An in-person event only. No need to sign up, just come along – all are welcome.

This is a joint meeting with Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum

Dr Jonathan Aylen tells the story of how British aircraft were built on German machinery, including complete factories built in the West Midlands just before WW2.

RAF planes for the Battle of Britain used new technology for aircraft construction and more powerful engines. Stressed skin monoplanes, like the Spitfire, replaced biplanes made of wood, fabric and wire. But the light alloys used to build the new designs were manufactured on German machinery. Dr Aylen tells the compelling story of Ludwig Loewy, a refugee Jewish engineer who fled from the Nazis and brought the crucial light-metals technology needed for rearmament from Germany to Britain in 1936.

About the Speaker

Dr Jonathan Aylen has researched aerospace technologies including missile guidance systems and Britain’s early atomic bombs. He has also written on innovation in rolling mill technology and on revolutionary computer use at British Rail. This lively presentation draws on his current work on refugee engineers.

Dr Aylen is a visiting researcher at the University of Manchester and a past President of the Newcomen Society.