Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The Institution of Aeronautical Engineers ‘Sir Charles Wakefield’ Gold Medal for 1932 awarded to Leslie George Frise, B.Sc., F.R.Ae.S., a distinguished aircraft designer at the Bristol Aeroplane Company, for his invention of the Frise Aileron

The Institution of Aeronautical Engineers ‘Sir Charles Wakefield Medal’, 18 carat gold, hallmarked Birmingham 1932, 134.69g, 63mm, the reverse inscribed ‘1932. Awarded to L. G. Frise B.Sc.. F.R.Ae.S. for his invention of the Frise Aileron’ in its Bravingtons fitted presentation case, extremely fine and rare £2,400-£3,000

Provenance: Morton and Eden, December 2005.

Leslie George Frise was born in Bristol on 2 July 1895, and educated at Bristol Grammar School before going to Bristol University. On 1 May 1916, he applied for and was accepted for a commission in the Royal Naval Air Service, Air Department, Technical Section, but, because his skills were badly needed at the Bristol Aeroplane Company, his commission was cancelled. During his time at the Bristol Aeroplane Company, he was responsible for the design of several celebrated aircraft. In 1921 he patented the Frise Aileron which received world wide recognition and for which he was awarded the Sir Charles Wakefield Gold Medal of the Institute of Aeronautical Engineers, which was amalgamated with the Royal Aeronautical Society in 1927.

His first major aircraft was the Bristol Bulldog which in 1930 was the ultimate expression of biplane fighter design and became for many years the standard R.A.F. fighter and was employed by many other Air Forces throughout the world. Britain First, a monoplane, followed in 1934 and with its retractable undercarriage it was found to be 100mph faster than its competitors. Designed as a fighter it at once created a new formula for aerodynamic and structural efficiency. It was, however, in its bomber version, the Blenheim, that it became a household name during the early days of the Second World War. This was followed shortly by the Beaufort and then, only six months into the war, he designed the Bristol Beaufighter which with its awesome firepower and high speed ensured that it would become one of the most outstanding long range night intruders of the war.

After the war and still with the Bristol Aeroplane Company, he designed the Brigand that saw service in Malaya and was later utilised as a meteorological research aircraft. His design of the Bombay was further developed after the war into the Bristol Freighter, which was an excellent weight lifter and pioneered the concept of nose-loading doors, making it a unique looking machine. Probably his most epic experiment was the giant people carrier, the Brabazon, an aircraft way ahead of its time but doomed to failure because of the post-war economic situation and the birth of mass market air travel. The Brabazon was designed to seat 100 passengers in some comfort but, by comparison, the Boeing 767, similar in size, could carry up to 375. The economics did not add up and in July 1943 Duncan Sandys announced its cancellation.

In 1948 Frise left the Bristol Aeroplane Company for Percival, later Hunting Percival Aircraft Ltd. Here he was responsible for the Sea Prince and later the single-engined Provost, which became the basic trainer for the R.A.F. He also designed its successor the Jet Provost, used by the R.A.F. and other air forces as a basic jet trainer. It went through a host of modifications, even becoming the light tactical strike aircraft the Strikemaster. He also pioneered a jet helicopter whilst working for the company, for which he was Technical Director and Chief Engineer from 1948 to 1956, in which year he moved to Blackburn Aircraft Ltd. where, from 1956 to 1962, he was Director of Special Projects.

In retirement Frise was not only Managing Director of his own companies, Frise Patents Ltd. and Frise Engineering Ltd. but he also ran a restaurant in Clifton, Bristol. He died in Bristol on 26 September 1979.