Interview with Frederick William Page

637569519
Use this audio under Non-Commercial licence

Embed this sound recording for online use under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence
By embedding this audio file you agree to the terms and conditions of the IWM Non-Commercial Licence, including your use of the attribution statement specified by IWM. For this item, that is:

© IWM

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Embed

<iframe src="https://www.iwm.org.uk/embed/?id=80017339&media_id=92389" height="430" width="480" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
1851699171
Use this audio under Non-Commercial licence

Embed this sound recording for online use under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence
By embedding this audio file you agree to the terms and conditions of the IWM Non-Commercial Licence, including your use of the attribution statement specified by IWM. For this item, that is:

© IWM

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Embed

<iframe src="https://www.iwm.org.uk/embed/?id=80017339&media_id=92390" height="430" width="480" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
147379066
Use this audio under Non-Commercial licence

Embed this sound recording for online use under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence
By embedding this audio file you agree to the terms and conditions of the IWM Non-Commercial Licence, including your use of the attribution statement specified by IWM. For this item, that is:

© IWM

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Embed

<iframe src="https://www.iwm.org.uk/embed/?id=80017339&media_id=92391" height="430" width="480" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
624111927
Use this audio under Non-Commercial licence

Embed this sound recording for online use under the IWM Non-Commercial Licence
By embedding this audio file you agree to the terms and conditions of the IWM Non-Commercial Licence, including your use of the attribution statement specified by IWM. For this item, that is:

© IWM

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Embed

<iframe src="https://www.iwm.org.uk/embed/?id=80017339&media_id=92392" height="430" width="480" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Description

Object description

British civilian aircraft designer with Hawker Siddeley Aircraft, English Electric Aircraft Coy Ltd and British Aircraft Corporation in GB, 1938-1977; managing director of British Aerospace in GB, 1977-1983

Content description

REEL 1 Background in Wimbledon, GB, 1917-1938: family; early desire to become aircraft designer; education at St Catherine's College, Cambridge University, 1935-1938. Recollections of period as aircraft designer with Hawker Siddeley Aircraft in GB, 1938-1945: background to obtaining employment with company; prior engineering experience; problems with Rolls-Royce Vulture Engine; performance improvement work on Hawker Typhoon; memories of Sydney Camm; problems with tail coming off Hawker Typhoon; role of test pilot Philip Lucas in discovery of problem with Hawker Typhoon, 1941; limitations of Hawker Typhoon at high altitude; development of wing section to avoid compressibility problem on Hawker Typhoon. REEL 2 Continues: question of maximum thickness of aircraft wing; reasons for employing elliptical wing on aircraft; improvements to Hawker Tempest design; work of Roland Beamont as test pilot. Recollections of period as aircraft designer with English Electric Coy Ltd in GB, 1945-1960: background to joining English Electric Aircraft Coy Ltd; working with Teddy Petter in early business premises in Preston; early work on English Electric Canberra; character of Warton Airfield; test pilot work carried out by Roland Beamont at Warton; first flight of English Electric Canberra, 13/5/1949; specifications for English Electric Canberra. REEL 3 Continues: relations between Teddy Petter and Arthur Sheffield; taking over as chief aircraft designer after departure of Teddy Petter; interest in supersonics; early development of English Electric Lightning; success of the English Electric Canberra; use of English Electric Lightning in obtaining business for Saudi Arabian Government; training of Royal Saudi Air Force pilots. Recollections of period as chief designer with British Aircraft Corporation in GB, 1960-1977: formation of British Aircraft Corporation, 1960; specification of BAC TSR-2; effects of cancellation of BAC TSR-2 project; start of Panavia Tornado programme. REEL 4 Continues: Anglo-French relations during Sepecat Jaguar and Panavia Tornado programmes; taking over role as managing director of aircraft production, 1973; problems with BAC/Aérospatiale Concorde development; development of Panavia Tornado with German and Italians; commitment of Italians during Panavia Tornado programme. Aspects of period as managing director with British Aerospace in GB, 1977-1983: opinion of quality of management team with British Aerospace; role of Frank Beswick in supporting management and motivating staff.

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: 1945-1989 (production), 1945-1989 (content), Second World War (association), 1945-1989 (association)
Creator: IWM (Production company)
Giesler, Rodney William Aldous (Recorder)
Page, Frederick William (Interviewee/Speaker)
Production date: 1989-09-19
Dimensions: whole: Duration 120, Number Of Items 4
Catalogue number: 18035

Object associations

Our collections information

We have over a million object records online, and we are adding to this all the time. Our records are never finished. Sometimes we discover new information that changes what we know about an object, such as who made it or used it. Sometimes we change how an object is interpreted. We sometimes make mistakes in our spelling, transcription or categorisation, or miss information out of our records.

Read more about our collections and the information we hold. Developing our collections information

If you have concerns about the language in this record, or you have information to improve it, please share your feedback.

Interview with Frederick William Page

Description

Object description

Content description

Object Details

Object associations

Associated people and organisations

Associated places

Associated subjects

Associated themes

Our collections information

Related content

How Britain Celebrated Christmas During The Second World War