Clarke, Thomas Wigston Kinglake 1873 - 1901

(1873-1941), aeronautical engineer

Thomas Wigston Kinglake Clarke, an aviation pioneer, founded the first aeronautical engineering works in Britain, named T.W.K. Clarke and Co. in Kingston-upon-Thames in 1906. They produced the Wright-Clarke glider. In 1912 Clarke became a member of the Royal Aircraft Establishment, where he remained for many years. He was a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, which awarded him his bronze medal in 1932. He served on the council of the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain from 1911 to 1913. He was dangerously wounded in the South African War. Clarke died in Weobley, Herefordshire at the age of 67 in January 1941.