Empire of the Clouds: The Golden Era of Britain's Aircraft

by James Hamilton-Paterson

In 1945 Britain was the world's leading builder of jet aircraft, and in the decade that followed produced planes such as the Comet, Vulcan, Hawker Hunter and Lightning; but by the early 1960s aviation companies such as Avro and Vickers were either gone or struggling. This book fuses the author's memories of British aviation's heyday with tales of the legendary aircraft and test pilots and a rueful history of Britain's loss of self-confidence and power. Special illustrated edition.

Genres: Aviation, History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, British Literature, Aircraft, World War II

432 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2011

About the author

James Hamilton-Paterson is a British poet, novelist, and one of the most private literary figures of his generation. Educated at Exeter College, Oxford, he began his career as a journalist before emerging as a novelist with a distinctive lyrical style. He gained early recognition for Gerontius, a Whitbread Award-winning novel, and went on to write Ghosts of Manila and America’s Boy, incisive works reflecting his deep engagement with the Philippines. His interests range widely, from history and science to aviation, as seen in Seven-Tenths and Empire of the Clouds. He also received praise for his darkly comic Gerald Samper trilogy. Hamilton-Paterson divides his time between Austria, Italy, and the Philippines and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2023.

Reviews

[Geevee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book as I have a interest in the UK's ability to design, build and operate aircraft from the start of World War Two and beyond into the 1970s that is born from reading about or seeing these aircraft in museums and for some at airshows.

What I read was a story about Meteors, Lightnings, Vampires, Canberras, and of course the V Bombers: Valiant, Victor and the mighty Vulcan from concept to design to service. Alongside this is the axed BAC TSR2 and Fairey FD2 and many more that showed it was a far from happy and glorious time being sandwiched between an inefficient aircraft industry and politics.

The industry was struggling to adapt to peacetime conditions after full scale war production and trading models designed for war, coupled with outmoded management, inefficient and dispersed logistics and manufacturing techniques.

The politicians - accepting the Country was near financially ruined after the war - had seemingly little vision of the technical potential under their charge and very limited understanding of changing technologies and military requirements (and intellectual property) based on UK and alliance commitments at home as well as the important cash and employment generating export markets.

The book tells the story of the men who designed and tested/flew British aircraft that had the potential to (and did in rare cases) be great successes in production and in use by the military. It also features the career of the Canadian Bill Waterton, one of the UK's finest test pilots, and his work and struggles to not only test ground breaking planes, but also to have his views and recommendations about them heard and noted to his final banishment from aerospace circles.

Despite record breaking aircraft and industry changing technologies and designs the book charts the consolidation and disappearance of world renowned names and project cancellations at various stages of development and maturity.

Anyone with a passing interest in how the UK aircraft industry faired after the Second World War or the iconic marques mentioned above will find this book interesting.

[PJ Ebbrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book and weep, if you are a Briton. The British Aviation industry led the world at one stage with some spectacular air craft, but we also had some amazingly bad politicos who would get the most brilliant aircraft up into the skies, only to see it cancelled. The author records all the highs and lows on that Indian summer of British aircraft. All so sadly gone and long forever.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

An account of the all too brief postwar period when Britain led the world in innovative aircraft design, and how that lead was irretrievably lost by a series of accidents and bad decisions. The author was captivated by thrilling air displays as a child in the 1950s, and his enthusiastic descriptions made me wish I could have shared this book with my late father, who got his love of fast, airborne metal from roughly contemporary experiences.

[Ian Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about the post-war decades of the UK aviation industry. The sheer engineering magnificence of some of the aircraft, even a sort of beauty, and the courage of the pilots particularly test pilots, are well portrayed. A management lunch at one of the big companies, and a senior test pilot landing early to fit in with union hours on the shop floor, show the industrial inefficiency of the era also. And I also enjoyed the book simply because I can remember seeing and hearing some of these aircraft in flight.

The book's title is a bit over the top in terms of reality, but there were strong aviation links with Canada and Australia at the time. It may also be an obscure comparison to the Japanese empire of the sun. Perhaps an expanded edition could have some more on civil aircraft, particularly the Vickers Viscount, although the Bristol Britannia is well covered. I liked Howard Hughes putting in an appearance to test fly the latter, although he didn't buy it.

