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Beardmore Production

For a description of the format and data included in Production Tables, see here.

Produced Types
D.F.W. Tractor Biplane Two seat biplane seaplane. One 120 h.p. Beardmore-Austro-Daimler powerplant.
W.B.I
 		 Large 2 seat three bay biplane bomber for submission to the Admiralty Bomber Competition of 1915-16. One 230 h.p. B.H.P. or Sunbeam powerplant.
W.B.II Two-seat biplane fighter, built as a private venture, based on the B.E.2c. One 200 h.p. Hispano-Suiza 8Bd powerplant.
W.B.IIB Two seat passenger transport derivative of W.B.II. One 160 h.p. Beardmore powerplant.
W.B.III
 
 		 A development of the Sopwith Pup specially adapted for shipboard use. It featured a redesigned folding wing with no stagger, a stretched fuselage that carried emergency floatation gear, and main undercarriage that could be folded for stowage (initial examples only) or could be jettisoned after take-off. One 80 h.p. Le Rhône 9Cpowerplant.
W.B.IV
 		 Single-seat biplane ship-based fighter to meet Admiralty Specification N.1(a). The single 200 h.p. Hispano-Suiza 8 powerplant was located behind the pilot, who sat forward of the wings in a watertight cockpit.
W.B.V
 		 Single-seat biplane ship-based fighter to meet Admiralty Specification N.1(a).  Armed with a 37 mm Le-Puteaux quick firing gun mounted between the cylinder banks. One 200 h.p. Hispano-Suiza 8Bd powerplant.
W.B.VIA Six passenger folding wing biplane transport. One 500 h.p. Beardmore Galloway Atlantic powerplant.
W.B.VII Shipboard fighter. Nothing else known.
W.B.IX Ten seat amphibian biplane. Two 200 h.p. Beardmore Adriatic powerplants
W.B.X Two seat all metal biplane passenger transport. One 160 h.p. Beardmore powerplant.
W.B.XXIV Wee Bee I Two seat monoplane built specifically for the Lympne two seat light aircraft trials. One 32 h.p.  Bristol Cherub I powerplant.
W.B.XXVI Two seat single bay biplane fighter. One 360 h.p. Rolls-Royce Eagle IX.
BeRo.1 Inflexible
 		 Large all-metal research aircraft to investigate methods od stressed skin production.
Three 650 h.p. Rolls-Royce Condor II powerplants. 
BeRo.2 Inverness
 		 4 seat all-metal reconnaissance monoplane flying boat, developed from the Rohrbach Ro III.
Two 450 h.p. Napier Lion V W12 powerplants.

Production List 
D.F.W. Tractor Biplane

 Page Top 

C/n
Initial
Registration
Notes
 1 aircraft by Beardmore-DFW at Brooklands. Construction started in 1914 but not completed.
 none  none  
Total (Not Completed)   1


W.B.I

Production List Top Page Top 

Serial Range
C/n(1)
Type
Batch Qty
Conv.
Canc'd
Notes
 1 aircraft ordered from William Beardmore and Co., Ltd, Dalmuir, Dumbartonshire, to contract A.S.7123. First flew in September 1916.
 N525  1097    1      See note 2
 
Total Production
1
 
 
 


W.B.II

Production List Top Page Top 

Serial Range
C/n(1)
Type
Batch Qty
Conv.
Canc'd
Notes
 1 aircraft ordered from William Beardmore and Co., Ltd, Dalmuir, Dumbartonshire, to contract A.S.2864/18. First flew in August 1917.
 F2995  1033    1      
 
Total Production
1
 
 
 


W.B.IIB

Production List Top Page Top 

C/n
Initial
Registration
Notes
 2 aircraft built by William Beardmore and Co., Ltd, Dalmuir, Dumbartonshire. Built in Mid 1920.
 5441/1  G-EARX  Retained by William Beardmore & Co. Ltd.
 5441/2  G-EARY  Retained by William Beardmore & Co. Ltd.
Total Production   2


W.B.III

Production List Top Page Top 

Serial Range
C/n
Type
Batch Qty
Conv.
Canc'd
Notes
 1 aircraft converted by William Beardmore and Co., Ltd, Dalmuir, Dumbartonshire, from Sopwith Pup. Delivered in February 1917.
 9950        (1)    
 30 aircraft ordered from William Beardmore and Co., Ltd, Dalmuir, Dumbartonshire, to contracts A.S.775/17 and A.S.14757. Delivered between June and November 1917.
 N6100 - N6129      30      
 70 aircraft ordered from William Beardmore and Co., Ltd, Dalmuir, Dumbartonshire, to contracts A.S.775/17 and A.S.12856. Delivered between November 1917 and January 1918.
 N6680 - N6749      70      
 
Total Production
100
(1)
 
 


W.B.IV

Production List Top Page Top 

Serial Range
C/n(1)
Type
Batch Qty
Conv.
Canc'd
Notes
 3 aircraft ordered from William Beardmore and Co., Ltd, Dalmuir, Dumbartonshire, to contract A.S.11542. Only one completed, November 1917.
 N38 - N40  1264    1    2  N39 and N40 not completed
 
Total Production
1
 
2
 


W.B.V

Production List Top Page Top 

Serial Range
C/n(1)
Type
Batch Qty
Conv.
Canc'd
Notes
 3 aircraft ordered from William Beardmore and Co., Ltd, Dalmuir, Dumbartonshire, to contract A.S.11542. Only two completed, December 1917 and February 1918.
 N41 - N43  1265-1266    2    1  N43 not completed
 
