Grantham: Perbedaan antara revisi

In 1905, [[Richard Hornsby & Sons|Richard Hornsby (1790-1864) & Sons]] of Grantham (founded 1815) invented the revolutionary caterpillar track, for use with Hornsby's [http://engines.rustyiron.com/hornsby ''oil'' engines]; these engines were invented by [[Herbert Akroyd Stuart]] from which [[Hot bulb engine|compression-ignition]] principle the [[diesel engine]] evolved. In 1909, they showed the British Army their invention, who were bemused, but took it no further than that. A short time later, Hornsby sold the patent for the [[caterpillar track]] in 1914 to Holt Tractors of [[California]], USA for $8,000. Thanks to the ownership of the patent, this company would become the world-dominating [[Caterpillar Inc.]] Tractor Company. [[Benjamin Holt]] even claimed to be the real inventor. In 1914, the [[British Army]]'s Colonel [[Ernest Dunlop Swinton|Ernest Swinton]] saw one of Holt's caterpillar tractors towing a piece of [[artillery]], and realised its literally ground-breaking role as an attack vehicle. One year later the [[tank]] was born, being made in nearby [[Lincoln, Lincolnshire|Lincoln]] by [[William Foster & Co. Ltd|William Foster]]. It first saw action at the [[Battle of Flers-Courcelette]] on [[September 15]] [[1916]].

 

During the famous [[Dambusters]] [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) mission in May 1943, the [[RAF Bomber Command]]'s [[No. 5 Group RAF|No. 5 Group]] and the operation HQ, as [[Barnes Wallis]] nervously learnt the grim news, was in a building which later housed a county council education department, and was built by Richard Hornsby & Sons in 1865, and is now a private house. In 1944 (including [[D-Day]]), this was the headquarters for the USA's [[Ninth Air Force|9th]] (IX) Troop Carrier Command, being known as Grantham Lodge. [[RAF Spitalgate]] trained pilots in the war, and was not an operational base.