134:
149:, which were very well balanced, and with a low centre of gravity making good stability. Each water cooled cylinder was separate and identical for either engine, having 3.75inch (95.25mm) bore and stroke, giving capacities of 2715cc for the four cylinder and 4072cc for the six cylinder. Cylinders were slightly offset with separate crankpins, and the crankshaft had intermediate bearings between each pair of cylinders.
174:
The sole known surviving Wilson-Pilcher car is a four-cylinder version that was retained by the
Amstrong Whitworth factory and after restoration in the 1940s was presented to W.G.Wilson in the 1950s. It stayed in Wilson family ownership (having been displayed at various museums) until 2012 when it
114:
air cooled and weighed only 40 lb, but shortly before a demonstration flight planned for 30 September 1899 it suffered a crankshaft failure. Unwilling to let down his backers
Pilcher opted to demonstrate a glider, which crashed and fatally injured him. The shock of Pilcher's death, at only 33
374:
160:, and enclosed in an oil bath, making for very silent transmission. Reverse gear was built into the rear axle, as was the foot-operated brake drum, all of which was housed in a substantial aluminium casing.
222:
to allow it to be steered by a single driver rather than the four previously needed. In 1937, he provided a new steering design which gave a larger turning radius at higher speeds.
141:
Following the death of
Pilcher, he switched to building the Wilson–Pilcher motor car, which was launched in 1900. This car was quite remarkable in that it was available with either
591:
207:". At Wilson's suggestion the tracks were extended right round the vehicle. This second design (first called "Wilson", then "Centipede", then "Big Willie", and finally "
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in 1915, 20 Squadron was assigned to it and Wilson was placed in charge of the experiments. Wilson worked with the agricultural engineer
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and being bolted directly to the engine. This allowed four speeds, with direct drive in top gear. All the gears were
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of
Dartford designing the Hallford lorry which saw extensive service with the army during World War I.
64:
218:
Designing several of the early
British tanks, he incorporated epicyclic gearing which was used in the
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32:
393:
357:"Category:H.M.S. Britannia (Training Ship) Entrants of January, 1888 - The Dreadnought Project"
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concept and used it in the cars he subsequently manufactured which he named Wilson-Pilcher.
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With the outbreak of the First World War, Wilson rejoined the navy and transferred to the
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who took over production of the Wilson-Pilcher car. From 1908 to 1914 he worked with
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410:"The Wilson-Pilcher Petrol Cars", The Automotor Journal, 16 April 1904, pp463-468
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Ltd. Wilson self-changing gearboxes were available on most subsequent
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years old, ended Wilson's plans for aero engines, though he kept the
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491:
Bill Smith: Armstrong
Siddeley Motors; Veloce, Dorchester, UK, 2006
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on several occasions while they were undergraduates in
Cambridge.
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to develop the design commercially. Improved Gears later became
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automobiles as well as buses, railcars and marine launches.
63:, on 21 April 1874. In 1888 he enlisted as a midshipman on
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began investigating armoured fighting vehicles under the
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A. A. Miller, "Wilson, Walter Gordon (1874–1957)", rev.
443:"£200,000 paid for Elswick built 1904 Wilson-Pilcher"
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in 1916, becoming a Major in the Heavy Branch of the
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automobiles, manufactured up to 1960, as well as on
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Companions of the Order of St
Michael and St George
203:, resulting in the first British prototype tank, "
152:The gearbox of the car was also novel, having dual
98:Interested in powered flight, he collaborated with
300:His work on gears was used in many British tanks.
86:, in 1897. Wilson acted as 'mechanic' for the Hon
602:Royal Naval Air Service personnel of World War I
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248:
122:
508:. Grace's Guide to British Industrial History
185:Royal Naval Air Service Armoured Car Division
175:was sold by auction to a private collector.
