To the Standards of Sir Henry Royce (24th Wings Club General Harold R. Harris "Sight" Lecture, presented 20 May 1987 at Inter-Continental Hotel, New York), 1987-05-20, 1987

Document Type: Presentation (Industry).

Purpose: Informational.

Authority: Author Expertise.

Scope: 24th Wings Club General Harold R. Harris "Sight" Lecture, presented 20 May 1987 at the Inter-Continental Hotel, New York by Ralph H. Robins, Mamaging Director, Rolls-Royce plc.

Contents: Robins describes the origin and history of both Charles Rolls, Frederick Royce and the company they created. He then focuses on their work on aeroplane engines and traces the history of RR aero engines to the present day.

From the Introduction: "I would like to thank the Wings Club for the foresight to invite me to give this lecture today on May 20th 1987, the very day that trading starts in Rolls-Royce shares on its return as a publicly quoted company after 16 years of state ownership. The Prospectus recently produced was just under 100 pages long. The one prepared for the original flotation in 1906 was only 9 pages and was all about motor cars because the Company was floated as a motor car company.

In our recent Prospectus there was, of course, no mention of motor cars, since they are now manufactured by Vickers. However, the original Memorandum of Association demonstrated the extraordinary vision of Rolls and Royce, since it covered the possibilities of power plants for aviation, land and marine operation, for sale or lease, as can be seen from the quotation below: "To manufacture, sell, or let on hire, or in any manner dispose of or turn to account, motor vehicles for use on land or water or in the air, and any parts of or accessories to the same, and internal combustion engines for stationary use...."