This milestone launched a career that bridged early pioneering aviation experiments and mass-scale industrial manufacturing during the First World War, fundamentally altering the landscape of British aeronautical engineering.
Early Development and Interests
Born in Vauxhall in 1864, Hilda Beatrice Hewlett attended the National Art Training School in South Kensington. Her formal education focused on wood, metal, and needlework, skills that later proved essential to her engineering work. By 1888, she had married Maurice Henry Hewlett. Her early adulthood included extensive travel, including a trip to Egypt that she described as a catalyst for independent thinking. Before aviation, she became a proficient motorist, participating in significant rallies and gaining experience as a mechanic.
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In 1909, Hewlett travelled to France to study aeronautics under the pseudonym Grace Bird, where she met her future partner, Gustav Blondeau. By the summer of 1910, the pair established the first flying school at Brooklands. Thirteen students graduated under their tutelage with a perfect safety record. In 1911, Hewlett took charge during a dispute with the Brooklands Racing Club over event revenue. She organized a strike, successfully demanding a greater share of gate receipts for the pilots, forcing the management to improve prize structures.
Industrial Manufacturing and Wartime Output
Hewlett founded Hewlett & Blondeau Limited to manufacture aircraft, including Farman, Caudron, and Hanriot designs. Initially based at Brooklands and Battersea, the company relocated to a 10-acre site in Leagrave, Bedfordshire, by May 1914. During the First World War, the factory expanded significantly, employing 700 staff to produce over 800 aeroplanes and vital 90 hp engines. Following the war, the company shifted briefly to farming equipment before closing in 1920.
Life in New Zealand
Seeking to escape the confines of urban civilization, Hewlett emigrated to Tauranga, New Zealand. She remained active in the local aviation community, serving as the first president of the Tauranga Aero and Gliding Club in 1932. She lived there until her death on 21 August 1943. Following a service at the local railway wharf, she was buried at sea.
Fast facts
- Born: 1864, Vauxhall
- Died: 1943, Tauranga
- Pilot certificate: Number 122
- Company: Hewlett & Blondeau Limited
- Wartime output: Over 800 aircraft
- Maximum workforce: 700 people
- Known by family as: Billy
- Nickname in New Zealand: Old Bird
Questions readers ask
Was she the first woman in Britain to fly?
She was the first British woman to earn an official pilot's licence.
What did her company produce during the First World War?
The factory manufactured more than 800 military aircraft and specialised 90 hp engines.
