Shuttleworth Collection pilot 'Dodge' Bailey, succeeds in making a marvellous flight in the collection's 1923 English Electric Wren at Old Warden on the evening of 6th June 2021.

In 1922, the English Electric Company Chief Aircraft Designer, W. O. Manning, was exploring ways of flying an aircraft on the smallest amount of power.

He began design work on an 'ultralight aircraft' and on completion he offered to build the Air Ministry a prototype for £600. They accepted, issuing an order for a training aircraft, capable of a 30-minute flight but of extremely lightweight specification.

Construction started on 5th February 1923, at English Electric’s Dick Kerr Works, Preston and was completed two months later. It was named the ‘English Electric Wren’ and given serial J6973. It had a wooden fuselage and wing structure with traditional fabric covering, powered by a 3 hp 398cc ABC motor-cycle engine adapted for aircraft use.

The Wren first flew on the 5th April 1923, from Ashton Park in Preston, piloted by Sqn Ldr Maurice Wright of the Air Ministry, who made three short flights. Three days later, he made a longer flight, this time from the sands at Lytham.

Its ailerons were found to be insensitive, due to the lack of torsional rigidity of the wing which was subsequently stiffened. On 14th June 1923, the Wren made a flight of over one hour, climbing to 2,350 ft at a maximum speed of 52 mph. English Electric decided to put it into production as an easy to fly and economic aircraft, priced at £350.

The prototype appeared at the RAF Pageant Hendon in June 1923, and flew very well, creating great interest. It was retained at RAF Hendon for a further week, before official handling trials with the Aeroplane Experimental Establishment (AEE) at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk.

Their report noted a maximum level speed of 49 mph with a landing speed of about 25 mph, which confirmed the manufacturer’s figures.

It did note that in banks of over 15 degrees, and when correcting large wing ‘bumps’, the ailerons became very stiff. This gave the impression that further pressure would break some part, possibly due to warping of the main planes near the wing tips.

The Duke of Sutherland (then Under-Secretary of State for Air) gave a £500 competition prize for the most economical light, single-seat British aeroplane. The Daily Mail added a £1,000 prize for the longest flight of not less than 50-miles on one gallon of fuel, over a 15-mile triangular course at Lympne in Kent, using an engine of less than 750cc. The competition from 8th October 1923 attracted 23 British and 4 foreign machines. The Wren had progressed from the preliminary S.1 Monoplane design class into the Mk I Prototype class and then finally into the Mk II competition class. The production aircraft had a wing dihedral of 2 degrees, compared with the 4 degrees employed on the prototype.

Two production Wrens were entered for the competition: One aircraft flown by Sqn Ldr Maurice Wright (Competition No.3), the other being flown by Flt Lt Walter Longton (Competition No.4). The latter shared first place and the £1,500 prize by flying 87.5 miles on one gallon of fuel.

Unfortunately the Wren was to gain no further production orders.

No.3 was placed on the civil register (G-EBNV) in April 1926 and withdrawn from service in 1929.

In 1924, Longton’s No.4 Wren was placed in the London Science Museum where it remained on display for over 22-years, until it was returned to the English Electric Company at Preston for restoration. It remained in storage until 1954 when a request was made by the Shuttleworth Trust for the aircraft to be donated, so it could undergo a rebuild to restore it to airworthy condition.

No. 3 had been examined but was beyond repair although some engine parts were recovered and used in the restoration of No.4. No.4’s timber was in surprisingly good condition but in need of repair. Some metal parts also needed replacing and the best parts from each engine, new pistons and a new propeller were donated.

The first flight of the restored No.4 aircraft was made by Peter Hillwood on 25th September 1956. It reached an altitude of 250 ft, limited by its engine power. Eventually, the aircraft reached 1,200 ft in subsequent flights.

The English Electric Wren was passed to the Shuttleworth Trust on 15th September 1957, in the presence of its designer W. O. Manning.

In 1980, after several years of 'being grounded', English Electric Wren No.4 was overhauled at Warton and on 19th May 1980, flew once again, this time piloted by Paul Millett.


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