It
is with these words that James Bond summons Little Nellie to help him
track down SPECTRE in the 1967 film You Only Live Twice. She
arrives with her on-screen father in the guise of “Q”
portrayed by Desmond Llewelyn. In reality Little Nellie’s
father is her creator Wing
Commander Kenneth H Wallis who also doubled for Sean Connery and
piloted his unique aircraft in the film. But his time ‘as’
007 is just a small part of a highly interesting life and career.
It
could quite easily be said that both engineering and flying aircraft
is in the blood of Wing Commander Wallis: “My
father and uncle started motorcycle racing as amateurs, early in the
20th century. They soon started to make their own
motorcycles using steel tubes.
In
1908 the brothers went to the Paris Air Salon to see an aeroplane
actually fly and they must have immediately decided to build an
aeroplane of their own, starting in 1908. In those days aeroplanes
were made of wood but the brothers decided to make theirs out of steel
tube (as they were of the opinion that), 'You would not make a
motorbike out of wood.'”
The
Wallbro Monoplane was completed in May 1910 and was the first
aeroplane to be made out of tubular steel. However, despite a few
initial test flights, fate dealt the ingenuity of the Wallis brothers
an untimely blow, as Wing Commander Wallis explains: “It
made a number of ‘hops’
whilst the brothers were learning to fly it but it was then destroyed
in its shed in a freak windstorm. Their father who had invested some
money into their undoubtedly advanced aeroplane ordered his sons back
to the family business.”
So
that was the end of The Wallbro Monoplane…
or was it? Ken has built a replica of it and successfully flown it -
finally bringing his fathers legacy to the aeronautical industry to
fruition.
When
young Ken Wallis was born, his father was running a motorcycle business
in Ely, and he was also working as a sub-contractor making aeroplane
parts as part of the war effort during World War One. As you might
expect a father’s
interests also became of interest to his son: “I
rode motorcycles and learned a lot in engineering in a practical way
and by making mistakes. The family interest in flying continued and I
tried to join the RAF Volunteer Reserve at its inception, only to be
turned down due to a defective right eye.”
Despite
this set-back Ken was still able to learn to fly and was granted his ‘A’
Licence as an aircraft pilot in 1937. Perhaps encouraged by
gaining his licence he still continued attempting to join various
branches of the RAF: “I
was turned down again when I tried for a RAF Short Service Commission
in 1938, but I immediately joined the Civil Air Guard at its inception
in 1938, being able to hire and fly a Gypsy Moth or a Moth
Minor for 2/6d per hour!”
When
World War Two began in 1939, Wing Commander Wallis, like so many other
brave men, was able to join the armed forces to fight for his country: “When
war came I was somehow able to use my good eye on the test for the
right eye! I was soon with 268 and then 241 Squadron’s
flying on anti-invasion patrols.
“I
then did a tour of operations on Wellington Bombers with 103 Squadron
surviving with exceptional luck from a bail-out and being bought down
by a balloon cable. The bail-out was on 21st September 1941. On 23rd
October 1941 a balloon cable nearly cut off the port wing, but we crash
landed in darkness on top of a quarry face. On 21st January 1942 a
reconnaissance flare went off in the bomb bay, on iced-up doors,
igniting the incendiary bomb load over Endon!”
Following
this he worked with a Navigation Training Flight, before returning
back to operations in early 1944, this time with the 37 Squadron in
Italy. He also commanded 'The Aerial Gunnery Training Flight'. By 1953
Ken had started working with Jet aircraft, while in a posting with the
Air Ministry.
Between
1956 and 1958 Wing Commander Wallis took part in an exchange posting
between the RAF and Strategic Air Command of the United States
Airforce (USAF), in armaments and electronics. During this time Ken
got to help escort a very powerful, deadly passenger: “I
was a pilot in a crew of 22 flying the giant 10-engined RB35H’s
carrying an Atom Bomb - incase the need should arise!”
Following
this, Ken continued to have a varied career within he RAF: “In
1958 I became the Weapons Officer at Fighter Command Headquarters.
Between 1961 and 1964 I commanded the Tactical Weapons Group at the
Aeroplane and Armaments Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down.
Whilst
at Fighter Command I had started my light Autogyro experiments -
always being interested in a conveniently small, practical aircraft. I
soon took the matter more seriously and produced my successful type
WA-116 Prototype in 1961.”
