Beardmore WB.XXIV Wee Bee I

Beardmore WB.XXIV Wee Bee I, by Charles Mac Kay, December 31, 2019

One of the most pleasant designs worked on by the William Beardmore & Co. Ltd. at Dalmuir, Scotland, in 1919 was a single seat all-metal biplane tourer. It was to be powered by a five-cylinder radial engine, but was modified to take a two-cylinder engine. As such it was called the Beardmore W.B. Vic. The concept of a single-engined tourer lay dormant until 1924 when W.S. Shackleton took over the design.

With the impetus of another Air Ministry competition Shackleton redesigned the W.B.VIc around the 32 hp Bristol Cherub two-cylinder horizontally-opposed engine. This aircraft was to be called the W.B.XXIV Wee Bee I and was built entirely of wood. One of its important features was the design of its box wing, which was built up of wooden laminations around a box structure. Although this made the W.B.XXIV very strong it also made it extremely expensive to build. It could carry a pilot and one passenger.

The W.B.XXIV was test flown by A.N. Kingwill at Renfrew aerodrome where it was found to be a delight to fly. It was extremely pleasant in the air, with well-balanced, crisp controls. It was entered for the Air Ministry's Two-seat Light Aeroplane Trials, held at Lympne September 29 - October 4, 1924, and though there were some difficulties with the Bristol Cherub (it threw a small end on one piston) it won the competition. This gave W.S. Shackleton the unique position of having designed two entries for the competition, the other aircraft being the ANEC II.

Only one Wee Bee was built and it never progressed from its initial win at Lympne, since it was a much more expensive aircraft to build and run. The de Havilland company went on to produce the two-seat Moth that was to dominate the British civil scene for the next three decades. There was no demand for the W.B.XXIV.

The aircraft had been registered to the Beardmore company as G-EBJJ on July 14, 1924, subsequently it was registered to William Beardmore (aka Lord Invernairn), to L.S. Dawson, and finally to Norman Edgar of Bristol, from October 25, 1932 on.

When W.S. Shackleton moved to Australia the Wee Bee followed and it was registered VH-URJ to P.T. Parker of Warrnambool, Victoria on April 26, 1933, subsequent owners were A. McFarlane of Coburg, and, from October 1938 on, E.R. Betts of South Yarra.

The sole W.B.XXIV was flown until 1939, when Betts hit a rock upon landing at Pomberneit and broke the Wee Bee in half, wrecking the aircraft; the registration was cancelled on August 26, 1940. It is known to have existed in Australia to at least 1949, when Vincent Boyes in Victoria owned it. It was put up for sale in December 1951 at a price of Ł125, with the Cherub having only one hour on the clock.