April 2024: Our speaker was Alistair Hodgson who told us about Hertfordshire's contribution to aviation history with a talk about The de Havilland Aircraft Company. We heard about the company’s many achievements in the context of the life of its founder, Sir Geoffrey de Havilland.
It was 1908 when de Havilland gave up a secure job in the London Omnibus Company to build his own flying machine. This led him, after WWI, to start up his own aircraft company in Edgware and later in Hatfield where it became one of the largest and most innovative aerospace companies in the country. Among de Havilland's many achievements were the Mosquito bomber, aka the Wooden Wonder and the world's first jet airliner, the DH Comet, which first flew from Hatfield in 1949.
Although the factory closed in 1994, one original building on the site keeps history alive: it’s called The Bunker Museum at Hatfield Police Station and here young people can learn about 60 years of local aircraft manufacture and be inspired to become the engineers of the future. Alistair is curator of this special museum - read more about it here www.hatfieldbunker.co.uk
The talk will start at 3:00 pm. Doors open at 2:30 pm when you may enjoy a tea and say thanks to our helpers.
| Event type: | Meeting - past event |
| Date: | Wednesday 17th April 2024 |
| Time: | 2:30 pm |
| Group: | monthly speaker meeting |