Lancashire Lantern
Lancashire Lantern: Lancashire Pioneers
Part of the Lancashire Lantern network, the Pioneers gives details of people who were famous local people in science, technology and innovation. These pioneers were either born in Lancashire or their endeavours made a significant contribution to the development of the County.
Lawrence "Lawrie" Bond - His early career
Lawrie Bond was born in Preston on 2nd August 1907.
He was the son of Frederick Charles Bond, a well known artist and local historian.
He was educated at Preston Grammar School and is believed to have served his apprenticeship with Preston firm Atkinson and Company Ltd, engineers and steam wagon builders.
In the 1930s he worked in the drawing offices of Meadows Engineering Limited in Wolverhampton, whilst most of his war years were spent with the Blackburn Aircraft Company at Brough. This was to be an important influence on his later work, which was based on weight saving aircraft construction techniques and materials.
By 1944 Bond had set up his own small engineering business, the Bond Aircraft & Engineering Company (Blackpool) Limited, which manufactured aircraft and vehicle components for the government.
The end of the war forced the closure of the Blackpool premises , however, and by the late 1940s the company had moved to Towneley Works in Berry Lane, Longridge (pictured left). Here Bond began to design and build racing cars.
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