Designed and built by F.S.Barnwell at Whitchurch in 1938, the Barnwell BSW Mk.1 was a single-seat, low wing monoplane of all wood construction, powered by a Scott Squirrel engine. The designation BSW standing for Barnwll (the constructor), Squirrel (the engine) and Whitchurch (the place).
Originally, Barnwell had meant to build the machine himself, but the vast activity of the Bristol Aeroplane Co. in connection with the R.A.F. expansion naturally meant an ever-increasing load of work on Barnwell’s shoulders, and he therefore decided to entrust the construction of the machine to a firm in Bristol.
First registered [C of R 8560] on 20.6.38 as G-AFID c/n 1 to Frank Sowter Barnwell, Alveston, near Bristol (aircraft based at Bristol (Whitchurch) Aerodrome, Bristol, Gloucestershire) it first flew on 17 July 1938.
It was written off on 2 August 1938. Shortly after taking off from Whitchurch, the engine, a Scott Squirrel, failed. Barnwell attempted to turn and return to the aerodrome. The machine stalled, crashed and killed Barnwell.
Wingspan: 25 ft 0 in
All Aero 