Beardmore-Halford-Pullinger (BHP) were a series of aircraft engines produced between 1916 and 1918. [1] The engines were used on many First World War aircraft, including the Airco DH.4 and DH.9. [2]
The name B.H.P is derived from surnames of three people: [3]
Beardmore started building aero-engines in 1913 when the group acquired the rights for licensed production of the Austro-Daimler 6. Arrol-Johnson (a Beardmore subsidiary involved in automobile production) produced the Austro-Daimler 90 and 120 hp engines at their facility in Dumfries, Scotland. The 120 hp engine was further developed at the Arrol-Johnson works with inputs from Frank Halford who was assigned to the firm as a liaison officer. Changes included the introduction of twin carburetors and dual ignition. The resulting engine was sold as the Beardmore 160 hp. [6]
Halford and Pullinger then designed a completely new engine to compete with the latest German inline six-cylinder models. A new company, the Galloway Engineering Co. Ltd. was set up in Kirkcudbright, near Dumfries, to continue development and production. [5] [6] Although BHP's design was projected to produce 300 hp (224 kW) the engine's output came in below expectations. The original name given to the engine was the 200 hp BHP. The engine's name was later changed to the 230 hp BHP to better reflect its actual output. Finally, the engine's name was changed to the Galloway Adriatic. [7]
The 230 hp engine was also licensed to Siddeley-Deasy, to be built at their Parkside works. In addition to building the Adriatic engines, Galloway also supplied components to Siddeley-Deasy. John Siddeley himself worked on the engine and, after making many changes, released the engine as the Siddeley Puma. The Puma was later developed into the ADC Nimbus. [6]
In British military service both Siddeley and Galloway built engines were known as the 230 hp BHP although they had different dimensions and few interchangeable parts. [6] [8]
Relatively few Galloway Adriatic engines were built. At the end of WW1, the RAF had 89 Galloway Adriatic engines in service versus 3,255 engines built by Siddeley-Deasy. All of the Adriatic engines were fitted to aircraft based in the United Kingdom. [9]
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