The Barnwell Brothers

This memorial at the junction of Causewayhead Road and the Bridge of Allan road is easily missed but on inspection proves to be very interesting. It is dedicated to the memory of Scotland's early aviation pioneers, the Barnwell Brothers.

Frank and Harold Barnwell had visited the Wright brothers in the USA and on their return to Scotland established the Grampian Engineering and Motor Company at Causewayhead near Stirling.

On the 28th July 1909 they conducted the first powered flight in Scotland. The distance covered was 80 feet.

On 14th Jan 1911 they achieved an altitude of 50 feet over a total flight distance of 600ft. On the 30th Jan 1911 a £50 prize was offered to anybody who could cover a powered flight distance of half a mile. The Barnwell Brothers took the prize by covering a distance of over 1 mile between Causewayhead and Bridge of Allan. By October 1911 they had covered distances of up to 5 miles at altitudes of up to 200 feet.

With the advent of the first World War the Brothers became involved in military aircraft design and pilot training. Harold was estimated to have personally trained at least 80 of the 250 qualified pilots who formed the Royal Flying Corps. Harold was killed in 1917 during a test flight of the prototype Vickers Vampire.

Frank continued with aviation design and in 1935 designed a private plane for Lord Rothermere which was capable of reaching 307mph. A far cry from those early flights. Frank was killed in 1938 in an air accident. The design he produced for Rothermere was modified to become the highly successful Blenheim, Beaufort and Beaufighter WW2 aircraft.

As a mark of respect in 1999, the 90th anniversary of their first flight, there was a flypast over Causewayhead and Stirling Castle of the last operational Blenheim fighter. A fitting tribute to those pioneers of early aviation.