Vickers

Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public in 1867, acquired more businesses, and began branching out into military hardware and shipbuilding.

In 1911, the company expanded into aircraft manufacturing and opened a flying school. During World War One it was one of the main armaments manufacturers of the Allied nations. Post-war it expanded even further, into electrical and railway manufacturing, and in 1928 acquired an interest in the aircraft manufacturer Supermarine.

Beginning in the 1960s, various parts of the company were nationalised, and in 1999 the rest of the company was acquired by Rolls-Royce plc, which sold the defence arm to Alvis plc. The Vickers name lived on in Alvis Vickers, until the latter was acquired by BAE Systems in 2004 to form BAE Systems Land Systems.