Saunders-Roe
In 1929, the company S.E.Saunders was renamed 'Saunders-Roe' when A.V. Roe took a financial interest in the company. Through to the mid 1950's Saunders-Roe was mainly involved with high speed launches and Flying Boats.
The Folly Works, Whippingham, was established to produce ‘Consuta’, this was followed by the manufacture of plywood products. During the 1930's processes involving resin-impregnation and compression of plywood were developed to produce “tailor-made” panels and pre-formed shapes. By 1939 Saro Laminated Wood Products were again producing nearly 40% of all aircraft plywood made in the United Kingdom.
In May 1942 Cowes was subjected to heavy enemy bombing which resulted in the destruction of the Cowes, Solent Works as well as damage to other facilities. Saunders-Roe relocated the aircraft repair facility to a factory on Forest Road, Newport, where aircraft were repaired and towed by road to the Somerton airfield. Saunders-Roe also took over a factory on the shores of the Menai Straits, near Beaumaris in Anglesey, which was beyond the range of enemy bombers. This factory also carried out repair of flying boats. After the war boat building continued at the Beaumaris site. The name of the Beaumaris operation was changed first to Saunders Engineering and Shipyard Limited and then in January 1951, to Saunders-Roe (Anglesey) Limited.
In 1958, the National Research and Development Corporation awarded Saunders-Roe a contract to build the first full sized hovercraft - the SR-N1 (Saunders-Roe - Nautical One). On the 11th June 1959, the SR-N1 was launched and, only 5 weeks later, the SR-N1 became the first hovercraft to cross the English Channel from Calais to Dover.
Under 'guidance' from the Government, the late 1950's was a time of reorganisation of the UK aircraft industry, this led to Westland Aircraft Ltd taking over the Saunders-Roe aeronautical interests in July 1959. At the same time, Saunders-Roe (Anglesey) Limited and Saro Laminated Wood Products Limited were incorporated in the de Havilland group.
