337:, Hewlett's company manufactured more than 800 military aircraft, a specialised 90 hp (67 kW) engine which the British government considered vital to the war effort, and employed up to 700 people. After the war the business diversified into making farming equipment, but the factory had closed by the end of October 1920. The site remained unsold until 1926. A road in Luton, Hewlett Road, was named after her in recognition of the importance of the company towards the war effort.
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was refused she organised a flying strike, pointing out that the flying events drew much larger crowds than the motor racing ever had. Pilots were to fly for only the minimum time to qualify for prizes, and the aeroplanes were locked away to prevent inspection by the public. Soon the management gave way, paying a fairer percentage of takings, and increasing the prize money. The episode attracted great public interest, and turned out to be to everyone’s advantage.
187:. She specialised in three skills which served her well in her later aviation engineering career: woodwork, metalwork, and needlework. Her art was good enough to be exhibited. When she was 19 she visited Egypt with her parents where ‘I woke up from a narrow, conventional, stultifying childhood and first thought for myself’. At the age of 21 she spent a year training as a nurse at a hospital in
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In June 1932 Hewlett was present at the inaugural meeting of the
Tauranga Aero and Gliding Club. In July she was elected as the club's first president. In January 1939, at the opening of a new aerodrome in Tauranga, Frederick Jones, New Zealand's then Minister of Defence, named a nearby road after
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In May 1911 Hilda
Hewlett instigated the first pilots’ strike in history. The Brooklands Racing Club announced that the aeroplane pilots would receive 5% of event day takings, to be divided between them. Mrs Hewlett was furious about this, and a letter was drawn up with a demand for 25%. When this
361:, New Zealand, with her daughter Pia Richards and Pia's family. Hilda stated, "The urge to escape from the three Cs, crowds, convention, and civilization, became strong." She enjoyed the outdoor life, especially camping and fishing. Her family gave her the nickname "Old Bird".
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and motor car enthusiast. The family acquired a car and Hilda learned to drive, and was fined for speeding in May and June 1905 but was considered proficient behind the wheel. She participated in automobile rallies and in 1906 was the passenger/mechanic for
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Her grandson's wife Gail
Hewlett has carried out exhaustive research into the lives of both Hilda and Maurice Hewlett and published the results of this work; the book was officially launched on 26 April 2010 at St Peter's Church in Vauxhall, London.
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Pat Irene Winton. 'Hewlett, Hilda
Beatrice - Biography', from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 1-Sep-10
265:. Thirteen pupils graduated from the school in the year and a half it operated and, with a remarkable safety record for the time, there were no accidents.
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Hilda
Hewlett participated in airshows and aviation competitions. On 11 September 1911 she flew her Farman biplane in an airshow at Chelson Meadow,
411:. The facility specialises in 3D printing and scanning equipment, part of the Royal Air Force’s first steps into advanced component manufacturing.
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A staff photograph and autograph book from the wings section of the
Hewlett and Blondeau factory, dated to the First World War, was donated to the
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Hewlett died on 21 August 1943 in
Tauranga, North Island, New Zealand. Following a service on the railway wharf, she was buried at sea.
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On 29 August 1911, at
Brooklands, Hilda Hewlett became the first woman in the UK to earn a pilot's licence when she received
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469:, RG11/599, Folio 25, Page 1, Hilda Beatrice Herbert, Parsonage, Lambeth (Father George William Herbert is described as
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Hilda B Hewlett Centre for
Innovation, named in her honour. It is part of 71 Inspection & Repair Squadron at
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Hewlett, Gail (2010) 'Old Bird – The
Irrepressible Mrs Hewlett' (Troubadour Publishing Ltd, Leicester,
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in 1909. Later that year, after adopting the pseudonym "Grace Bird", she travelled to the airfield at
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253:. In the summer of 1910 she and Blondeau opened the first flying school in the United Kingdom at the
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on 14 November 1911 and went on to have a distinguished military aviation career in both the UK and
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after completing the test in her biplane. Hewlett also taught her son, Francis, to fly; he earned
675:"Howard's Streets: Which Luton road is named after the first UK woman to gain a pilot's licence?"
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153:) which produced more than 800 aeroplanes and employed up to 700 people. She later emigrated to
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was unpublished but the manuscript is in the care of her family and formed the basis for a
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Hilda Hewlett and her son Francis, in recognition of their services to aviation.
