George Herbert Volk known as "Bert", was an automobile and general engineer noted as a pioneer builder of seaplanes. He is also the second son of Magnus Volk

Magnus Volk

Magnus Volk was a pioneer British electrical engineer. He is most notable for having built Volk's Electric Railway, the world's oldest extant electric railway. He also built the unique, but short lived, Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway, together with its unusual Daddy Long Legs...

, who built Volk's Electric Railway

Volk's Electric Railway

Volk's Electric Railway is the oldest operating electric railway in the world. It is a narrow gauge railway that runs along a length of the seafront of the English seaside resort of Brighton...

, and Anna Volk (born Banfield).

George Herbert's younger brother Conrad wrote a biography of their father, in which he recalls George Herbert attending a dame school

Dame school

A Dame School was an early form of a private elementary school in English-speaking countries. They were usually taught by women and were often located in the home of the teacher.- Britain :...

 in Walton-on-Thames

Walton-on-Thames

Walton-on-Thames is a town in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey in South East England. The town is located south west of Charing Cross and is between the towns of Weybridge and Molesey. It is situated on the River Thames between Sunbury Lock and Shepperton Lock.- History :The name "Walton" is...

. In March 1902 George Herbert sailed for South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 and he later served in Zululand with the Natal Mounted Rifles

Natal Mounted Rifles

The Natal Mounted Rifles is an armoured regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Territorial Army or United States Army National Guard unit...

. During this period he farmed at Mooi River (town) near Durban

Durban

Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...

 and in January 1908 married Annie Hephzibah "Hephie" Rosanna. He returned to Brighton in 1909 and in March traveled to Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, where Louis Bleriot

Louis Blériot

Louis Charles Joseph Blériot was a French aviator, inventor and engineer. In 1909 he completed the first flight across a large body of water in a heavier-than-air craft, when he crossed the English Channel. For this achievement, he received a prize of £1,000...

 - who was to make his famous Channel flight a few years later - had started a Flight Training

Flight training

Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills....

 school.

In 1910-12 he worked in a small workshop at 86 Gloucester Road; this brick building is situated in the North Laine

North Laine

North Laine is a shopping and residential district of Brighton, on the English south coast immediately adjacent to the Royal Pavilion. Once a slum area, nowadays with its many pubs and cafés, theatres and museums, it is seen as Brighton's bohemian and cultural quarter.-History:Due to its...

 district of Brighton and today home to Silicon Beach Training http://www.siliconbeachtraining.co.uk. In this workshop he repaired cars, and also made parts for engines, wings, floats, and fabric bodies for seaplanes. Once assembled, they were taken to Volk's carriage sheds on the beach at Paston Place, to an arch which was known as Volk's Seaplane Station. The Banjo Groyne at Paston Place was also home to his father's short-lived Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway

Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway

The Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway was a unique coastline railway in Brighton, England that ran through the shallow waters of the English Channel between 1896 and 1901.-Background and Construction:...

, which ran east from here. From Paston Place, seaplanes were carried down to Brighton beach and launched into the sea. Noted seaplane pioneer John Cyril Porte

John Cyril Porte

Lieutenant Commander John Cyril Porte CMG, DSM, Royal Navy was a flying boat pioneer associated with the World War I Seaplane Experimental Station at Felixstowe.-Biography:...

 also worked at the Seaplane Station. George Herbert also worked for Shoreham Airport

Shoreham Airport

- Sussex Police Air Operations Unit :The Sussex Police Air Operations Unit is headquartered at Shoreham Airport. The unit has been equipped since February 2000 with a MD Explorer, registered as "G-SUSX". The unit is headed by a Police Inspector, assisted by a Police Sergeant and two Police...

 during this period.

In 1912 famous air pioneer Claude Graham White, who later built the Hendon Aerodrome

Hendon Aerodrome

Hendon Aerodrome was an aerodrome in Hendon, north London, England that, between 1908 and 1968, was an important centre for aviation.It was situated in Colindale, seven miles north west of Charing Cross. It nearly became "the Charing Cross of the UK's international air routes", but for the...

 in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, brought his seaplane on a lorry to Volk's sheds and gave demonstrations. On the outbreak of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

in 1914, the government requisitioned the tiny seaplane base at Paston Place. In 1913 George Herbert returned to Natal.

External links

• 1913 - 1049.pdf Reference to Mr Volk and Flying Boats in Aviation History 1913, Flight Global site
• Silicon Beach Training Centre Photographs of 86 Gloucester Road today, Silicon Beach Training site