grimmer to build model aircraft on a commercial scale in 1913, eventually progressing to full size aircraft by 1915.
Company References
- British Aircraft Before The Great War, Michael H. Goodall and Albert E. Tagg (Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2001)
- British Aeroplanes 1914-18, J.M. Bruce (Putnam, 1957)
- http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/england/ridley.php
- The Aero 17 May 1910
- The Aero 31 May 1910
Project Data
| Project No | Type No | Name | Alternative Name(s) | Year | Spec (Requirement) | Status | Qty | Description | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ridley Biplane Glider | 1910 | Proto | 1 | 1S biplane glider | 1,2,3 | ||||
| Wilson-Jones Glider | 1910 | Pro(n) | 1 | 1S glider | 1,2 | ||||
| Ridley Monoplane Glider | 1911 | Proj | 0 | 1S monoplane glider | 1,2 |
Project References
- British Aircraft Before The Great War, Michael H. Goodall and Albert E. Tagg (Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2001)
- British Aircraft 1809-1914, Peter Lewis (Putnam, 1962)
- The Aero 31 May 1910
Production Details and Type Description
One glider only, no c/n or registration.
Total Arundel Production1
Page Revision History
Revised at Version 2.0.0- Company History expanded.