 |
1904 |
Henry
Royce builds his first motor car in 1904.The Hon. Charles
Rolls has a company that sells quality cars in London.
4th May 1904
The first historic meeting between Henry Royce and
the Hon. Charles Rolls at the Midland Hotel in Manchester,
UK. An agreement is reached that Royce Limited would manufacture
a range of cars to be exclusively sold by CS Rolls &
Co.; they were to bear the name Rolls-Royce. |
|
1906 |
Success
with the new cars led to the formation of the Rolls-Royce
company in March 1906 and to the launch of the six-cylinder
Silver Ghost that, within a year, was hailed as 'the best
car in the world'. The new company's far-sighted memorandum
of association refers to vehicles 'for use on land, or
water, or in the air'. |
|
1906-
1908 |
Rolls
was a pioneer aviator. He first met the Wright brothers
in 1906 and had his first flight with Wilbur Wright in
1908. He repeatedly tried but failed to convince Rolls-Royce
to manufacture aero-engines at this time - a vision that
was to be later realised after his death. |
|
1910 |
Rolls'
outstanding flying achievement was the first two-way crossing
of the English Channel on 2 June 1910. The partnership
between Rolls and Royce ended on 12 July 1910, with the
death of Charles Rolls when his modified French-built
Wright Flyer crashed making him the first Englishman to
die in an air crash. |
|
1914 |
At
the start of the First World War, Royce designed his first
aero engine - the Eagle. His designs provided around half
of the total horsepower used in the air war by the allies,
and the Eagle also powered the first direct transatlantic
flight as well as the first flight from England to Australia
- both in Vickers Vimy aircraft. |
|
1920s-
1933 |
The
late 1920s saw Rolls-Royce develop the 'R' engine to power
Britain's entry in the International Schneider Trophy
seaplane contest. The engine established a new world air
speed record of over 400mph in 1931.
Subsequently, it also established new world records on
both land and water. More importantly, it gave Rolls-Royce
the technological base to develop the Merlin engine, which
Royce had begun work on before his death in 1933.
22nd April 1933
Death of Henry Royce. |
|
1940 |
The
Merlin powered the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire
in the Battle of Britain. Demand for the Merlin engine
in the Second World War - over 160,000 engines were built
by Rolls-Royce, the Ford Motor Company in Britain, and
Packard in the United States - transformed Rolls-Royce
from a relatively small company into a major contender
in aero propulsion. |
|
1944 |
In
parallel, Rolls-Royce continued development of the aero
gas turbine, pioneered by Sir Frank Whittle. The Welland
engine entered service in the Gloster Meteor fighter in
1944 and Rolls-Royce had the confidence immediately after
the war to sideline piston aero engines and commit itself
to the gas turbine, in which it had a technological lead. |
|
1950s |
Many
countries powered their military aircraft with jets, either
bought from Rolls-Royce or built under licence. Then,
in 1953, Rolls-Royce entered the civil aviation market
with the Dart engine in the Vickers Viscount aircraft.
It was to become the cornerstone of the universal acceptance
of the gas turbine by the airline industry. The Britannia,
fitted with Bristol Proteus engines, became the first
turboprop airliner to enter transatlantic service in 1958.
Rolls-Royce was also the pioneer of aero-derivative engines
for use in industrial and marine applications.
The first gas turbine to power a naval application was
the RM60 in HMS Grey Goose in 1953, but the first vessel
to enter service under gas turbine power was the Proteus
powered fast patrol boat, HMS Brave Borderer, in 1958.
A year later came the installation of the world's first
'pocket' power station in the south west of England, again
using the Proteus. |
|
1960s
&
1970s |
The
Rolls-Royce Avon-powered Comet became the first turbojet
to enter transatlantic service and in 1960 the company's
Conway engine in the Boeing 707 became the first turbofan
to enter airline service.
Rolls-Royce and Bristol Siddeley merged in 1966. Among
many strengths Bristol Siddeley brought to the partnership
were the unique Pegasus vectored thrust turbofan, which
powers the Harrier jump jet, and the Olympus 593 that
powered Concorde - the world's only supersonic airliner
that was in service from 1976 to 2003.
With the emergence of the widebodied airliners in the
late 1960s, Rolls-Royce launched the RB211 for the Lockheed
L-1011 TriStar. Early problems with the engine led to
the company being taken into State ownership in 1971
and the flotation of the motor car business in 1973
as a separate entity.
The three-shaft turbofan concept of the RB211 has now
established itself at the heart of the Rolls-Royce world-class
family of engines and since 1971, the RB211 has powered
the TriStar, the Boeing 747, 757, 767 and the Tupolev
Tu 204.