[Andy Walker]

Once upon a time, Britain ruled not just the seas but also the skies. Our aircraft flew faster, higher and further than those of any other nation: our test pilots were household names. Then... nothing. James Hamilton-Paterson has pulled of a stylish and rare coup, part boys' own story, part techinical history, part wistful and bitter narrative, presenting the riches-to-rags saga of post-war British aviation. Laced with the laconic reminicences of pilots like the late Bill Waterson, a former RAF pilot who tested many of the nation's cutting-edge aircraft before moving into journalism and becoming the bete noir of the Establishment, this tale of courage, sudden death, political incompetence and indolent business practices is a gem of a read and a salutary lesson in the dangers of losing both national will and nerve.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully written, particularly evocative accounts of the daring flying manoeuvres (although credit for some of the descriptions of those belongs to test pilot reports and memoirs quoted here) and definitely captures the difference in culture between then and now. It was (although perhaps it shouldn't have been) something of a revelation to see how much war time practice and war time attitudes had carried over into the post war period. Even if at times some of the lackadaisical approach taken by governments and industry at the time beggars belief.

[John Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read, but perhaps not quite what the title suggests, being more concerned with the test plots than the aircraft, and only military ones at that. But wonderful on the appalling performance of management and government over a half century. I grew up seeing Canberras and Lightnings in the air nearly every day between Salmesbury and Warton. I still mourn the loss of the TSR2, only saw it in flight twice.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good read considering it has several agendas at play that might have conflicted. First off 'Empire of the Clouds' is a serious (if popular) history of the first 20 years or so after World War Two as experienced in the British aviation industry. This is broken down into three strands; the 'macro' aspects of this period, vis-a-vis the political and industrial powers and how they negotiated (or more relevantly failed to meet) the challenges of the period. Then there are the individual aircraft; some successes, like the English Electric Canberra and arguably the Hawker Hunter, versus the near misses and failures (notably the De Havilland Comet and TSR 2). Thirdly there is the story of the test pilots; men like Bill Waterson, Neville Duke and Roland Beaumont.

Running parallel to these strands of aviation history is Hamilton-Paterson's personal perspective on the period, including his own nostalgic memories of Farnborough air shows and Avro Vulcan fly overs. This of course makes his narrative more immediate and perhaps more emotionally engaging, however for someone who is more interested in the history and less concerned with one person's views, it is at times a distraction. That the author merges the larger history and the more personal with more success than one might expect is an achievement to be respected.

Overall the information that Hamilton-Paterson presents is interesting and he writes with sufficient skill to combine the technical with the anecdotal. For example, when discussing the problems associated with the Gloster Javelin he ensures that the development issues it faced are exemplified by the disastrous crash of one of the prototypes that almost claims the life of test pilot Bill Waterson.

It is a little frustrating that certain aspects of the period's aviation history are ignored, such as the peak British combat period for most of the aircraft types the author considers, i.e. the Suez crisis of 1956. There are also several types of aircraft that aren't given due diligence, such as the Hawker Sea Hawk and the BAE Nimrod; it might have been helpful to look at these as well as the more 'sexy' hits and misses like the Lightning and the Swift.

Finally, whilst one can't find much to fault with the author's arguments regarding the way the British aviation industry faltered during the first couple of decades after WW2, the interest he shows in the test pilots that flew the aircraft produced during this time is a bit of a diversion from these theses. Yes, they might provide a human face to what Hamilton-Paterson is saying, but surely the more important story is the failure of British policy makers and industrial leaders to realise what was going wrong and how they contributed to this gradual demise.

These minor bugbears notwithstanding, overall 'Empire of the Clouds' is a great read for any aviation buff.

[Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is my kind of non-fiction book: not too heavy, based on facts (not that I know anything about aviation except being a passenger, let alone its history) and spun as an interesting story. It is consistent from the start, and immediately I can feel Hamilton-Paterson’s since-childhood interest in planes and stuff and I know that this book has the potential to be a good one.
The book loosely follows history’s footsteps and starts with the heyday of British Aircraft immediately post WW2 and slowly but surely descends into a period of structural breakdown (because of which I don’t remember the chronology at all). There’s a lot of material devoted to Bill Waterton, being James’ childhood hero, and it’s through this piece that I have a mental picture of how aviation companies descended into hopeless management practices (or already were there), which was part of the reason why Britain’s superiority in aviation declined.
The other reason for the decline, which remained with me after finishing the book was government policies (though might have presented a little one-sidedly and without a more detailed comparison with other countries). 2 major government decisions, which were essentially behaviours of the government over the years condensed into a single impactful, debilitating moment - Sandys White Paper and the foresight of UAVs (I’m forgetting the name of the person here) plus their consequences were fantastically detailed. James summed it up perfectly: “a short-lived phenomenon that dazzled even as it was breaking up, leaving a trail seared across one’s mental retina and a fallout of dust’.

