Patrick Young Alexander - Early Years

Early Years

Patrick Alexander was born at Hern Villa, Belvedere, Erith, Kent, England. His mother was Harriotte Emma and his father was Andrew Alexander from Scotland. Patrick had a brother, John Edmond, three years his senior.

Patrick's father, Andrew Alexander, was a civil engineer of some standing and a mechanical engineer. He was interested and active in aeronautics and he was a founder member of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 1866. He presented some papers to the society including "Power in Relation to Weight in Aerial Navigation". In 1875 he went to see Thomas Moy's Aerial steamer at The Crystal Palace. This machine illustrated many interesting design features and on demonstration may have achieved a brief hop into the air (accounts vary). That same year, Andrew Alexander became manager of the Cyclops works of Charles Cammell and Company in Sheffield, a city famous for metalworking, where he worked on the problem of improving the quality of armour applied to warships.

Andrew Alexander was a practical-minded man, unlikely to be prone to flights of fancy, yet at a time when many ridiculed the idea of heavier-than-air flight, he told Patrick he was sure that the problems of aviation would be solved. He was clearly a major influence on Patrick's life.

In 1878, Patrick Alexander, doubtless encouraged by his father, built an elastic driven model aeroplane of the Penaud type. In the late summer of that year, Patrick was taken by his father to see the Paris Exhibition. One attraction was irresistible: the enormous hydrogen balloon of Henri Giffard, it had a capacity of 25,000 cubic metres (880,000 cu ft) and was capable of taking 52 passengers at a time on a tethered ascent to 500 metres (1,600 ft). The experience left a deep impression on young Patrick.

When Patrick Alexander's father left the Cyclops works, the Alexander family moved from Sheffield to Bath and Patrick determined on a career in the Merchant Navy.