Frank Whittle OM KBE (1907 - 1996)

Born 1 Jun 1907 in Earlsdon, Coventry, Warwickshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Dorothy Margaret (Lee) Whittle — married 24 May 1930 (to 1976) in Coventry, Warwickshire, England

Husband of Hazel Ardyce (Steenberg) Whittle — married about 1976 (to 1996) in District of Columbia, United States [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 9 Aug 1996 at age 89 in Columbia, Howard County, Maryland, United States

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Biography

Frank Whittle OM KBE was born in Warwickshire, England.

Frank Whittle OM KBE is Notable.

Birth

Frank Whittle was born on the 1 June 1907 at 72 Newcombe Road, Earlsdon, Coventry^[1], Warwickshire, England^[2][3][4] Frank was the eldest child of Moses Whittle and Sarah Garlick.^[1]

Residence

1911 - Newcombe Road, Coventry

1923 - RAF Cranwell College, Cranwell, Lincolnshire, England

England Census 1911

Frank and his brother Joseph Arthur, their parents lived in Newcombe Road, Coventry in 1911^[5][6]

Later the family moved to the nearby town of Royal Leamington Spa where his father, a highly inventive practical engineer and mechanic, purchased the Leamington Valve and Piston Ring Company, which comprised a few lathes and other tools and a single-cylinder gas engine, on which Whittle became an expert. Whittle developed a rebellious and adventurous streak, together with an early interest in aviation.

Education

1918 - aged 11 years awarded a Scholarship to Leamington College., he was not a good student as he was apparently more interested in theory of flight and practical flying^[1]

1923 - Passed the entrance exam for Royal Air Force (RAF), but failed the medical

September 1923 - 364365 Boy Whittle - was accepted by RAF for a 3 year apprenticeship in aircraft mechanics at RAF Cranwell College, Cranwell, Lincolnshire, England ^[6]

1926 - 1928 Entered Officer training taking flying lesson^[7]

1934–37- Achieved a First in Mechanical Sciences Tripos from Cambridge University, Peterhouse College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England ^[8]

Marriage

Whittle married his fiancée Dorothy Mary Lee on 24 May 1930 In Coventry, Warwickshire, England^[9].

Children

David

Ian

In 1976, his marriage to Dorothy was dissolved

2nd Marriage

Frank is believed to have married American Hazel S Hall ("Tommie") a divorcie.^[6] No record found of marriage 25/10/2019

Emigration

He emigrated to the U.S. and the following year accepted the position of NAVAIR Research Professor at the United States Naval Academy (Annapolis, Maryland).

Occupations

Royal Air Force -

Frank 364365 Boy Whittle, F., (aged 16 years) presented himself as a candidate at the No 2 School of Technical Training RAF Cranwell. He passed the physical on the third attempt and started his three-year training as an aircraft mechanic.

1928 at the age of 21 Frank graduated Officer training at RAF Cranwell, that included flying lessons. A requirement of the course was that each student had to produce a thesis for graduation: Whittle decided to write his on potential aircraft design developments, notably flight at high altitudes and speeds over 500 mph (800 km/h).

July 1928 Pilot Officer - He ranked second in his class in academics, won the Andy Fellowes Memorial Prize for Aeronautical Sciences for his thesis, and was described as an "exceptional to above average" pilot.

1931–32 became a test pilot, he attained the rank of Squadron Leader.^[7]

July 1943 - Promoted to Group Captain

1946 - Wing Commander

In 1946 Whittle accepted a post as Technical Advisor on Engine Design and Production to Controller of Supplies (Air)

1976 - Frank worked as a Research Professor at the U.S. Naval Academy, and settled in Columbia. ^[10]

Powerjet's was nationalised in 1944. From the end of March, Whittle spent six months in hospital recovering from nervous exhaustion, and resigned from Power Jets (R and D) Ltd in January 1946.

Awards

January 1944 - Group Captain Whittle was awarded the CBE in the New Year Honours.

1946 Commander Whittle was awarded the U.S. Legion of Merit

1947 He was awarded awarded the Order of the Bath (CB)

July 1948 He was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE), Military Division.

1986 Whittle was appointed a member of the Order of Merit (Commonwealth

May 1948 Whittle received an ex-gratia award of £100,000 partially as an atonement^[7] from the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors in recognition of his work on the jet engine.

Death

Find A Grave: Memorial #19137 - Whittle died of lung cancer on 9 August 1996, at his home in Columbia, Maryland. He was cremated in America and his ashes were flown to England where they were placed in a memorial in a church in Cranwell.^[11][3][6]

Research Notes

During 1929, Frank was posted to Central Flying School, Wittering for a flying instructor's course. His engine concept caught the eye of Flying Officer Pat Johnson, formerly a patent examiner and with encouragement from the Commanding officer, Frank patented the idea in January 1930. Since the RAF was not interested in the concept they did not declare it secret, meaning that Whittle was able to retain the rights to the idea, which would have otherwise been their property. That same month, Frank was promoted Flying Officer. The engine developed parallel with his RAF career through the company Power Jets, partly owned by the Air Ministry who permitted Whittle to be "Honorary Chief Engineer & Technical Consultant." Needing special permission to work outside the RAF, he was placed on the Special Duty List and allowed to work on the design as long as it was for no more than six hours a week.

The Air Ministry agreed to buy the prototype engine, loan it back to Power Jets, inject cash and placed an order for a flyable version of the engine "The Whittle Supercharger Type W.1." The Ministry in early 1940 placed a contract with the "Gloster Aircraft Company" for a simple aircraft to flight test the W.1, whilst placing a second engine contract for a larger design -- W.2.

During a lecture tour in the U.S. he again broke down and retired from the RAF on medical grounds on 26 August 1948, leaving with the rank of Air Commodore.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-67854
2. ↑ GRO Birth index Coventry, Vol. 6d, Page 549 q June 1907 "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2FJ4-DVF : 1 October 2014), Frank Whittle, 1907; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Birth Registration, Coventry, Warwickshire, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 (SSN 217-90-7780)
4. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Whittle
5. ↑ England Census 1911: Class: RG14; Piece: 18528
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3} https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Whittle
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frank-Whittle
8. ↑ Peterhouse College, University of Cambridge, https://www.pet.cam.ac.uk/eminent-petreans#whittle
9. ↑ "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV83-LCGT :8 October 2014), Frank Whittle and null, 1930; from "England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1930, quarter 2, vol. 6D, p. 1690, Coventry, Warwickshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
10. ↑ http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2007-08-03/news/0708030068_1_sir-frank-whittle-jet-engine-nurse
11. ↑ "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV5G-9LNP : accessed 15 September 2019), Sir Frank Whittle, Colorado, United States, 10 Aug 1996; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing , born-digital text.

See Also

• https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/frank-whittle
• https://frankwhittle.co.uk/ offers wonderful insights and notes of interest in relation to the Invention development and his RAF career, but little on his family life.