Boxall - Identical Twin brothers Reg and Fred
The following information is derived from an article written by Martyn Pressnell.
My thanks go to Martyn for allowing me to use much of his original text.
The identical twin brothers Fred and Reg Boxall were born in 1921 and later attended the Midhurst Grammar School. They commenced model building and flying in 1937, forming a model club in their home village of Fittleworth in Sussex. Reaching the age of 18 in 1939, they were called to military service with the RAF, and Fred became a navigator on Lancasters whilst Reg became a Flight Engineer on Liberators, both seeing service in North Africa. Following the war Fred worked as a GPO linesman whilst Reg became a motor vehicle spray painter.
Later, in the Brighton club, the brothers met and adopted the young Peter Giggle and his friends as 'apprentices'. Fred and Reg were prodigious model builders and flyers of the 1950's and keen competition entrants. Records show that Fred was the more successful brother, representing Great Britain in both the Wakefield Championships of 1951 in Jami Jarvi, Finland and at the A2 Glider Championships of 1956 in Florence, Italy. Another modeller, now well known and helped by Fred, was the youthful Chris Foss who was flying Fred's open rubber model design in 1966. He has become one of our most respected kit producers today.
Fred was not only successful; he earned considerable respect for his knowledge of model design and flying, for his modesty and for his ever helpful approach to all he met. His models were built impeccably with considerable skill. Speaking in his quiet rural tone, Fred never sought publicity and usually declined to publish his model designs, although his 1949 British Record-holding 'Bryton Roc' design is well known. He was athletically fit, energetic and well-known for his tree climbing exploits.
One of his favourite theories concerned the use of heavyweight modelspan tissue on his glider
wings with the rough side uppermost on the top and with the smooth side exposed on the underneath, this he expounded to his team mates as they travelled to the glider championships in Italy. He was attracted to the principle of the centre of lateral area (CLA) as a design tool and had numerous formulae at his fingertips to design his successful range of gliders and rubber models. Many of these post war models bear a strong family resemblance, with their fin area carried 50% or more below the fuselage.
Fred died in 1971 at the age of just 50, predeceasing his brother by two years. A short quotation from his obituary as printed in 'SEADOG', the newsletter of the SMAE South Eastern Area, December 1971, as kindly provided by John Fox with his personal recollections, is given below:
Many of his friends in the S.E. Area who mourn him must have their own special memory of this remarkable man. It is impossible to express in words how we all miss him. As a free flight competitor Fred Boxall must surely have been one of the most well liked people in aeromodelling. The legend that is Fred can be told from personal experience by a large number of modellers.
It was a regular occurrence for him to take a day's holiday from work, and bicycle the thirty
five miles to Chobham Common. On his arrival he would pull out his compass and search for models that had not been recovered in the gathering gloom of the previous Sunday evening. People would receive a telephone call from Fred informing them that their model had been found.
My thanks go to Martyn for allowing me to use much of his original text.
The identical twin brothers Fred and Reg Boxall were born in 1921 and later attended the Midhurst Grammar School. They commenced model building and flying in 1937, forming a model club in their home village of Fittleworth in Sussex. Reaching the age of 18 in 1939, they were called to military service with the RAF, and Fred became a navigator on Lancasters whilst Reg became a Flight Engineer on Liberators, both seeing service in North Africa. Following the war Fred worked as a GPO linesman whilst Reg became a motor vehicle spray painter.
Later, in the Brighton club, the brothers met and adopted the young Peter Giggle and his friends as 'apprentices'. Fred and Reg were prodigious model builders and flyers of the 1950's and keen competition entrants. Records show that Fred was the more successful brother, representing Great Britain in both the Wakefield Championships of 1951 in Jami Jarvi, Finland and at the A2 Glider Championships of 1956 in Florence, Italy. Another modeller, now well known and helped by Fred, was the youthful Chris Foss who was flying Fred's open rubber model design in 1966. He has become one of our most respected kit producers today.
Fred was not only successful; he earned considerable respect for his knowledge of model design and flying, for his modesty and for his ever helpful approach to all he met. His models were built impeccably with considerable skill. Speaking in his quiet rural tone, Fred never sought publicity and usually declined to publish his model designs, although his 1949 British Record-holding 'Bryton Roc' design is well known. He was athletically fit, energetic and well-known for his tree climbing exploits.
One of his favourite theories concerned the use of heavyweight modelspan tissue on his glider
wings with the rough side uppermost on the top and with the smooth side exposed on the underneath, this he expounded to his team mates as they travelled to the glider championships in Italy. He was attracted to the principle of the centre of lateral area (CLA) as a design tool and had numerous formulae at his fingertips to design his successful range of gliders and rubber models. Many of these post war models bear a strong family resemblance, with their fin area carried 50% or more below the fuselage.
Fred died in 1971 at the age of just 50, predeceasing his brother by two years. A short quotation from his obituary as printed in 'SEADOG', the newsletter of the SMAE South Eastern Area, December 1971, as kindly provided by John Fox with his personal recollections, is given below:
Many of his friends in the S.E. Area who mourn him must have their own special memory of this remarkable man. It is impossible to express in words how we all miss him. As a free flight competitor Fred Boxall must surely have been one of the most well liked people in aeromodelling. The legend that is Fred can be told from personal experience by a large number of modellers.
It was a regular occurrence for him to take a day's holiday from work, and bicycle the thirty
five miles to Chobham Common. On his arrival he would pull out his compass and search for models that had not been recovered in the gathering gloom of the previous Sunday evening. People would receive a telephone call from Fred informing them that their model had been found.
There are only two items relating to 'Reg. Boxall'. They are the first two 'Diplomas'
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Below are the two pages of Martyn Pressnells 'Appreciation' of the Boxall Brothers.
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The remainder are related to Fred Boxall
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