Robert Blackburn, a name unknown to many, was a major pioneer of British aircraft design and build from the early years of the first successful flights by the Wright Brothers. From those historic times he went on to create numerous successful aircraft of which many figured in both world wars in war machines and commercial offerings where over 80 different aircraft designs sprung from the fertile mind of Robert during its time in business.
The novel `The Two Lives of Grand Duke Michael` introduces Robert into the thick of the adventures during February 1918 when Michael was aboard the British Flagship Battleship Iron Duke whilst on his journey around the North Cape to Scapa Flow. Due to torpedo damage from German U-boats, the Iron Duke was reduced to 10 knots and it was decided to ask Michael to fly off the battleship on one of Robert Backburns designs, the Type L Seaplane. The plan being to get him to land at Scarborough in time to meet with allied war commanders and senior Heads of States, including Winston Churchill and Woodrow Wilson at the Grand Hotel.
Days later, Michael flies the successful Type L Sea Plane from Filey Beach onto Edjsberg in Denmark. Only hours before the take-off, The Grand Duke, with his secretary Nicholas Johnson, had buried a huge haul of Romanov Crown Jewels on the cliff tops in the Filey bay.
Earlier in 1912, the Grand Duke Michael and his wife Natalia were exiled from Russia to start a new life in the UK due to his unacceptable marriage with a commoner. In the novel, The Grand Duke through his adventures spirit and gung ho activities in land and sea soon became a student of Robert in learning to fly which was the grounding of a firm friendship. The novel goes onto to create Michael as being the co-pilot of the Type L Sea Plane which was entered into the Daily Mail Round Britain Air Race set for 14th. August 1914. However, the outbreak of war 2 weeks earlier had meant that the war office had impounded the Type L for war service and the race was cancelled.
The culminating pinnacle of Blackburn’s achievements were met when his company The Blackburn Aeroplane and Motor Company was incorporated into British Aerospace with its research and design facilities based in Hull on the Humber estuary. Today, and long after his death in 1955, the founding father of the company stands strong in the world of aviation design and manufacture.
Robert Blackburn, was born in Kirkstall Leeds in 1885 and built his first aircraft, flew it and crash landed on the North Yorkshire coast at Saltburn in 1909. Not put off by this the young impetuous Robert Blackburn built another aircraft and flew the plane off the beach at Filey in April 1911, reaching a ground speed of 50 miles per hour.
Around that time Grand Duke Michael, the brother of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia became a frequent visitor to that part of the Yorkshire coast and often stayed over at the Grand Hotel in Scarborough.
In 1914 Robert Blackburn opened a factory in Roundhay, Leeds to build aircraft hoping to start an air service between Leeds and Bradford.
It was on a trip to Hull that he stayed at the Station Hotel in the village of Brough as there was an immanent air raid in Hull from a German airship.
The following morning, he walked his dog along the shore of the Humber to find not only a flat field but a large stretch of calm water. This was the site he was looking for to continue the development of his sea planes. In 1920 he transferred his manufacturing plant from Roundhay and built a new research and development factory on the banks of the Humber Estuary in Brough just a short journey from the industrial hub of Hull.
Blackburn was interested in not only building aircraft, but also flying them. He offered flying lessons and established passenger flights between Hull, Leeds and Hounslow with summer trips to Harrogate and Scarborough. This enterprise was short lived, and the business moved to freight only flying between Leeds and Amsterdam via Lympne and London. He had a grandiose scheme to fly from Hull to Copenhagen and onwards to Stockholm, Helsinki and Petrograd.
This Petrograd service may well relate to the close friendship as explained in the novel `The Two Lives of Grand Duke Michael` with Grand Duke Michael, especially as Michael had massive business interests in Petrograd and so many useful contacts..
For more information about the adventures of Grand Duke Michael Romanov in this novel, visit the rest of the website: https://tsar-michael-romanov.com/
