John Alcock, a decorated First World War pilot, had formed a determination to attempt a transatlantic flight while being held as a prisoner in Turkey in the final year of the War.

On his release he approached Vickers, whose Vimy bomber was a suitable machine for the ocean crossing.

He was already established at the Vickers works in Weybridge, Surrey, when his agreement with the firm was confirmed by an exchange of letters now held in the archives at Cambridge University Library.

The attempt at the Atlantic crossing is not specifically mentioned, but it is perhaps a telling detail that as part of the deal, Vickers insured Alcock’s life for £500.

An electrical engineer by training, and an Observer in the Royal Flying Corps during the War, Arthur Whitten Brown gained his place on the transatlantic flight after a chance meeting with Alcock at Vickers’s Weybridge works.

His engagement as navigator was settled by an exchange of correspondence; one of the letters on display at the Library shows Brown’s attention to the details of the contract, covering matters regarding the sea passage to America, the purchase of kit, and the payments to be made in the case of various eventualities.