| Harry George Hawker MBE, AFC | |
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Hawker in May 1919 |
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| Born | 22 January 1889 Moorabbin, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 12 July 1921 (aged 32) Hendon Aerodrome, north London |
| Cause of death | Aeroplane crash |
| Resting place | St Pauls' Church, Chessington, Surrey |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Aviator |
| Known for | co-founder of Hawker Aircraft |
| Spouse | Muriel Hawker née Peaty |
Harry George Hawker MBE, AFC, (22 January 1889 – 12 July 1921[1]) was an Australian aviation pioneer and co-founder of Hawker Aircraft, the firm that would later be responsible for a long series of successful military aircraft.
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Hawker was born in Moorabbin, Victoria, Australia.[1] As an 11-year-old, he worked at the Melbourne garage of Hall & Warden,[1] helping to build engines for five shillings a week, moving on to the Tarrant Motor & Engineering Co, helping make Tarrant cars, where he qualified as a mechanic.[1] In 1907, he moved again to become the chauffeur and mechanic for Ernest De Little in Caramut, Western Victoria[1] before going to England in 1912. Here he joined the Commer Car Company and then the Sopwith Aviation Company in late 1912.[1]
He became immersed in aviation. He soon learned to fly at Brooklands, began instructing novice flyers, and managed hangars at Brooklands aerodrome, the hub of British aviation. Having established his name as an aviator, he became chief test pilot for Tom Sopwith, who was already recognised as the originator of many fine aircraft. At Sopwith, in 1915, Hawker had the personal use of a small aircraft, the further development of which led to the Sopwith Pup. He was also a regular competitor in motor car and motorcycle races at Brooklands before and after the First World War. Among his competitive achievements were winning the Michelin Trophy for flight endurance (October 1912: 8 hours 23 minutes) and an altitude record (1914: 12,900 feet).[2]
In 1914, Harry Hawker returned to Australia to demonstrate the advanced Sopwith Tabloid, which he had helped design. A wild crowd nearly wrecked the plane on one occasion, and he further damaged it during stunt flying, so he went back to England, where he remained throughout the First World War, designing and testing production aircraft with Sopwith.
After the war, together with navigator Kenneth Mackenzie Grieve, he attempted to win the Daily Mail £10,000 prize for the first flight across the Atlantic in "72 consecutive hours". On 18 May 1919, they set off from Mount Pearl, Newfoundland, in the Sopwith Atlantic biplane. After fourteen and a half hours of flight, the engine overheated and they were forced to change course to intercept the shipping lanes, where they were able to locate a passing freighter, the Danish Mary.[3] The Mary did not have a functioning radio, so that it was not until six days later, when the steamer reached Butt of Lewis, Scotland, that word was received that they were safe.[4] Hawker and Grieve were awarded a consolation prize of £5,000 by the Daily Mail.[5]
The Atlantic was found afloat and recovered by the US steamer Lake Charleville.[4] The wheels from the undercarriage, jettisoned soon after takeoff were later recovered by local fishermen and can be seen in the Newfoundland Museum in St John's.
In September 1920, Sopwith Aviation was liquidated because of fears the government would examine the wartime aircraft production contracts of companies like Sopwith and impose a crippling retrospective tax liability on them.
Harry Hawker, Tom Sopwith, Fred Sigrist, and Bill Eyre then formed a new company, each contributing £5,000. To avoid any possible claims against the new company for the wartime contracts of the old company, they chose to call it H.G. Hawker Engineering. (It was renamed Hawker Aircraft in 1933.) As Tom Sopwith put it:
to avoid any muddle if we had gone on building aeroplanes and called them Sopwiths—there was bound to be a muddle somewhere—we called the company the Hawker Company. I didn't mind. He was largely responsible for our growth during the war.
Hawker was killed on 12 July 1921 when the Nieuport Goshawk crashed while he was climbing out from Hendon Aerodrome while practicing for an airshow.[6][7] "Medical examination led physicians to believe that Hawker had suffered a haemorrage and that he had tried to get back down on the ground."[7] Fire in the air and spinal tuberculosis were considered contributing factors to his death.
"The king sent a message of condolence, asserting 'The nation had lost one of its most distinguished airmen.'"[7]
Hawker is buried in St Pauls' Church, Chessington, Surrey (facing in the direction of the Ace of Spades roundabout, towards Surbiton).
In 1978, he was honoured with a postage stamp depicting his portrait issued by Australia Post [1].
In 1989, Moorabbin Airport at Mentone in Australia was renamed "Moorabbin (Harry Hawker) Airport".
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![[1]](http://www.australianstamp.com/images/large/0012110.jpg){kind=link}