Colleen Pierce

Modeler Henry Nicholls Dies
Pioneer modeler Henry J. Nicholls has
died at the age of 90.
Henry was a leader in the model-aviation
movement. He developed the first British Radio
Control systems for model aircraft, and he was a
leading model manufacturer and retailer.
Henry was born on September 11, 1909.
He started modeling as a child; he built his
first model in 1919, and launched it on
Parliament Hill in London, England.
He was educated at University College
School, Hampstead, then at University
College, London.
Henry played a major role in combating
German flying bomb attacks on London
during World War II; he brought down
more V1 rockets than anyone else.
In 1948, Henry founded his own
manufacturing company—Mercury Model
Aircraft.
Among other accomplishments, he
became technical secretary of the Society of
Model Aeronautical Engineers in 1947; he
became president of the Federation
Aeronautique Internationale in 1962; and he
was awarded the Royal Aeronautical Club’s
Bronze Medal by the Duke of York in 1990.
Henry was successful in areas other than
modeling. He was a jazz musician, who
played the tenor saxophone, and his band—
the Henry Nicholls Dance Band—won the
All-British Band championship in 1936. He
was also a champion rose grower, a noted
photographer, and an accomplished angler.
Henry is survived by his wife Maureen
and two sons. MA
—Information from an article by Ron
Moulton