Rearmament: the Years of Indecision

Within the short space of one year, three events occurred which were of considerable importance. The design work on the Merlin engine, or PV-12 as it was then called, instrument first of survival and then of victory in the Second World War, started in October 1932 as a purely private venture. On 30 January 1933 Adolf Hitler became Chancellor and within a few weeks had inaugurated the Third Reich. In May of the same year Sir Henry Royce died at his home at West Wittering after a long and painful illness which did not prevent him from continuing to work until almost his last day. During his latter years Royce’s influence over the policy of the design department was not as strong as it had once been and the general policy of the firm was very largely beyond his influence. The practical direction of design and development came increasingly under Rowledge, who had come over to Rolls-Royce from Napiers. Commercial and administrative policy, over which Royce in the later years of his life had never had a very great influence, was largely directed by Sidgreaves. Royce was succeeded as chief engineer by A. G. Elliott, who until then had been head of the design staff at West Wittering.