Trevor Bantock Saunders
19 June 1933 - 26 June 2013

Trevor Bantock Saunders was born in Halton, in Runcorn in June 1933.  His father was a Chemical Engineer and his mother was Head Cook in a secondary school.  He was proud to carry the name Bantock - a family name after Sir Granville Bantock, the composer, who ironically had his music, Sea Reivers, performed for the first time in the Albert Hall at the Last Night of The Proms in September 2013.  Trevor was a keen amateur musician, playing both the violin and viola in local orchestras and chamber music with his friends. He was also a keen and regular concert-goer.

Trevor and Elizabeth in Bonn

From Ormskirk Grammar he went on to Manchester University, where he graduated in Mathematics.  During his time in Manchester, he met Elizabeth Bradbury, a medical student, in the university orchestra - he was playing the violin and she the timpani.  They married on 22nd August 1959 at Whalley Range in Manchester.  Trevor and Elizabeth began their working lives in the south of England, but returned north after a couple of years in time for Catherine to be born in 1961 in St Annes.  Rosemary and Richard followed in 1963 and 1965.  He subsequently had a total of seven grandchildren.

Trevor and Drumlin

By this time Trevor was working at the then British Aircraft Corporation, where he remained for 33 years.  Alongside a successful career, he continued to play in orchestras and sail whenever he could.  In 1983 he bought a Westerly Konsort Drumlin [a 29ft sloop built by Westerly Marine in Hampshire] which he and Elizabeth enjoyed sailing for many years before downsizing to a Lytham Character Boats Lune Pilot [14ft 6in] in 2002 which he sailed, often single-handed, from Glenridding Sailing Centre right up to October 2012. Sanderling was the name of his Lune Pilot, and also the name if his favourite bird.

Trevor and Sanderling

Trevor retired from BAe in April 1993 and soon after took the position of Director General of ETW, the European Wind Tunnel in Cologne.  Trevor and Elizabeth spent five very happy years in Germany before returning to the Fylde in 1998.  They continued their connection to Germany through their membership of Blackpool German Circle.

Trevor in the Lakes

Trevor was first diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001- an illness which he bore with great fortitude, nursing Elizabeth until her death in July 2006 and constantly fighting for the best possible care for Rosemary, who was learning disabled, until her untimely death in 2011.  He then proceeded to put his time and energy as a volunteer at Home-Start Fylde, which is based at St Thomas’ church in St Annes.

Trevor passed away peacefully on 26th June 2013 in Clifton Hospital, St Annes, surrounded by his close family.

Catherine Day
September 2013
 

Trevor's Life

Education:

Ormskirk Grammar
1951-1955 Manchester University - BSc Hons in Mathematics
1957-1959 College of Aeronautics, Cranfield - MSc
Member of the Royal Aeronautical Society (Fellow from 1994)

Career history:

1957-1959 Royal Air Force National Service Commission - Pilot
1959-1960 Saunders-Roe Ltd, East Cowes, Isle of Wight - Aerodynamicist (Yacht research, helicopter studies)
1960-1993 Warton, English Electric Aviation, British Aircraft Corporation, British Aerospace -

• 1960-1963 Aerodynamicist

• 1963-1980 Flight Test Engineer to Principal Flight Test Engineer - worked on Lightning, TSR-2, Jaguar (with Dassault/Breguet), Tornado (with MBB and Aeritalia)

• 1980-1982 Chief Flight Test Project Engineer (Tornado IDS)

• 1981-1984 Member AGARD Flight Mechanics Panel

• 1982-1983 Deputy Chief Flight Test Engineer

• 1983-1984 Chief Flight Test Engineer, Warton Division (Head of Flight Test Department, responsible for flight testing Tornado IDS and ADV)

• 1984-1986 Chief Aerodynamicist, Warton Division

• 1985-1991 Member SBAC Aerodynamics Research Sub-Committee (Chairman 1988-1991)

• 1986-1987 Head of Aerodynamic Technologies, Warton Division – became responsible for the wind/tunnel facilities at Warton and resumed responsibility for Flight Test.

• 1987-1991 Head of Aerodynamic Technologies, Military Aircraft Limited - the three units, Warton, Brough and Kingston were merged under a single management structure centred on Warton.  Responsibility for all aerodynamic work including ground based experimental facilities, but now excluding flight test.

• 1988-1991 Member SBAC Research Committee

• 1991-1992 Acting Director - Engineering Management, Military Aircraft Limited, responsible for re-structuring the whole technical operation leading to major re-organisation at the beginning of 1992

• 1992 Council Member, Aircraft Research Association

• July 1992-April 1993 Director-Airframe Technology, BAe Defence, Military Aircraft Division - retained responsibility for Technical Publications and Technical Computing and Aerodynamics, Structures, Design and Materials

• 30 April 1993 Retirement from BAe

1993-1998 Director General European Wind Tunnel, Cologne, Germany
1994 Elected Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society

International Work:

See above and since 1969 worked with military aircraft teams at MBB (DASA), Aeritalia (Alenia), CASA, Dassault, McDonnell Douglas and with BAe customers in Europe, USA, South Korea and Japan.

Personal:

• French and German speaker-member of Blackpool German Circle.

• Active musician: regularly played chamber music and was a member of Fylde Sinfonia and Blackburn Symphony.

• Sailor - kept his boat at Glenridding Sailing Centre on Ullswater.

• For many years spent a lot of his time working as a volunteer for learning disabled charities and was a member on several NHS Trust committees.  After his daughter Rosemary’s death in 2011 he became very involved with Home-Start Fylde.