Even apart from the focus on British aviation, there was so much to learn about the prevailing attitudes among pilots in general - the carefree attitude, and that too at a time when safety precautions for pilots were practically non-existent compared to today’s standards. Low paying and often strenuous, it’s nothing short of a surprise that there were pilots who gave their heart and soul to the industry, often at times literally. In this sense, there’s a remarkable similarity the way NASA built the road to its first mission to moon and the evolution of aviation industry to where it is today. At the very end, James recognises the hundreds of gravestones that were filled up to pave the way for the current standards where safety is important and it makes me realise that the book is more than an essay in nostalgia - the book is an evidence of remarkable achievements by people of passion sadly marred by incompetent oversight, and of golden moments in periods of decline, which makes Britain yet worthy of the nostalgia and fondness that its citizens accord it.

[Terence S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author James Hamilton-Paterson uses this book to chart the rise and fall of the British aircraft manufacturing industry after World War II, through the experiences of pilots, journalists and his own recollections. The result is a surprisingly enthralling and often personal look at the British aircraft industry, from success stories like the Canberra bomber and Harrier fighter, to disasters like the 1952 Farnborough airshow disaster and the Comet accidents.

Hamilton-Paterson, a ‘New Elizabethan’ and child of the Jet Age, effectively combines his own youth, spent watching Britain’s latest high-tech marvels at airshows and military bases, with the accounts of pilots like Gloster’s Bill Waterton and ‘Robbie’ Robinson of the RAF, to give a look at Britain's Jet Age aircraft both from the ground and in the cockpit. However, he does not limit his examination of the industry to its aircraft designs. Hamilton-Paterson also examines the mistakes and failures made in manufacturers’ boardrooms and politicians’ offices, showing how bureaucratic meddling, mismanagement and a loss of trust between those who built the aircraft and those who flew them contributed to the collapse of several companies, and the failure of many world-beating aircraft designs.

The book provides a great account of how Britain lost its major aircraft manufacturers, but, as Hamilton-Paterson admits in the introduction, it is not a comprehensive one. As the story largely follows the author’s own experiences, discussing the fate of planes and pilots remembered from his youth, some aspects of the British aircraft industry receive far less coverage than the military fighter aircraft Hamilton-Paterson focuses on. For instance, only a few commercial aircraft (mainly the Viscount, Britannia, Comet and VC10) are examined, and helicopters are almost entirely absent from this book.

Despite the omissions, the book does an excellent job in telling the story of how the British aircraft industry lost its capability and innovative lead after World War II. Hamilton-Paterson’s style, aided by the recollections of industry figures and pilots from the period, make for an interesting and readable story, not just of an industry’s downfall, but of the author’s own experiences seeing the aircraft and pilots he loved fade into memory with nothing to replace them.

[Bob Mobley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several weeks ago, while I was in London, on a Sunday night, watching BBC4, I saw this interesting and fascinating program about the British development of the jet engine and its influence from the whole world of aviation and global travel, as well as military applications for defense and offense. The program was based on James Hamilton-Paterson’s book. It was such a fine program, that I fell victim to the ease of buying books on Amazon with one click, and ordered myself a copy to be sent home to Boise, Idaho. This is a wonderful book, with superb pictures and an excellent text. For the general reader, it’s informative and entertaining, and you can dip into it as you see fit, gleaning from the chapters those parts and stories about aircraft and development and engineering, and the wonderful test pilots who flew the planes, as your appetite dictates. For the aviation enthusiast, I might consider this a must read book. It’s a big book, some of you might even call it a coffee table book. It would be great on a vacation, I’m not sure you want to travel with it because it might throw you over the weight limit, jet engines not withstanding. The pictures alone make the book worthwhile, a highly unusual collection of fascinating airplanes and their evolution into supersonic flight. I recommend this book to someone who wants a journey and exposure to an interesting time in history that most of us really don’t know much about, yet touched by every day, the age of jet travel.

