Hall of fame for the engineering heroes

His genius revolutionised both military and commercial aircraft, but he had to emigrate to the United States to realise his ambitions.

Fittingly, Sir Frank, who died in August 1996 at the age of 89, has been included among the first 10 members of the Engineering Hall of Fame, which has been devised by Semta, the employer-led organisation which encourages more people to take up careers in engineering.

Semta’s hall of fame honours the heroes of the past and aims to ensure that the great British engineers of the 21st Century get the recognition they deserve.

Ten engineers are to be invested into the Semta Hall of Fame at a ceremony in London in February during the Semta Skills Awards. A contemporary great British engineer will also be invested in the Semta Hall of Fame each year.

Sarah Sillars, the chief executive of Semta, said: “Semta is working tirelessly to ensure that great British businesses have enough great British engineers – and we are making significant inroads to filling the skills gap.”

It was at RAF Cranwell, in Lincolnshire, in the mid-1920s, that Sir Frank developed the germ of the idea that would lead to his invention of the jet engine, enabling aircraft to fly higher and faster.

But the military establishment ignored him for seven years before allowing Sir Frank to test the world’s first prototype jet engine. They were not impressed. The German and Italian air forces had more foresight, and beat Britain to the development of jet fighters.

By 1944, the RAF had its first operational jet fighter. After the war, Sir Frank worked as a consultant in both Britain and America, and even at the age of 80 was still working on new designs, including a supersonic airliner.

For further information visit www.semta.org.uk/hall-of-fame