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and they became business partners. Hewlett returned to England with a
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and aviation entrepreneur. She was the first British woman to earn a
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aircraft under licence. The business began at Brooklands, moved to
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Hewlett and Blondeau started an aircraft manufacturing business,
524:"Brooklands Museum :: Brooklands Stories: Hilda Hewlett"
554:. Barnsley, UK: Pen & Sword Aviation. pp. 55–56.
303:. In 1912 Hewlett won a quick-start aviation competition.
238:, France, to study aeronautics. She met aviation engineer
137:. She founded and ran two related businesses: the first
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Science Museum image of Hilda Hewlett and her signature
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Photograph taken for her pilot's licence, circa 1911
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214:, the only female driver in a motorcar event from
428:, Mrs. Hilda Beatrice Hewlett, pp.40, T.B. Hart:
345:Hewlett had previously spent nine months touring
129:(17 February 1864 – 21 August 1943) was an early
802:A History of the Hewlett & Blondeau Company
610:, during which he had to ditch his aircraft, a
551:Howard Pixton: Test Pilot & Pioneer Aviator
230:Hewlett attended her first aviation meeting at
791:Photograph of Hilda Hewlett with her aeroplane
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310:, which was managed by Hewlett. They built
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838:People from the London Borough of Lambeth
783:Hilda Hewlett by Pat Irene Winton at the
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630:The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History
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756:British Library Integrated Catalogue
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785:Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
624:Moseley, Brian (14 January 2011) .
165:Hilda Beatrice Hewlett was born in
726:"A new journey in RAF Engineering"
179:As a young woman she attended the
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673:Chandler, Howard (25 July 2015).
194:She married barrister and writer
16:Aviator and business entrepreneur
833:English emigrants to New Zealand
292:in 1915 and rose to the rank of
632:. Brian Moseley. Archived from
308:Hewlett & Blondeau Limited
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823:British women in World War I
655:Hewlett and Blondeau history
181:National Art Training School
141:in the United Kingdom (with
715:Vol 20, No. 16, Autumn 2022
499:"Hilda Hewlett (1864-1943)"
382:Women's Engineering Society
290:Distinguished Service Order
282:pilot's certificate no. 156
200:St Peter's Church, Vauxhall
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863:British flight instructors
818:British aviation pioneers
660:10 September 2005 at the
497:B, Lizzie (27 May 2021).
403:on the border of between
341:Emigration to New Zealand
89:and business entrepreneur
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583:"Hilda Beatrice Hewlett"
528:www.brooklandsmuseum.com
503:Women Who Meant Business
257:motor-racing circuit at
226:Achievements in aviation
149:manufacturing business (
868:Women aviation pioneers
548:Pixton, Stella (2014).
437:Unpublished non-fiction
108:Pia (Hewlett) Richards,
858:British women aviators
467:1891 Census of Lambeth
151:Hewlett & Blondeau
127:Hilda Beatrice Hewlett
120:George William Herbert
732:. Ministry of Defence
420:Published non-fiction
384:'s archives in 2022.
205:Hilda Hewlett was an
198:on 3 January 1888 in
196:Maurice Henry Hewlett
636:on 28 September 2013
606:He took part in the
145:), and a successful
730:The Royal Air Force
713:The Woman Engineer
471:Vicar of St Peters
274:certificate No.122
236:Mourmelon-le-Grand
843:People from Luton
701:978-1-84876-337-1
561:978-1-47383-670-9
389:Air Chief Marshal
387:In October 2022,
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736:28 November
640:12 February
592:18 December
567:26 November
395:opened the
347:New Zealand
333:During the
286:New Zealand
212:Muriel Hind
155:New Zealand
100:(1888–1914)
76:New Zealand
812:Categories
508:12 October
442:Hewlett's
255:Brooklands
244:Farman III
161:Early life
49:1864-02-17
448:biography
430:Kettering
351:Rarotonga
324:Battersea
276:from the
259:Weybridge
251:Blue Bird
232:Blackpool
216:Lands End
115:Parent(s)
765:14 March
658:Archived
359:Tauranga
328:Leagrave
301:Plymouth
167:Vauxhall
147:aircraft
105:Children
57:Vauxhall
681:27 July
432:(1917).
320:Hanriot
316:Caudron
247:biplane
131:aviator
87:Aviator
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312:Farman
189:Berlin
94:Spouse
455:Notes
415:Works
397:RAF's
174:vicar
767:2007
738:2023
697:ISBN
683:2015
642:2015
594:2023
569:2023
556:ISBN
535:2022
510:2021
407:and
391:Sir
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65:Died
43:Born
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
