VE Day Celebrations: The Historical Ties of Brooklands Technical College

On 8th of May 1945, Nazi Germany officially surrendered to the allied forces, ending World War 2 across Europe. This year marks the 80th anniversary of VE (victory in Europe) Day celebrations, which not only serves as homage to those who fought for our freedom, but as a reminder of the immense sacrifices made by our nation to achieve peace. 

Our Weybridge campus has a long and rich history of aviation, motorsports and wartime efforts. In 1885, Hugh Locke King inherited the Brooklands Mansion (also known as Brooklands House) and estate from his father, Peter King. Hugh, with a keen interest in motorsports, built the first ever purpose-made motor racing circuit. Aviation sheds and flying schools were also built within the racetrack, attracting world renowned pilots such as A. V. Roe and other famous racing drivers such as Campbell, Seagrave and S.F. Edge. Mr Edge being the first man to ever drive a car for 24 hours at Brooklands Racetrack, right before its first public opening. 

During the First World War, Brooklands Track was taken over by the war effort for testing military vehicles, with the Mansion House becoming one of 12 military hospitals in the area. Vickers Aviation moved their manufacturing business to Brooklands in 1915, creating the country’s largest manufacturing hub for Vickers and Sopwith aircrafts. They even built the Vickers Vimy, the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic without stopping.

Vickers Aviation 

Throughout World War 2, Vickers Aviation built over 3,000 aircrafts for the war effort. The prototype of the Hawker Hurricane was assembled and first flown at Brooklands in 1935, a key fighter aircraft for the RAF during World War 2. Unfortunately, in 1941 Brooklands track and aircraft factory suffered a disastrous bombing and production was widely dispersed throughout the local area. Vickers Aviation moved their administrative offices into the Brooklands Mansion and erected a new building as their drawing office.

Barnes Wallis, an aircraft designer, joined Vickers Aviation in 1913. At Brooklands, he developed geodetic airframes which allowed an aircraft to withstand significant damage without compromising the rest of the plane or the crew onboard. Barnes also created the bouncing bomb, a form of strategic bombing that could bounce across water and avoid obstacles. This type of bomb was used in Operation Chastise, an attack on several German dams in 1943 by the RAF, which destroyed two power stations and damaged 7 others – greatly affecting the Germans hydroelectric power and significantly reducing their steel production.

In 1960, Vickers aviation joined the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC), a company that played a major role in the design and manufacture of the Concorde supersonic airliner. The aviation factory situated at Brooklands, was primarily responsible for producing the fuselage sections from the nose through to the tail, as well as the fins and rudders. The Concorde project stands as a landmark in international cooperation, with engineers and staff from Weybridge frequently traveling to Toulouse to collaborate with their French counterparts. 

VE Day celebrations

In honour of Brookland’s lengthy and remarkable history, several of our buildings at our Weybridge campus are named after these prominent people and moments in our history. In celebration of VE Day, the college will be hosting a special VE lunch menu for staff and students at Brooks Cafe. Be sure to join in the commemorations of this historic day!

All images are copyright of Brooklands Museum. To learn more, please visit: www.brooklandsmuseum.com