Editing Avro Canada (section)

==A.V. Roe Canada==

===Origins===
During [[World War II]], [[Victory Aircraft]] in [[Malton, Ontario]], was Canada's largest aircraft manufacturer. Prior to 1939, as a part of [[National Steel Car]] of [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]], the concern was one of a number of "shadow factories" set up in Canada to produce British aircraft designs far out of range of enemy attack.<ref name="Frontiers"/> National Steel Car produced [[Avro Anson]] trainers, [[Handley Page Hampden]] bombers, [[Hawker Hurricane]] fighters and [[Westland Lysander]] army cooperation aircraft. National Steel Car Corporation of Malton, Ontario was formed in 1938 and renamed [[Victory Aircraft]] in 1942 when the Canadian government took over ownership and management of the main plant.<ref name="Frontiers"/> During World War II, Victory Aircraft built [[Avro]] (UK) aircraft: 3,197 [[Avro Anson|Anson]] trainers, 430 [[Avro Lancaster|Lancaster]] bombers, six [[Avro Lancastrian|Lancastrian]], one [[Avro Lincoln|Lincoln]] bomber and one [[Avro York|York]] transport.

[[File:Sir Roy Dobson and Crawford Gordon Jr.jpg|thumb|(L–R) Sir Roy Dobson and Crawford Gordon Jr. Note: Avro Arrow in background, c. 1957]]

===Avro Canada===
In 1944, an Advisory Committee on Aircraft Manufacture was established by the Canadian government, the Canadian Director of Aircraft Production wrote to Minister of Munitions and Supply [[C. D. Howe]] in 1944 to express the "utmost importance to Canada" of the establishment of a Canadian aircraft industry, and UK-based Avro also established in 1944 a company searching for post-war opportunities.<ref name="Whitcomb p. 34">Whitcomb 2008, p. 34.</ref> Bob Leckie of the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] was a strong advocate over many years, for a wholly domestic "end-to-end" industry, that would design and build aircraft (and their engines) in Canada.  However, the [[Department of National Defence (Canada)|Department of National Defence]], according to Avro's Roy Dobson, gave "a cold reception" to doing any more than the fabrication and assembly of aircraft and engines under licence.<ref name="Whitcomb p. 34"/>

Howe, as Minister of Reconstruction and Minister of Munitions and Supply (later Reconstruction and Supply), brokered the deal with [[Hawker Siddeley]] to take over the Victory Aircraft plant in 1945 with Frederick T. Smye hired by HSG's Roy Dobson as its first employee. Smye, born in Hamilton, Ontario, had risen through the ranks of the government's departments overseeing wartime aircraft production, to Assistant General Manager of Federal Aircraft Limited, the Crown Corporation managing production of the Avro Anson at the National Steel Car/Victory Aircraft plant.<ref name="Whitcomb p. 34"/>

In 1945, the UK-based Hawker Siddeley purchased Victory Aircraft from the Canadian government, creating '''A.V. Roe Canada Ltd.''' as the wholly owned Canadian branch of its aircraft manufacturing subsidiary, UK-based [[Avro|A.V. Roe and Company]].<ref name="Frontiers"/> Avro Canada began operations in the former Victory plant. Avro Aircraft (Canada), their first (and, at the time, only) division, turned to the repair and servicing of a number of World War II era aircraft, including [[Hawker Sea Fury]] fighters, [[North American B-25 Mitchell]] and [[Avro Lancaster]] bombers.<ref name="Frontiers"/> From the outset, the company invested in research and development and embarked on an ambitious design program with a jet engine and a jet-powered fighter and airliner on the drawing boards.

===Expansion and diversification===
A.V. Roe Canada was restructured in 1954 as a holding company with two aviation subsidiaries: Avro Aircraft. and [[Orenda Engines]], which began operating under these names on 1 January 1955.<ref>Whitcomb 2002, p. 61.</ref> Each company's facilities were located across from each other in a complex at the perimeter of Malton Airport. The total labour force of both aviation companies reached 15,000 in 1958.

During the same period, with [[Crawford Gordon]] as president, A.V. Roe Canada purchased a number of companies, including [[Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation]], [[Canadian Car and Foundry]] (1957), and Canadian Steel Improvement. By 1958, A. V. Roe Canada Ltd. was an industrial giant with over 50,000 employees in a far-flung empire of 44 companies involved in coal mining, steel making, railway rolling stock, aircraft and aero-engine manufacturing, as well as computers and electronics. In 1956 the companies generated 45% of the revenue of the Hawker Siddeley Group.<ref>Whitcomb 2002, p. 13.</ref> In 1958, annual sales revenue was approximately $450 million, ranking A.V. Roe Canada as the third largest corporation in Canada by capitalization. By the time of the cancellation of the Arrow and Iroquois, aircraft-related production amounted to approximately 40% of the company's activities with 60% industrial and commercial.<ref>Campagna 1998, p. 62.</ref>

In 1956, 500,000 shares were issued to the public at a total value of $8 million. By 1958, 48% of the shares of A.V. Roe Canada were publicly traded on the stock exchange.<ref>Campagna 1998, p. 63.</ref> Although controlled and largely owned by UK-based Hawker Siddeley Group, all profits from A.V. Roe Canada were retained within the company to fund development and growth. Management of the Canadian companies remained in Canadian hands.

===Management team===
* [[Fred Smye]] served as director of Canadian Aircraft Production during World War II, in 1944 joined Federal Aircraft in Montreal (later [[Victory Aircraft]]). When Hawker Siddeley purchased Victory Aircraft in 1945, Smye became the first employee of A.V. Roe Canada and later that year he became assistant general manager of Avro Aircraft. He later served as president of Canadian Applied Research and Canadian Steel Improvement.
* [[Crawford Gordon]] left the Department of Defence Production in 1951 to take over as President and General Manager of A. V. Roe Canada to assist with problems in development and production of the [[Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck]]. Gordon oversaw Avro Canada's restructuring and expansion during the 1950s into the third largest corporation in Canada.