Sir Leonard Redshaw

Sir Leonard rose from shop floor to become the manager of Barrow Shipyard and for 25 years was “probably the most important shipbuilder in England ...... in the post-war period” 

A pioneer in Britain of welded submarine and ship construction, under his command, the Vickers Barrow shipyard launched the world’s first all-welded passenger liner; the first British liner having all-welded aluminium superstructure; Britain’s first nuclear submarine; the nation’s first Polaris submarine; the first 100,000 ton tanker built in Europe; the first Type 42 destroyer; and the Royal Navy’s first command cruiser.  

He was knighted in 1972 for services to exports. He further initiated Vickers’ diversification into offshore and subsea engineering.  

Possessed with foresight, a decision maker, and self confident, he led from the front particularly so in a crisis.  

When the Oronsay caught fire in the dock it was Sir Leonard’s forceful management and organisation of the 150 firemen and employees, that saved the ship from serious damage. Even then it was only delivered eight weeks late. 

In November 1954, after the Barrow built tanker World Concord broke its back in the Irish Sea, Sir Leonard ordered a plane to collect him. It flew him to the stricken ship in storm conditions, to ensure all the crew would be saved. 

Sir Leonard was also an out-spoken antagonist regarding the nationalisation of the shipbuilding industry in 1976. Nationalisation took from Vickers Limited its aircraft and shipbuilding interests, which, since privatisation, BAE Systems has reunited.  

In 1969, he secured from the Ministry of Defence its commitment to Barrow as the sole yard for British nuclear submarine construction.  

Away from work and his family, Sir Leonard’s abiding passion was gliding, where he was simply known as ‘Len’. 

He started his interest in gliding in 1930 following his father who was a founder trustee of the original Furness Gliding Propriety Ltd, better known as the Lakes Gliding Club. His brother, son, daughter and son-in-law all became keen gliding enthusiasts. The grandsons however were not enticed to stay in the sport. His family have probably one of the longest relationships with gliding in the UK. 

Despite being a busy man Len found time on Sundays to act as CO of 188 Gliding School teaching pre-entry RAF cadets. 

“Whist I was researching welding on a course in London I spent most Sundays gliding at Dunstable. One day I visited my great aunt in Tolworth, Surrey . This was about 1933 and I met a brunette who lived next door. She seemed to be suitable material for a wife. Unfortunately I only had two weeks to convince her that we should develop a long term friendship. We married in 1939 and when I thought we were winning the war we had a daughter in 1942 and a son in 1944. They turned out to be a first class crew for gliding competitions. Post war every summer holiday for many years was spent entering National and Regional competitions.”   

He had gained a local reputation as the only man in Cumbria to have a glider and be able to catapult off the local fells with his family’s assistance. He remained with gliding up to 1982 and was chairman of the Lakes GC for many years. 

Len pioneered the worlds first GRP glider with a carbon fibre main spar which incidentally he then test flew at the age of 62 for about six months. 

As a sportsman he enjoyed rugby, tennis, cricket, fishing, swimming, boating and occasionally golf playing for his school, university and company with great enthusiasm. 

However his number one sporting love remained gliding with over 3000hrs flown in his own aircraft.