In 1929 Major Edward Freer Stephen (b. 1882 - d. 3 January
1954 in Havant, Hants), who traded as S.T. Lea Ltd., of 141 New Bond Street, London, acquired the British agency for the German
Klemm L.25, which had first flown in 1927. The Klemm proved so successful that Stephen secured the rights to produce the aircraft
in the U.K. The recession caused this plan to be delayed for a few years, and meantime S.T. Lea acquired the British agency
for the range of gliders produced by Kegel Flugzeugbau. Eventually in February 1933 Stephen set up the British Klemm
Aeroplane Company at Hanworth, Middlesex, to produce a version of the L.25 under license. Chairman of the company
was Lord John Henry Peyto Verney Willoughby de Broke (later Air Commodore Willoughby de Broke, MC, AFC, born 21 May 1896,
London – died 25 May 1986), with Major Stephen as managing director. George Handasyde joined from Desoutter as works
manager, along with Harold Boultbee from Civilian Aircraft as chief designer and Edmund Hordern as test pilot.
Following
the production of 28 aircraft, modified to meet British air worthiness requirements and powered by British powerplants, as
the L.25C 1A Swallow, a new, and the first wholly BA designed, machine was introduced in 1934, the B.K.1 Eagle. With the success
of both these aircraft, British Klemm was reformed with new finance to build improved versions. The new company, the British
Aircraft Manufacturing Company, was formed on 4 April 1935, with a nominal capital of £250,000. Willoughby
de Broke, along with Major Stephen and Charles Best, were joint managing directors. Harold Boultbee had meantime departed
for Pobjoy, Handasyde replacing him as chief designer and Marcus Langley joining as his deputy. Later the same year, B.A.
took a part in the creation of British Marine Aircraft Ltd., with B.A. directors Willoughby de Broke and Charles best, along
with George Handasyde, among the directors. B.A. were contracted to provide managerial services to British Marine for a fee,
but is unlikely they had any other financial interest in the firm.
The new Swallow II proved to be even more successful
than its predecessor, as did the improved B.A. Eagle 2, the next two designs, the Cupid and Double Eagle, did not fare so
well. The factory was kept busy with a contract to produce the Cierva C.40 autogiro, begun in November 1937, first of which
flew at Hanworth in January 1938. However the company was by now financially in dire straits; an offer by General Aircraft
to take over B.A. in December 1937 was accepted, but the Receiver was appointed in February 1938. Eventually the assets of
British Aircraft were acquired by General Aircraft to provide for that company’s expansion, but no further work on the
B.A.’s product line was undertaken.
Company References
British Civil
Aircraft Since 1919, Vol 1, A.J. Jackson (Putnam, 1973)
British Light Aeroplanes, Arthur
W.J.G. Ord-Hume (GMS Enterprises, 2000)
Motorsport, April 1930
Project Data
Project
No
Type No
Name
Alternative
Name(s)
Year
Spec
Status
Qty
Description
References
British Klemm
L.25C
Swallow I
1933
Prdn
28
2S, 1E low-wing light plane
1,2,3
B.K.1
Eagle I
1934
Prdn
4
2S, 1E low-wing light plane
1,2,3,5,6,7,9
British Aircraft
Manufacturing Company
Swallow II
1935
Prdn
106
2S, 1E low-wing light plane
1,2,3,8,11,13
Eagle II
1935
Prdn
9
2S, 1E low-wing light plane
1,2,3,5,6,7
B.A.3
Cupid
1935
Proto
1
2S, 1E low-wing light plane
1,2,3
B.A.4
Double Eagle
1936
Prdn
3
6S, 2E high-wing light plane
1,2,3,4,10,12
Project References
British Civil
Aircraft Since 1919, Vol 1, A.J. Jackson (Putnam, 1973)
The Martinsyde File, Ray Sanger
(Air Britain (Historians), 1999)
British Light Aeroplanes, Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume (GMS Enterprises,
2000)
British Commercial Aircraft, Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume (GMS Enterprises, 2003)
Aeroplane
Monthly Nov 1992
Air Pictorial Sep 1974
Air Britain Archive, 2012/4 (Air-Britain
Publications)
Air Britain Archive, 2014/1 (Air-Britain Publications)
Wingspan (Incorporating
Planes) No 83
Aeroplane 28 April 1937
Flight Magazine 16 May 1935
Flight
Magazine 29 Apr 1937
Aircraft of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, David Duxbury, Ross Ewing and Ross
Macpherson (Heinemann, 1987)
Production Summary
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Note: In the Production Summary, conversions are only listed where
they result in a change from one Type to another. Changes to sub-type or Mark Number are not shown in the summary. For details
of these, see the individual listings.