“Avro Manchester”: The Birth of British Military Aviation in the Manchester Suburbs
Many people don’t know that in the 20th century, Manchester was famous not only for its cotton production, but also for its military industrial sector. This sector included the British aircraft manufacturing company, Avro Aircraft, which operated from 1910 to 1963 and made history as one of the symbols of 20th-century British aviation. It was here that legendary aircraft such as the heavy bomber Avro Lancaster, which played a key role in the Second World War, the delta-winged Avro Vulcan, which became an icon of the post-war era, the Avro Manchester, the Avro 504, and others were created. Read more below.
The Dawn of Manchester’s Military Aviation History
The company’s founder, Alliott Verdon Roe, was one of the pioneers of British aviation. In 1908, he became the first Briton to take to the air in a powered aircraft, and in 1909, he flew the Avro Roe I Triplane, the first all-British aircraft design.
However, it is worth noting that his interest in aviation manifested even earlier: in 1907, Roe built the Avro Roe I Biplane with a French Antoinette engine. This was the first aircraft to successfully fly in the UK.
On January 1, 1910, along with his brother Humphrey Verdon Roe, he founded A.V. Roe and Company (later Avro) in Manchester’s Brownfield Mill, one of the first aircraft manufacturing companies in the world. Humphrey managed the finances and administration of the enterprise until 1917.
By 1912, the company had launched its first production biplane, the Avro 500, and its floatplane modification, the Avro 501, arguably became the first British seaplane. For further experiments with naval aviation, a factory was opened in Shoreham-by-Sea, allowing flights directly from the water.
The same year saw another innovative project: the Avro Type F, the world’s first aircraft with a fully enclosed cockpit.
True success came in 1913 when Avro introduced the Avro 504 biplane. This model became the most mass-produced aircraft of the First World War and secured stable production for the company for many years. In total, including sub-contractors, approximately 8,340 units were built, and production lasted for nearly two decades. This was an incredible achievement for its time.
The Avro 504 – A Symbol of the First World War
It’s worth highlighting the Avro 504 model, as it represented a major breakthrough. It was the aircraft that brought Manchester global fame. Simple, light, and versatile, it became the Royal Flying Corps’ primary training aircraft. However, at the start of the war, it was also used in combat. In 1914, the Avro 504 carried out one of the world’s first aerial raids, attacking a German airfield in Friedrichshafen.
Over 10,000 units of this model were manufactured—an incredible number for that era. Crucially, the majority of them were built right here in Greater Manchester. The “Avro” factories became the heart of British aircraft production. During the war, workers operated around the clock, often under conditions of severe shortages and resource constraints. Yet, faith in victory and pride in their work kept the city going.