Ken and Lew Norris were part of a large family of five brothers and two sisters. Ken served a five year apprenticeship and did wartime service with Armstrong Whitworth aircraft company in Coventry. During his time at Armstrong's he worked on projects that included the top secret "flying wing" aircraft.

Ken's first speed record involvement was with the Turbo-Jet propelled hydrofoil called White Hawk. Ken was introduced to Lieutenant Frank Hanning-Lee, who was in charge of the project, by a Professor Tom Fink, who was latter to play an important role in the aerodynamic testing of the Bluebird K7.

From his own admission, Ken did not know much about hydrodynamics, his field was really aircraft and aerodynamics, so he involved his brother Lew, who was a marine expert and at the time, working on the prop-rider version Blue bird K4. While Ken and Lew were effectively in rival camps, Lew still helped his brother out with the design work. Lew was only to be a design consultant on the White Hawk, but his involvement in the project went far further and he split his time between the two camps.

Lew was also very keen for the two of them to concentrate on their new business as engineers, as they were about to land the job of designing the al new Bluebird K7 hydroplane. The White Hawk drawings were now nearly complete at this stage, and as Ken had not seen a penny for his work so far, he gave them notice that when the drawings were finished, he was leaving the project.

The Norris Brothers designed, Turbo-Jet-powered Bluebird was christened and launched at Ullswater in 1955. This craft allowed Donald Campbell to achieve a dominance not seen before, or since, in the history of the World Water Speed Record. Not content with establishing a new speed of 202.32 mph in July of that year, Donald went on to beat his own mark on no fewer than six consecutive occasions between 1956 and 1964, fighting off American challengers and leaving the standard at 276.33 mph.

The year 1964 was to be Donald's finest, because he also succeeded in setting a new World Land Speed Record of 403.10 mph for wheel driven vehicles in the gas turbine powered Bluebird CN7 car, also designed by the Norris Brothers. This achievement, the spectacular "double" of World Land and Water Speed Records in the same year, has never been equalled. The brothers Norris also achieving the unique feat of penning both these water and land speed record holders.

Ken Norris has also been team manager for Thrust 2 and consultant on the supersonic Thrust SSC project. His current project is Quicksilver, the jet boat in which Nigel MacKnight hopes to challenge Ken Warby's water speed record.

Obituary

Kenneth (Ken) William Norris, B.Sc., A.C.G.I., F.I.Mech.E., F.R.Ae.S., Freeman of the City of Coventry. One of Britain’s most innovative, but largely unrecognised, engineers died last Saturday, (Oct.1st. 2005), peacefully in bed at 3.30a.m.

Born on 15th November 1921, the fifth of six sons of Walter Norris, Engineer in Charge at Burgess Hill Gas Works, Ken was the only one of his family not to gain entry to a grammar school. However as an apprentice to Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft in Coventry, he soon shone, and went on to develop the Materials Testing Department at Coventry Tech. where he also taught and became a member of the design team of the very revolutionary Armstrong Whitworth “Flying Wing”, which earned him the Freedom of the City of Coventry.

When studying at London University for his Degree, he determined to set up a design company with his brothers, three of whom were qualified engineers and one an accountant. One of his lecturers introduced him to Commander Hanning-Lee who had designed a craft, the “White Hawk”, to attack the World Water Speed Record. Ken did some structural and stress work, but the project never achieved its goal.

Meanwhile, his younger brother Lewis, a mechanical engineer, was asked by a director (Donald Campbell) of the company for which he worked, to design some modifications to his father’s craft. When Donald decided to go for the World Water Speed Record the two brothers were an obvious choice to ask to design the craft, and Ken’s dream of Norris Brothers Ltd., was realised.

Ken became the leading authority on Land and Water Speed Record design, having led, with his brother Lew, the teams that designed the world’s fastest car and boat, the “Bluebirds”. He led, or was consulted on, the design of all the subsequent contenders through the “Thrusts” on land and the KX project (Quicksilver) on water. There is evidence that he had a design for a single vehicle to break both records!

However, his expertise was not limited to such exotic projects. He headed teams that designed the first automatic seat belt mechanism, the first piezo-electric gas ignition system, a very advanced method of transporting liquid methane in ocean tankers, and amongst many other things, a practical application of Professor Zwicky’s Morphological Design process. Most of this happened in the 50’s and 60’s.

In the 70’s, apart from his work on record breakers, he moved into aviation, qualifying for his Private Pilots Licence, setting up a jet engine repair facility, a “crop duster” training school, and Piper Aircraft Agencies in UK and Spain. He was also a member of the Design Award Panel and Chairman of the Design Award Components Panel.

Apart from his many friends and admirers, he leaves his wife Marjorie and two sons and grandchildren to remember his great achievements.