Ernest Hives, 1st Baron Hives

The Right Honourable
The Lord Hives
CH MBE
Member of the House of Lords
In office
7 July 1950 – 24 April 1965
Preceded byNew peerage
Succeeded byJohn Harwick Hives
Personal details
Born(1886-04-21)21 April 1886
Reading, Berkshire, England
Died24 April 1965(1965-04-24) (aged 79)
London, England
OccupationEngineer
Known forRolls-Royce Merlin

Ernest Walter Hives, 1st Baron Hives CH MBE (21 April 1886[1] – 24 April 1965), was the one-time head of the Rolls-Royce Aero Engine division and chairman of Rolls-Royce Ltd.[2]

Hives was born in Reading, Berkshire to John and Mary Hives, living at 31 Christchurch Road from at least 1891 to 1901.[3][4] During the Second World War he was closely involved with the design of the Merlin engine as well as numerous later Rolls-Royce jet engines. He began his working life in a local garage. However, in 1903 he got a job working at C.S. Rolls' car company, after fixing Rolls' car. He was widely known as "Hs", and signed thus.

  1. ^ 1939 England and Wales Register
  2. ^ Lumsden 2003, p. 9.
  3. ^ Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891; Class: RG12; Piece: 994; Folio: 55; Page: 26; GSU roll: 6096104
  4. ^ Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891; Class: RG13; Piece: 1148; Folio: 120; Page: 45