[Roger Boyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

John gave me this to give to someone else. I'll give it to Peter.

It's all about the British aviation industry (military and civil) in the period 1945-1970. Having emerged from WW2 with enormous skills in aviation (not least jet technology), 25y later it has fizzled almost to nothing. JH-P lays the blame at the very poor structure of the industry, archaic RAF thinking and misguided Government opinion, all compounded by a country on the financial rocks, at the same time that the US and USSR and gung-ho for development. He notes that the French aero-industry did not disintegrate as the UK one did.

I enjoyed this as I learned a lot about aerodynamics (especially near Mach 1) that I never knew, and also how aero-engineering and testing is "done" (or, at least, was done before sensible simulation became routine). JH-P also makes regular reference to the nature of the times (the generation of "New Elizabethans" which I can just chime into) which reads quite well. Full of anecdotes - the one about Prospero is good, as is the airshow disaster of Ch 1.

Of course, it's not an entirely unbiased account, and more than once descends into a hagiography of Winterton, although this may be justified as history has neglected him badly.

Don't read this if you have no interest in engineering.

[Bryan Wigmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hugely engaging read about a fascinating topic: the weird and wonderful designs of the first jets, the struggle to understand the problems of supersonic flight, the appalling loss of test-pilots' lives, the rivalry with the Americans and the French, the squandering of engineering brilliance and pilot bravery by inept government and indifferent management -- it's all here. In different hands, this could have been an annoyingly "boy's own" book, but though the author has the ability to retrieve his schoolboy enthusiasm from sixty years ago, he does at the same time often poke gentle fun at it. Having said that, some of the best bits of writing are his recollections of watching these craft at air displays as a kid. I saw Buccaneers and Vulcans at Goodwood in the late 70s, and he brought it all back.

[m larkin]

A mixed bag

This is a subject that I am very interested in. This book addressed that topic but also left me feeling frustrated.
So what was the problem?
Well, it came over as a bit of a mish mash of personal views all pretty much thrown in. Overriding theme was how UK had a great industry that was all thrown away. Over and over again this was described. Over and over. One or two heros fought against this but were pushed aside and marginalized.
The book generally came over as a bit of a mess.
Having said that I read it all the way through and kind of enjoyed it.
Feels like it needed more rigorous editing .
Still waiting for the definitive book on this fascinating topic.

[Hans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book about the rise and fall of the British aviation industry.

What makes this rather sobering topic such a wonderful read is that it is written by an aircraft enthousiast. The writer achieves to portray certain flying events described in the book in a lively and entertaining way. Next to this he does give a disturbing view of what happened inside the industry which looked from the outside to be on an unstoppable ride.

The balance between industry and sheer aviation action is just right. Went through its pages like the wind.

Well done!

[Paul M · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with so much UK technology and science, this is the story of mis-management, back-stabbing and lack of successive governments support for the Crown Jewels of the UK aviation industry.
Multiple examples of other countries being ‘gifted’ Hard-won research and developing those ideas and taking credit for it. And amidst it all, a cadre of brilliant pilots willing to risk their lives to make it all work!!

[Alex Vesco · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I’ve read on aviation. If not the best in terms of the history of the post war British aviation industry. It’s excellently written and the author does not mince his words with the politicians who wasted so much talent and financial investment to bring about the decline of the British aviation industry. Highly recommend.

[Hans Brienesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great treatise on the indifference of larger bodies be they corporate or governmental that leads to a general demise of a nation's capabilities in an increasingly tighter technological race. And it is still happening today in other countries, not just the Britain of this book. An invaluable book written from the outside but using information from the inside.

[Michael Heath-Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A close examination of the advanced aeronautics industry in Britain after World War II, well clear of most rivals, and how this industry was lost due to incompetence and a major dose of snobbery. Far more interesting than I would have anticipated.

[Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's such a fantastic book! It was so very interesting and well written. I learnt loads, and it kept my interest until the final 2 chapters. I definitely recommend reading this book. I found this book on libby

[Mark Schulz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story by James Hamilton-Patterson of the decline and destruction of the British aircraft industry. Full of stories of larger-than-life characters who were the test-pilots of the era.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tollyfromslawit@gmail.com

[Darren Driver]

Great Book covering British Fighter and Bomber aircraft of the Post World War.

