William Oke Manning
| William Oke Manning | |
|---|---|
| Born |
20 October 1879 Staines, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 2 March 1958 (aged 78) Farnham, Surrey, England |
| Nationality | United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Aircraft designer |
William Oke Manning (20 October 1879 – 2 April 1958) was an English aeronautical engineer. Although none of his aircraft were built in large numbers he is remembered for his English Electric Wren ultralight and his flying-boats.
Manning was born on 20 October 1879 at Staines, Middlesex the son of Herbert Lane Manning and Alice Manning (née Allenby). He was educated at St Paul's School, London and served as an apprentice with Callender's Company.
He became an electrical engineer and in 1907 or 1908 he met Howard T. Wright who had a firm dealing with electricity generating installations and had built some early aircraft. Manning and Wright both had an interest in aviation and Manning joined his firm in December 1908.
The company soon established itself as the foremost aircraft constructor in the United Kingdom and Manning became the Chief Designer. The company made aircraft for private individuals and other companies, more than nine in the last few months in 1909 and another six were completed in early 1910. The most successful design was a biplane (later called the Howard Wright 1910 Biplane) which flown by Thomas Sopwith won a £4,000 prize for the longest flight in Europe. By 1911 business had declined and production of aircraft had ceased after June, Wright sold his aviation interests to the Coventry Ordnance Works. Manning continued to design aircraft including two biplanes for the War Office Aeroplane Competition in 1912.
On 27 November 1914 Manning left COW and was commissioned in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve. He was posted to the Royal Naval Air Service experimental base at Port Victoria. In September 1916 he moved to the Bradford works of the Phoenix Dynamo Manufacturing Company as technical representative for the Admiralty. The company had a number of contracts to build aircraft for the Royal Naval Air Service. Learning of Manning's background he was approached to be chief designer for the company, he was released by the Admiralty on 5 October 1916 and took up the position.
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