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The Martinsyde File
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 | Ray Sanger, Air Britain (Historians) Ltd, 261pp,
ISBN 0 85130 273 4
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| Reviewed by Paul Monteagle in Vol 31 No 1, Spring 2000
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An exciting volume from Air
Britain, a company that has now firmly established itself by producing ia-depth and
extensively researched volumes of a much needed nature. I say ‘much needed’ as
we are in danger of losing contact with both the people and facts that these authors find.
The wheres and wherefores of such work must be of an archaeological nature, and I for one
take my hat off to that kind of ability. That it can be of help to many of us on both a
professional or general interest level, and answers many questions is self evident.
The Martinsyde File presents a company that I feel should have
become as important as Hawker or Supermarine, but never enjoyed their success. I have
produced artwork for three Martinsyde books (including this volume) in as many years, so
perhaps the company is now getting the attention it so richly deserves. For this reviewer
the most interesting part of the company occupies the first quarter of the book, that
being the pre war years. These early days of development were, I feel, where
Martiasyde’s heart really lay, struggling to achieve the seemingly impossible, and I
feel indebted to the author for covering this period in such depth. There is much to
interest the WW1 reader, most of the work covers this period as, sadly, the story peters
out to all intents in the late twenties at the hands of the Aircraft Disposal Company
Limited, a sad note to end on. This is an important and valuable volume, and one I am
proud to play a very small part in. |
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