Henry (Haneich Hanoch) Kremer

Henry Kremer was born was born in Dvinsk (now Dau gavpils) Latvia on May 8, 1907. His parents emigrated to England after World War I and Henry was educated in Britain and Switzerland, becoming a British citizen. His parents started a small plywood and chip-board fabrication business. Their son joined the firm in 1927 and proved to be brilliant at devising new materials and methods of making them. By the time World War II broke out, he held a number of patents, including those for the plywood process used to build the de Havilland Mosquito bomber. In 1941 he developed a process for making a plywood substitute from sawdust, wood shavings and resin. Structural moulded boards replaced natural timber, which was then unobtainable, and were used in the war effort and later commercially. This was the first product of its type in Britain and it grew into the chipboard industry. In 1953 he produced a process of making glass fibres which were chopped and assembled with adhesive and, when used with epoxy resin. formed strong structural material. This process, initially only for defence purposes, is now used commercially for most reinforced plastics work. Without the resin it is now well known as fibreglass insulation. Henry Kremer founded Microcell in 1951 and subsequently expanded it into the Laser group of companies. In 1954 In a patent, kept as secret for some years, Mr Kremer described the invention of coating short glass fibres with aluminium. This was entitled Rapid Blooming Window and replaced the original window of aluminium foil, being lighter, easier to deploy and staying in the air longer. Dispensers were developed by Microcell for use on the RAF V bombers. which threw out bundles of 2 inch lengths of the fibres. In 1959 Experiments were carried out on behalf of the Royal Aircraft Establishment on void free radomes to produce better performance for radars. The successful methods of manufacture were put into widespread use in industry. Since working with de Havilland, Kremer had maintained his interest in aviation, and he was also very interested in physical fitness. Both subjects were closely connected with Robert Graham's project to develop a human-powered aircraft, and from time to time Graham informed Kremer of the progress of the MAPAC and its successor committee of the Royal Aeronautical Society. One day in 1959, Kremer, Graham, H. G. Bennison, Fred East, and Air Commodore Bryan Hatfield stopped for lunch at the Cambridge Hotel in Camberley after touring one of Microcell's factories. The group was in a jovial mood because of a successful merger, and Graham spoke enthusiastically about human-powered flight. "Man could fly," he told the other men. "If only someone would put up a prize for it, say about five thousand pounds." "I'll put up five thousand pounds," Henry Kremer volunteered immediately. The astonished and delighted Graham turned to his companions and verified that they had heard Kremer's offer. Bennison confirmed it and offered to put a plaque on the lunch table if anything ever came of it. That was the beginning of the Kremer Prize. The prize was announced in November 1959, and a letter signed by Robert Graham in the Royal Aeronautical Society Journal for January 1960 stated that the award would be made for "The first successful flight of a British designed, built, and flown Man-Powered Aircraft, such flight to take place within the British Commonwealth, under conditions laid down by the Royal Aeronautical Society." Over the next 27 years Kremer's personal sponsorship led to the construction of many aircraft, short flights. completion of a figure-of-eight course and the spectacular Channel crossing in 1979. During that period his sponsorship amounted to more than £150,000. He realised that this was the first real step in human-powered flight and gave the Royal Aeronautical Society a further £100,000 prize money to encourage the design of more robust and practical aircraft. A speed competition was devised which became an outstanding success. with the fifth and final winner completing the 1,500 metre course at a speed of 44kph. There is over £150,000 still to be won in Kremer prizes. In 1969 Mr Kremer conducted experiments on electro viscous fluids, in conjunction with defence departments and Sheffield University. such fluids are now in wide use in industry for controlling power eg in clutches. In 1974 Mr Kremer took over the concept of the Wheelbarrow for approaching suspected bomb situations in Northern Ireland and produced the first useable version. Production was assigned to another company. Although his man-powered flight competition attracted widespread interest and publicity.

Kremer was a self-effacing man who avoided the limelight. It is doubtful that human powered flight would have been achieved and developed to the extent it has been without the encouragement and support of Henry Kremer. The Royal Aeronautical Society honoured him with Companionship in 1975. and in 1988 the Federation Atronautique Internationale presented him with its highest award. the Gold Air Medal. and later made him a Companion of Honour of the FAI.

Henry Kremer died at his home in Israel on April 8 1992 aged 84.

Born 8th May1907, died 8th April 1992.

Companion of the RAeS 1975

The Paul Tissandier Diploma 1978

The FAI Gold Air Medal 1987

This was compiled from the following sources: 1. Notes and citations held at the RAeS library. 2. An obituary written by Frank Low (Chairman of the HPAG). 3.The Gossamer Odyssey by Morton Grosser.