Memorial hopes Former engineering workers look to set up memorial to founder
FORMER Dowty workers are hoping to set up a permanent memorial to the man who founded the engineering company.
Sir George Dowty started the business in the 1930s and it became a huge concern in Cheltenham and Tewkesbury, employing thousands of people, before it broke up in the early 1990s.
Last week, dozens of people connected to the company met for a reunion at Arle Court in Cheltenham, where it used to have its headquarters.
Following on from that, one of the organisers has announced that there are plans to set up some kind of memorial to Sir George in Cheltenham.
Martin Robins, who worked at Dowty between 1973 and 1983, said: “Following the reunion day we have received many requests to organise a permanent memorial to Sir George Dowty. There should be something in Cheltenham town centre.
“Suggestions we will put to Cheltenham Borough Council are a statue, a bust or a metal replica of say a Lancaster undercarriage.”
Born in Pershore, Worcestershire, on April 27 1901, Sir George started his aircraft components business in a coach house in Lansdown Terrace Lane, Cheltenham, in 1931. It has a blue plaque on it, commemorating the fact.
He went on to develop one of the biggest and most respected engineering companies in the country, making a wide range of products such as mining and electrical equipment, fuel systems, propellers, landing gear and hydraulics.
Sir George was knighted in 1956. He died, aged 74, in 1975 at his home in the Isle of Man and was buried at Pershore Cemetery. His son, also called George, helped at the reunion by showing people around the mansion house at Arle Court that was his family’s home when he was younger.
Mr Robins added that enthusiasts hoped a TV documentary, covering the life and times of Sir George, might be made - as well as a feature film charting the history of the Dowty Group over its 60-year life. He said: “The goodwill associated with the Dowty business has to be seen to be believed.”
He added that any readers wanting to make suggestions as to the nature of the planned memorial could email him at martinrobins@btinternet.com.
Suggestions we will put to Cheltenham Borough Council are a statue, a bust or a metal replica of say a Lancaster undercarriage Martin Robins