Horace Short (Bros.)

[Simon Beck]

I was looking through a book at the library the other
day and came across a picture of the Short Bros. with
a group of other aeronautical engineers etc. I noticed
that in the photo Horace appears to have a deformaty
or had the photo been damaged in some way?

The book made no reference to it but left me wondering
if anyone else had come across it?

Simon B.

[dhfan]

Horace had an illness as a child which left him with a deformed skull. The only book I have which I know explains it I've lent to somebody so I can't look it up at present.

Wiki says Brachycephaly which doesn't ring bells and I have a feeling is wrong but I can't prove it...

[Robbo]

Ken, if that book is "Knights of the air", I've got it. Kev gave it to me to return to you at Cosford.

Last edited by Robbo on Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:06 am, edited 1 time in total.

[dhfan]

That's the one Rob. Brilliant plan but...

If you haven't already, make sure you read it before we meet again. It really is very good. Perhaps you could look up Horace Short too.

[Robbo]

Ken, it's so good that I've bought myself a copy. I'll look up the references to Horace and post them here.

[dhfan]

Thanks Rob.

In case anybody's wondering what we're going on about, the full title is
Knights of the Air: The Life and Times of the Extraordinary Pioneers Who First Built British Aeroplanes. Author Peter King.

I received it as a present from somebody and sat down to read it with very low expectations.

I was wrong.

[JDK]

From 'Planemakers 4: Shorts.' Michael J H Taylor, Janes.

The story of the brothers Short and their eventual part in aviation
history begins on 2 July 1872, when Emma Short presented Samuel
Short with a son. Named Horace Leonard, he was to be the main force
behind the early aeroplane constructing enterprise when in his mid-30s.
Unfortunately, at a very young age, Horace suffered an injury to his
head which brought on meningitis. Although his head became an
abnormal size, his very high intellect clearly helped him cope with this
abnormality. Indeed, while still in his teens he set out to work his way to
Australia. His adventures en route were as if taken from a story book
and included his capture and subsequent escape from cannibals. Even-
tually Horace found his way to Mexico where, as the manager of a silver
mine, he used all his cunning together with his rather alarming appear-
ance to keep local outlaws from the silver as it was being transported.
His inventive mind was also hard at work during this period and at about
this time he invented the Auxetophone, a device by which spoken or
pre-recorded sound could be amplified.

[dhfan]

James, that sounds more like what I couldn't remember.