The Trent, the most modern and powerful three-shaft
engine, powers the Boeing 777, Airbus A330 and A340-500
and -600 and is the lead engine for the Airbus A380,
which enters service in 2006.
|
|
1987 |
Rolls-Royce
returned to the private sector in 1987, acquiring Northern
Engineering industries two years later to consolidate
its capabilities in the field of industrial power. |
|
1990s |
The
1990s was a decade of great change for Rolls-Royce. In
1990, Rolls-Royce formed a joint venture with BMW called
BMW Rolls-Royce to develop the BR700 series of engines. |
|
1995 |
Rolls-Royce
made a number of major acquisitions in the United States
in the 1990s. In 1995 it acquired the Allison Engine Company
in Indianapolis with its successful defence programmes,
including the Model 250, and major new civil engines.
The acquisition of Allison enhanced the Rolls-Royce position
in the helicopter engine business,with the Model 250,
of which more than 27,000 engines have been built. |
|
1996 |
Rolls-Royce
Motor Cars was sold by Vickers to Volkswagen, although
BMW now hold the rights to the name and the marque for
use on Rolls-Royce cars, having acquired the rights from
Rolls-Royce for £40m in 1998. BMW took over responsibility
for design and then the manufacture of Rolls-Royce cars
from the beginning of 2003. |
|
1999 |
From
the end of 1999 Rolls-Royce assumed full control of the
BMW Rolls-Royce joint venture aircraft engine company.
This was renamed Rolls-Royce Deutschland.
Rolls-Royce took full control of its oil and gas joint
venture, Cooper Rolls.
It also acquired National Airmotive in California, a major
repair and overhaul facility now known as Rolls-Royce
Engine Services - Oakland Inc.
In the same year, Rolls-Royce also acquired Vickers plc
for £546 million. |
|
2004 |
Rolls-Royce
celebrates its centenary. |
| |
|
Source:
Rolls-Royce plc |
|
| Your
comments on this story |
| Please
remember, No e-mail addresses, No website addresses, Keep it
clean and polite - and please, don't type the whole of your
message in capitals. |
|
I was lucky enough to be invited to the RR day at Donnington by a photographer friend (I could never have afforded the ticket!).
It would be hard to pick out all the highlights but the South African Boeing 707 and the 'squadron' of Spitfires lit up the daytime proceedings whilst the mixture of stirring music, fabulous air displays (and the Weasley's Ford Anglia - from Harry Potter) etc made it a magical evening not to be forgoten.
Thank you RR.
Bruce Baker-Johnson, Kirk Hallam, Derbyshire
I worked for RR after leaving school at the age of 15, my father worked in the plateing shop down number 1 yard Nightingale Road, later during my time there I met my late husband Brian who then worked in the Quality department (Mr Jones was in charge.) He left the Company in early 1980 and we moved over to the states to work for Voi Shan part of Fairchild Industries, in Culver City California. However I have a great number of RR memories including a book which the then Director of Q A, Tom Bowling presented to Brian. It's a book by Michael Donne --Leader of the Skies-the first seventy-five years. I am very proud to own this book and display it all the time on the coffe Table.
Rolls Royce is a great company and I am so please to have been a part of it.In 1963 I was voted APP.ASSCN.PERSONALITY GIRL DERBY, and have the beautiful deep blue and gold sash that was presented to me. Thank you Mr Rolls and Mr Royce
Valerie Turner, Florida
Born in Derby and started an Apprentice at RR on Ascot drive 1966.Always make a point to visit the RR stand at the Dubai Airshow. Congratulations on winning trent1000 orders for the 7E7 great engine great plane makes one proud to be "British".
Ray Allen Dubai UAE
My grandfather, John Bancroft, and his brother Charles were among the first intake of apprentices in the new factory in 1906. My grandfather was aged 12, and his brother 14 years old.
Christine Searle, Shefford, Bedfordshire
I started as an apprentice at RR in May 1953. The journey that morning was a few miles from my home in Littleover. I never imagined I would spend 51 years in Aerospace and retire in Arizona. I was priviledged to be recruited to the U.S.A. where I was a one man project who developed a gas turbine engine from a paper design. We produced 660 by the time I moved on and never had a single return.
Geoff Alcock ,Arizona
Just wanted to flag that on 12 June at Donington Park, Derby Rolls-Royce will be hosting a Centenary Day of Celebrations. Tickets available to general public via www.wingsandstrings.org.uk or 0870 4422149
Further information available on www.rolls-royce.com
Should be a fantastic day - all welcome!
Kind regards
Roseann Ward
Communications Consultant, Centenary
Rolls-Royce plc
Roseann Ward, Rolls-Royce London
The name Rolls Royce and the power behind it has been extremely valuable to myself as a past employee, within my life overseas in the United States of America and currently my home in Vancouver Canada. When ever I meet people from the Aerospace Industry and the word "Royce's" is mentioned there is an immediate common ground on which to talk.
Thanks Mr Rolls and Mr Royce
Louis Twyford ,Vancouver Canada
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