"Wing-Mounters mate" job

Wibbles

I have been doing my family tree via Ancestry for many years and have come across a

weird job title of my great uncle being a "Wing-Mounters mate".

I have absolutely no idea what it entails..

It was in the 1921 Census

Anybody got any idea what this job was ?

MW123

@Wibbles

That's definitely not something you hear every day! It sounds like it could have been related to early aircraft assembly, maybe someone who helped fit the wings onto planes, especially since the first planes around that time were mainly made of wood. Otherwise, I’ve got no idea, that’s just a guess!

Adrian_Scope

That's a great find @Wibbles, I've not heard the term before. I'd be interested to know what you find out.

66Mustang

"- mate" in Britain in a job title basically means someone tagging along, basically like an assistant but more to tradespeople as hired muscle to do the physical stuff

That would fit in with the plane builder theory above as I imagine that's a job that would need more than one person 😊

Geoark

Job Description: Wing Mounter’s Mate (circa 1921)

• Industry: Aviation or aeronautical engineering, which was rapidly developing post-WWI.
• Role: Assisted the primary wing mounter in attaching or assembling aircraft wings.
• Materials: Early aircraft were often made of wood, canvas, and metal fittings, so the job involved working with these materials.
• Skills Required:
  • Basic carpentry or metalworking
  • Use of hand tools
  • Precision in alignment and fitting
• Work Environment: Likely employed in a factory or hangar, possibly at companies like de Havilland or Sopwith, which were prominent in British aviation at the time.

Wibbles

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1060855#Comment_1060855

This chap went on to be a Chindit in Burma in WW2

He never spoke about this time

He died in 1976 !

Geoark

Hi Wibbles

Sorry I don't check in as often as I would like.

I had heard about Chindits previously, and there is a war memorial for them at the Victoria Embankment Gardens in London. I am not surprised to hear that he never spoke about this period. A lot of veterans don't speak about their experiences and more so for those who were in special forces teams.

If you haven't found them there are some good videos on Youtube about them.

Wibbles

I have located the War Diaries and they make incredible reading - the sort of thing that could be made into a film !