The major achievements of the Royal Air Force during the last war were made possible very largely by three aeroplanes – the Hurricane, the Spitfire, and the Lancaster. They became very well known to the British public at that time, and indeed to the enemy. Less widely known, but nevertheless publicly acknowledged, were their chief designers – S. Camm, R. J. Mitchell and R. Chadwick.

Two other aeroplanes that found a place in the public eye were the Wellington bomber and the Sunderland Flying Boat. A. Gouge, the chief designer of the latter, was hardly noticed, but B. N. Wallis, who contributed most to the design of the Wellington, became a national figure when he moved on to the design of his great bombs.