Realising that Germany was preparing for war, the government decided to modernise the Royal Air Force. It asked the aviation industry to build fast heavily armed monoplane fighter aircraft and long-range bombers to replace the air force’s old-fashioned biplanes.
John designed the Whitley (pictured above), a long-range two-engined heavy bomber. It was originally powered by two Armstrong Siddeley Tiger IX radial engines that were later replaced by Rolls Royce Merlin Engines.
The Whitley’s maximum speed was 230 miles per hour. It had a range of 2,400 miles and could carry bombs weighing up to 7,000 lbs.
A front-line aircraft from 1939 to 1942, the Whitley played a major role in the Royal Air Force’s bombing offensive against Germany and Italy. During the Battle of Britain, it bombed Belin and Italian aircraft factories, munitions works and railway marshalling yards.
The Whitley’s last operational flight was on 30 May 1942 when it took part in the first 1,000 bomber raid on Germany. The target was Cologne, and for almost 90 minutes over 3,000 tons of bombs rained down on the city.
After designing the Whitley, John built the Albemarle, a twin-engined transport plane flown by both the Royal Air Force and the Soviet Air Force.
Flying from bases in North Africa, the Albemarle took part in the invasion of Sicily. On D-Day, it dropped paratroopers into Normandy and, during Operation Market Garden, towed gliders carrying airborne forces to Arnhem.
Between 1942 and 1949, John worked on the Flying Wing, an experimental tailless jet aircraft. Hoping he would be able to design a tailless airliner, John built a two-seater tailless glider that flew successfully.
Impressed by the glider’s performance, the government allowed him to build two jet-powered Flying Wings. One crashed. The other was sent to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough where it was used in tests that helped develop the V Bomber force and Concorde.
In the 1950s, John created the Seaslug Missile for the Royal Navy which was undoubtedly the best ship-to-air guided missile in the world.
Retiring in 1959, John went to live with his daughter in London. A modest man who never boasted about his achievements, John died aged 90 at Kingston-on-Thames on 16 November 1978.
These posts about the life of John Lloyd are from a series of articles about Aviation History written by Betty Martin. Copyright: North Staffordshire Heritage 2024. More articles by Betty will be posted from time to time.
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