[Jamesm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well researched

[Robert Small · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this a fascinating read; dimly aware of how Britain led aircraft development this filled out the story for me and where things could have gone had time and politics been different.

[Alastair Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is far more readable than you'd imagine. A tale written from research and first hand experience and by someone who loves airplanes. The author is around the same age as my father and this book explains why my father loves planes and why I attended so many airshows as a child: Every school boy in early post-war Britain had this obsession. Like the author, my father read the Eagle comic as a child with it's futuristic space planes and cut-away drawings of aircraft. My grandfather had been involved with Dehavilland and my father started out there as a "fitting" apprentice, slowly working up the scale until he got to the drawing office. Faced with the prospect of not getting much further he left.

So I too grew up with a love of the old V-Bombers and Lightning Jets and recall carefully drawing pictures of aircraft from copies of Janes' at about five years old. I was also lucky enough to see one of the last flights of the Vulcan after it took off from Elvington and flew around above one of the barracks in York.

This book was like removing the veil of mystique that surrounded all those ghosts of my past. It was great to have the genesis and technicalities of these aircraft explained and heartbreaking to see how appalling mismanagement squandered a bright future.

MJ Wiener's book "English Culture and the Decline of the Industrial Spirit, 1850-1980" describes how the British don't really have much interest in building business empires or working at all; that all they really want to do is to retire to the countryside and enjoy a vapid life as one of the landed gentry. Hamilton-Paterson describes this problem strikingly in his book - company leaders not really taking any interest in what their business is doing so long as they can have a long lunch.

Britain has a problem that an unending chain of governments has not helped nurture new business sectors enough. Likewise many small business' struggle to gain funding from Banks as it's easier to prop up the larger firms ('better to not risk loosing a long lunch...). Much of our industry has disappeared through the sort of indifference and neglect described in this book. The only industry that does get government support seems to be Finance... noteworthy that this is probably the only sector that can still support long lunches that end in Port and Whiskey. But finally, thanks to Brexit, it looks like this industry is likely to disappear too. Good riddance. Then maybe we can all start again and do what we do best without the incumbent "ruling class" getting in the way. (It's important to keep hope alive...)

[Jim B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rather interesting book is a combination memoir, biography of Canadian test pilot Bill Waterton, and indictment of the British aviation industry. Hamilton-Paterson tells the story of a bloated industry that started out with such promise, but was able to squander that promise through inefficiency, political meddling, and just plain ignorance. (It is shocking to read just how many prototypes were scrapped just before flight testing was to begin.) Oddly, it seems the engineers were successful in-spite of themselves and the RAF never insisted that they had a functioning product before taking an aircraft on strength. (For example early Hunters that couldn't actually fire their guns.) The sections on Bill Waterton are quite eye opening in that his employer Gloster seemed to not value any of his input as Chief Test pilot. Cockpit ergonomics, heck at times pilot safety, didn't appear to be of much interest to the industry. (Let alone paying a living wage.) There area few hilarious stories, such as the Valiant being built on a field without a runway that the Valiant could be operated from, the the need to end flight testing in order to not miss lunch. It appears that many British lament the failures of their aviation industry, and often blame the politicians, but it appears that they were only part of the problem, and there was much blame to go around and much of it may be placed on the aviation companies themselves. A fascinating and enjoyable, but very British read.

[Gareth Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Britain's post war air industry provides many interesting stories: daring, yet professional test pilots; some very sexy hardware; and political intrigue at governmental and company level. This can be coupled with a basic introduction to the physics of flying at transonic and supersonic speeds. In the hands of many authors these ingredients could be spoiled, it would be very easy to make this very boring. It takes real skill to make it as exciting as Hamilton-Paterson does. For some it may be a little too Boy's Own, anlgocentric and nostalgic, but I thought it was a truly great read.

[John Marley · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most enjoyable aircraft books I've ever read. I can't rate it highly enough. It gives an era (that I've always found fascinating) a human face- one of bravery, sacrifice and technical mastery. A glimpse into a proud past and a sad glance towards an uncertain future. A truly great book.

[Edward James · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exhilarating and frustrating overview of the post-war British aviation industry and history. So many amazing achievements, and yet so often were they thwarted by lack of foresight, money, and by politics. Well worth a read if you'd like to get a feel for the atmosphere of that 'golden age' of British aviation development in the 1940s-1960s.

Enjoy!