70:, but resigned in 1892. In 1894 he entered
74:, where he studied the mechanical sciences
27:(21 April 1874 – 1 July 1957) was an Irish
241:twice and was appointed Companion of the
481:(Supplement). 1 June 2017. p. 5460.
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391:
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429:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
392:Harkness, Timandra (13 December 2003).
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37:Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors
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534:Walter Wilson: Portrait of an Inventor
530:
422:
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418:
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627:Military personnel from County Dublin
612:British Army personnel of World War I
257:, and formed Improved Gears Ltd with
102:and the Hon Adrian Verney-Cave later
31:, inventor and member of the British
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93:
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607:Royal Navy officers of World War I
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375:"Wilson, Walter Gordon (WL894WG)"
243:Order of St Michael and St George
163:After marrying in 1904 he joined
637:Irish officers in the Royal Navy
211:") became the prototype for the
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432:, Oxford University Press, 2004
35:. He was credited by the 1919
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191:personnel in France. When the
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597:People from Blackrock, Dublin
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632:Engineers from County Dublin
587:Royal Tank Regiment officers
572:British mechanical engineers
308:Wilson died on 1 July 1957.
249:Wilson self-changing gearbox
110:from 1898. The engine was a
50:
7:
379:A Cambridge Alumni Database
123:The Wilson-Pilcher Car 1900
10:
653:
582:Machine Gun Corps officers
567:Irish mechanical engineers
381:. University of Cambridge.
126:
39:as the co-inventor of the
531:Wilson, A.Gordon (1986).
137:A 1904 Wilson-Pilcher Car
72:King's College, Cambridge
303:
178:
331:"Bovington Tank Museum"
253:In 1928, he invented a
239:mentioned in dispatches
189:Royal Naval Air Service
33:Royal Naval Air Service
502:"Walter Gordon Wilson"
361:dreadnoughtproject.org
225:He transferred to the
187:, which protected the
138:
106:to attempt to make an
100:Percy Sinclair Pilcher
255:self-changing gearbox
136:
78:, graduating with a
20:Walter Gordon Wilson
562:Royal Navy officers
337:on 20 February 2008
263:Self-Changing Gears
165:Armstrong Whitworth
55:Walter was born in
29:mechanical engineer
478:The London Gazette
453:on 7 November 2018
267:Armstrong Siddeley
197:Landship Committee
139:
80:first class degree
506:gracesguide.co.uk
231:Machine Gun Corps
43:, along with Sir
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449:. Archived from
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333:. Archived from
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245:on 4 June 1917.
233:- the embryonic
147:flat-six engines
94:Aero engine 1898
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577:Irish inventors
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154:epicyclic gears
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45:William Tritton
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169:J & E Hall
129:Wilson-Pilcher
127:Main article:
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537:. Duckworth.
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398:The Telegraph
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394:"Aiming high"
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205:Little Willie
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510:. Retrieved
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455:. Retrieved
451:the original
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339:. Retrieved
335:the original
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259:J D Siddeley
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227:British Army
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622:1957 deaths
617:1874 births
473:"No. 30111"
447:The Journal
341:9 September
220:Mark V tank
213:Mark I tank
108:aero-engine
88:C. S. Rolls
556:Categories
457:6 November
312:References
275:Lanchester
235:Tank Corps
104:Lord Braye
512:20 August
400:. London.
237:. He was
193:Admiralty
143:flat-four
117:flat twin
112:flat-twin
67:Britannia
57:Blackrock
51:Education
291:Invicta
271:Daimler
158:helical
541:
279:Talbot
209:Mother
76:tripos
317:Notes
304:Death
295:Riley
179:Tanks
17:Major
539:ISBN
514:2016
459:2018
343:2006
293:and
84:B.A.
65:HMS
41:tank
283:ERA
145:or
24:CMG
558::
504:.
475:.
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415:^
396:.
377:.
359:.
289:,
287:AC
285:,
281:,
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547:.
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461:.
363:.
345:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