Total Production
2
 
1
 


W.B.VIA

Production List Top Page Top 

C/n
Initial
Registration
Notes
 1 aircraft by William Beardmore and Co., Ltd, Dalmuir, Dumbartonshire. Construction started in 1918 but not completed.
 5306    
Total (Not Completed)   1


W.B.VII

Production List Top Page Top 

Serial Range
C/n(1)
Type
Batch Qty
Conv.
Canc'd
Notes
 1 aircraft ordered from William Beardmore and Co., Ltd, Dalmuir, Dumbartonshire. Not completed.
   1267        1  
 
Total Production

 
1
 


W.B.IX

Production List Top Page Top 

C/n
Initial
Registration
Notes
 1 aircraft by William Beardmore and Co., Ltd, Dalmuir, Dumbartonshire. Construction started in 1919 but not completed.
 5404  G-EAQI  
Total (Not Completed)   1


W.B.X

Production List Top Page Top 

C/n
Initial
Registration
Notes
 1 aircraft built by William Beardmore and Co., Ltd, Dalmuir, Dumbartonshire. Built for the 1920 Air Ministry Commercial Aeroplane Competition. Flown once only on 16 August 1920.
 5442  G-EAQJ  Retained by William Beardmore & Co. Ltd.
Total Production   1


W.B.XXIV Wee Bee I

Production List Top Page Top 

C/n(1)
Initial
Registration
Notes
 1 aircraft built by William Beardmore and Co., Ltd, Dalmuir, Dumbartonshire. Completed in September 1924 for the 1924 Lympne Trials.
 AV.2  G-EBJJ  To Lawrence S.Dawson. To Percy Parker, Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia, in December 1933 as VH-URJ.
Total Production   1


W.B.XXVI

Production List Top Page Top 

Serial Range
C/n(1)
Type
Batch Qty
Conv.
Canc'd
Notes
 1 aircraft ordered from William Beardmore and Co., Ltd, Dalmuir, Dumbartonshire, for Latvia. First flew in early 1925
 none  AV.3    1      Rejected by Latvia as underpowered and returned to Beardmore.
 
Total Production
1
 
 
 


BeRo.1 Inflexible

Production List Top Page Top 

Serial Range
C/n(1)
Type
Batch Qty
Conv.
Canc'd
Notes
 1 aircraft ordered from William Beardmore and Co., Ltd, Dalmuir, Dumbartonshire, to contract 445337/23. First flew March 1928.
 J7557  AV.1    1      Also allocated regn G-EBNG (not used).
 
Total Production
1
 
 
 


BeRo.2 Inverness

Production List Top Page Top 

Serial Range
C/n(1)
Type
Batch Qty
Conv.
Canc'd
Notes
 1 aircraft ordered from William Beardmore and Co., Ltd, Dalmuir, Dumbartonshire, to contract 536785/24. Built by Rohrbach-Metall-Aeroplan Co. A/S in Copenhagen, Denmark, as the RoIV.
 Delivered to the MAEE Felixtowe September 1925.
 N183  AV.4?    1      
 1 aircraft ordered from William Beardmore and Co., Ltd, Dalmuir, Dumbartonshire, to contract 536785/24. First flew November 1928.
 N184  AV.5    1      
 
Total Production
2
 
 
 



Production Summary

Page Top 
All Aircraft By Type
Type Built New Conv. Canc'd Total
 D.F.W. Tractor Biplane     1 1
 W.B.I 1     1
 W.B.II 1     1
 W.B.IIB 2     2
 W.B.III 100 (1)   101
 W.B.IV 1   2 3
 W.B.V 2   1 3
 W.B.VIA     1 1
 W.B.VII     1 1
 W.B.IX     1 1
 W.B.X 1     1
 W.B.XXIV Wee Bee I 1     1
 W.B.XXVI 1     1
 BeRo.1 Inflexible 1     1
 BeRo.2 Inverness 2     2
  113 (1) 7  


Notes
  1. Not true c/ns but Works Contract Numbers.
     
  2. From MacKay [1], the machine was originally known as the 'Experimental Bomb-Dropper Aircraft' and was allocated serial N525. Following an accident and repairs, it had gained its Beardmore Type Number W.B.I. From Cross & Cockade [3], "On May 25, 1917, the WB1 was at RNAS Station Cranwell awaiting erection. By now it was known as the Beardmore RE12 Bomber - the significance of this designation is not known, but it may have indicated Richards Experimental No 12."
    Additionally from Cross and Cockade, "The naval experimental serial number N525 was allotted to the WB1 against Contract No AS7123. The RFC serial B9467 was allotted to a Beardmore Competition Bomber against the same Contract No AS7123. It is not known if this was a number given to the naval machine for eventual transfer to the RFC or if it had originally been intended that two separate machines should be built. However it seems that only the one machine was, in fact, built."

Production References
  1. Beardmore Aviation 1913-1930, Charles MacKay (A. MacKay, 2012)
  2. Royal Navy Aircraft Serials and Units, 1911-1919, Ray Sturtivant and Gordon Page (Air-Britain Publications, 1992)
  3. Cross & Cockade Vol 5 No 2

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Revised at Version 1.2.1
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  • Rewritten Note 2.

V1.4.4 Created by Roger Moss. Last updated August 2020