Foster Wickner Aircraft

Some personal recollections from Tom about his Father's time at Foster Wickner.

First published in SHHAS Newsletter Summer 2012

In 1939 my late father, Thomas Hiett obtained a job with Foster Wickner at the Belfast hanger at Eastleigh airport. His trade was an aircraft inspector. He once flew with Geoffrey Wickner in a Wicko amongst the barrage balloons round Eastleigh, he said the a/c windows were held on with "G" cramps and he was really scared.

Sometime in 1940 there was a re shuffle at Foster Wickners and the firm moved to "The Crescent" Eastleigh, Dad was manager with my late Sister Joyce as office staff. The factory was in a large shed and the office was a hut on legs. At least 50 people were employed on sub-assemblies for the ministry. There were Men and Women employed. There was a camouflaged Wicko fuselage in an open shed on site alongside the office.

Production was mainly paper fibre slipper tanks for Spitfires, they were put together by Girls, the joints were glued with a water based casein glue and fixed with bifurcated rivets. The pipe connections were machine turned from black cellulose acetate blocks, and were spray painted with a sky finish.

Also produced were Spitfire gun heating pipes. They were made of black cellulose acetate about four inches diameter and had bends in them. They were glued with some noxious chemical.

Wingtip lamp covers were made from red and green Perspex and formed in some sort of giant press whilst hot. Also made were air intakes for Bristol Beaufighters and Beaufort's, pressed from cellulose acetate. They were fitted outboard of the engines on the leading edge. The fitters made sliding handles made from steel for the side windows in Lancaster cockpits. They were made from 3/8" diameter pipes and welded with an internal spring catch, I believe they are still used on the few Lancaster's left.

At one time Wickner arrived at the works with his leg in plaster following a crash while flying with the ATA. He needed a piece sawn off for comfort, I believe his wife was also in the ATA at the time. There were lots of propaganda posters from the air ministry displayed in the factory.

With the end of the war the factory still owned by Lusty furniture company was taken over by Baddesley Ennel Ltd. They did electroplating etc. and had a works somewhere at Baddesley and in Southampton at Chapel. Father carried on making things out of plastics, such as dressing table sets and washbasins for caravans, in various colours.

In 1946 Dad and Mum went to Hurn Airfield to say goodbye to Wickner and his family when they left for Australia in a Halifax bomber, which was still in wartime camouflage. The firm struggled on until 1949 or thereabouts and finally folded. All the paperwork from the firm was abandoned in a loft at Oliver Road, Swaythling, back in 1957. All I have left is a Kelly's street directory from 1948-1949.

Dad finished up at Fairey aviation at Hamble where he worked on inspection and store keeping on the Fairey Firefly conversion to drones. He retired from there.