Frank Searle

Frank Searle CBE, DSO, MIME (1874 – 4 April 1948) was a British transport entrepreneur, a locomotive engineer who moved from steam to omnibuses, the motor industry and airlines.

Personal

Searle was born in late 1874 at Greenwich, (then in Kent), the son of draper Henry Searle and his wife Elizabeth (née Croaker). Searle appears in the 1881 census of Greenwich living with his parents and siblings at 282 New Cross Road in Deptford, he is described as a six-year-old scholar. In the 1891 census Searle is still at 282 New Cross Road with his siblings and he is described as a 16-year-old steam engine fitters apprentice.

In 1897 he married Charlotte Louise Soyer. Searle doesn't appear to be with his wife and family at the time of the 1901 census; his wife Charlotte is living at 112 Perry Hill in Lewisham with three children, Joan aged 2, Mary aged 1 and Geoffrey aged 2 months. In the 1911 census of Barnet, Hertfordshire, Searle and his wife, two daughters and a son Richard Soyer Searle are living in North Finchley, Searle is described as a mechanical engineer with the London and General Omnibus Company.

He remarried after Charlotte's death in 1944. Searle died aged 73 at his home in Bournemouth, Hampshire on 4 April 1948. His estate was valued for duty at £44,732 3s 3d.

Sometimes unkindly referred to as Uncle Frank and "a bus-company manager" Frank Searle died just too young to see the true advent of the era of mass air-travel—not yet on-stage but, as he rightly suspected, 'waiting in the wings'.

Career

He was apprenticed to the Great Western Railway at Swindon Works and became a locomotive engineer but Searle soon recognized that the new petrol engines offering a higher power-to-weight ratio would be better than steam power.

Consultant motor engineer

Having seen that mechanized road transport would present better prospects for making money Searle entered business as a consultant motor engineer located in the West End of London. In 1905 he was in Paris, France where he represented the Turgan and Lacoste et Battman companies. He sold several Lacoste et Battman chassis to the London and District Motor Omnibus Company, which traded as "Arrow". The Lacoste et Battman buses were unreliable, and suffered frequent breakdowns. Searle was forced to abandon his consultancy when the final part of the order was cancelled due to the unreliability of the vehicles. Arrow took Searle on as a mechanic to keep the fleet of buses on the road.

Omnibuses

In 1907, the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) employed Searle as Superintendent at its Mortlake garage at an annual salary of £350. He was soon transferred to Cricklewood and on 18 May 1907 was appointed as Chief Motor Engineer at a salary of £450, later rising to £500. At the time, LGOC had a varied fleet of some 600 motor-buses all of which proved unable to cope with the stresses of operating in London's traffic. Searle persuaded LGOC to allow him to design a vehicle that was fit for the job. The best features of existing vehicles were taken and incorporated into the new design named the X-type bus. This company, ultimately established without Searle or any tie to Daimler and later known as The London Premier Bus Company was wound up in 1917 having had a probable maximum fleet of six De Dion Boutons.

BSA group – Daimler Omnibuses and commercial vehicles

In May 1911 Daimler announced the flotation of shares in a new subsidiary to operate a London bus service, The Premier Motor Omnibus Company, with Searle "who has resigned his position with London General Omnibus for the purpose" as General Manager.

World War I

Searle served in the First World War with the Machine Gun Corps (Heavy) which used Daimler-powered artillery tractors and in 1917 became the Tank Corps with Daimler-powered tanks.

He was temporarily promoted to major in November 1916. He reached the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was mentioned in despatches.

In 1918 Colonel Searle was awarded a Distinguished Service Order and he was made a CBE the following year. In January 1921 debt-swamped AT&T was liquidated and its assets, bought by Daimler Hire, were put with Daimler Air Hire to make Daimler Airway. Searle also became the managing director of Daimler Airway.

Imperial Airways

In 1924, Daimler Airway was merged with three other airlines, Handley Page Transport, Instone Airline and British Marine Air Navigation, to form Imperial Airways.

Searle was appointed managing director

Searle had been appointed managing director of Rover in May 1928 and soon achieved some success in restoring Rover's fortunes. On his recommendation Spencer Wilks was brought in from Hillman as general manager and appointed to the board in 1929. Spencer and Maurice Wilks were to stay with Rover into the 1960s.

January 1930 saw the Blue Train Races, Rover against Bentley then regular winners at the Le Mans 24 hours endurance race.

Next Searle split Midland Light Car Bodies from Rover in an effort to save money

During his time at Rover, the Rover 10/25 was introduced, with bodies made by the Pressed Steel Company. This was the same body as used on the Hillman Minx. The company showed profits in the 1929 and 1930 years but with the economic downturn in 1931 Rover reported a loss of £77,529.

Searle left the board near the end of the calendar year, his work finished. leaving management in the control of Maurice Wilks with a new finance director, H E Graham. During the war the company made motor torpedo boats, gunboats and rescue vessels.