Giles Guthrie

Sir Giles Connop McEachern Guthrie, 2nd Baronet, (21 March 1916 – 31 December 1979) was an English aviator, merchant banker and later, an airline industry executive, serving as the chairman and chief executive of the state owned airline British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC).

Giles Guthrie was born in Westminster, London on 21 March 1916.

His father was Connop Thirlwall Robert Guthrie, a merchant banker and public servant, and his mother was Eila Mary Guthrie (née McEacharn), eldest daughter of Sir Malcolm McEacharn, an Australian shipping magnate and former Mayor of Melbourne.

He was educated at Eton College and at Magdalene College, Cambridge.

His father, Connop, had served as an officer during the early stages of World War I but following injury, managed the American operations of the Ministry of Shipping.

Connop was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the 1918 New Year Honours for his war service with the Ministry of Shipping, and the Guthrie baronetcy was created for Connop in the 1936 New Year Honours.

Guthrie learned to fly on the de Havilland Tiger Moth whilst a student at Eton College aged 16, and was awarded his Private pilot licence on turning 17.

He took up business roles after the war, directing City General Trust before purchasing North Central Wagon Company in a joint venture with Prudential Assurance in 1928.

He served as North Central Wagon Company's chairman from 1928 to 1939.

He continued flying whilst at Cambridge, taking ownership of a Percival Vega Gull, an aircraft he flew extensively in 1936 and 1937, competing in several competitions as a co-pilot to Charles Gardner.

Their partnership culminated in their victory in the 1936 King's Cup Race.

C. W. A. Scott and Giles Guthrie (as co-pilot) won The Schlesinger African Air Race (a race between Portsmouth and Johannesburg) in 1936, flying Guthrie's Vega Gull.

The Guthrie Wing of King's College Hospital was named in his honour to commemorate their victory.

Guthrie replaced his Vega Gull with the Percival Mew Gull, a dedicated racing aircraft, in 1937, and in the same year, he was awarded his commercial pilot license.

Gardner and Guthrie retained the King's Cup Race in 1937, having flown the Mew Gull.

He piloted the Mew Gull himself in 1938, coming second to future Supermarine Spitfire test pilot Alex Henshaw, who was also flying a Percival Mew Gull.

They both completed the course at an average speed well in excess of 200 mph, Henshaw at 236.25 mph and Guthrie at 220.5 mph.

He went to work for British Airways, where he held a number of roles in the traffic and commercial departments.

His fluency in French and German meant he was stationed in Paris, Berlin and finally Warsaw, with his posting there lasting until 29 August 1939, two days before the German invasion of Poland and four days before the formal declaration of war between the United Kingdom and Germany.

World War II would see Guthrie serve as a pilot with the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm.

He trained at HMS Raven (Eastleigh) before joining 808 Naval Air Squadron.

His first posting with 808 Naval Air Squadron was on dockyard and Scapa Flow protection duties, flying Fairey Fulmars from various bases around the British coast.

808 Naval Air Squadron was next assigned to the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (91) together with 807 Naval Air Squadron, operating in the Atlantic and Mediterranean theatres.

This posting lasted from September 1940 to November 1941, when Ark Royal was sunk by an enemy torpedo.

Guthrie was on board at the time.

808 Naval Air Squadron pilots, including Guthrie, would also fly Hawker Hurricane aircraft from Gibraltar during this time.

Guthrie and other personnel aboard HMS Ark Royal were recognised for their gallantry in the Mediterranean; Guthrie was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his involvement in a sortie defending a Maltese convoy from enemy action, despite being significantly outnumbered by enemy aircraft.

The sinking of Ark Royal saw 808 Naval Air Squadron merge with 807 Naval Air Squadron and disband, reforming a year later.

Guthrie did not join the merged 807 Naval Air Squadron; instead he returned to the UK and joined the Naval Air Fighting Development Unit (NAFDU) operating from RAF Duxford, alongside their RAF counterpart, the Air Fighting Development Unit.

There, Guthrie was involved in flight testing almost every single- and twin-engined aircraft entering service with the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, and involving himself in development work, such as testing the Wilbur R. Franks designed G-suit in Supermarine Seafires.

Guthrie remained with the NAFDU until the end of the war, by which time he had risen to second in command and promoted to acting lieutenant commander.

Guthrie had initially been offered a role with British Overseas Airways Corporation immediately after the war, but the death of his father on 28 September 1945 made this difficult and he would instead manage the Guthrie family's business interests, which included the shareholding in North Central Wagon Company.

He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Military Division (OBE) in the 1946 New Year Honours.

He was appointed to the board of North Central in August 1946, at their annual general meeting.

He initially asked Edward Heath in 1946 to join North Central as the deputy chairman, with a view to him taking over as chairman, but Heath, who was interested in running for Parliament, thought moving from London to Rotherham, where North Central was based, would be damaging to his political ambitions and turned down the offer.

Guthrie, in addition to his North Central role, served as managing director of the merchant bank Brown, Shipley & Co., and he would again offer Edward Heath a role, in 1949, as a trainee banker.

The role was to provide a source of income for Heath, who had already been selected as the prospective parliamentary candidate for Bexley, and who would be elected to Parliament at the 1950 General Election, held in February.

He flew a Chrislea Ace and a Stinson Reliant from Gatwick Airport after the war, but increasing demands on both his time and that of Gatwick Airport resulted in his eventual retirement from flying, and he let his pilots licence lapse after 1953.

Guthrie took up the deputy chairman role at North Central Wagon Company himself, serving from 1960 to 1964.

He also served on the board of Radio Rentals until 1964, and served on the board of Prudential Assurance Company from May 1963 to January 1964.