John Wragg

Group visit to East Somerset Rly 1997. - R ?, David Witcomb, David Brown, Roger Mitchell, John Wragg, Ian Ward.

Dr. John D. Wragg CBE - 1928-2018

John's lifetime in the aviation industry spanned from 1952 when he joined the Bristol Aeroplane Company to the late Eighties. He attained the post of Director of Corporate Engineering with Rolls Royce and was the FR Bristol Group's most illustrious member.

He first became involved with the Group in the early 1960s and retained an interest in all things Ffestiniog until the end of his life. It was through him that Rolls Royce apprentices first visited the railway as volunteers. One of the jobs they worked on was adapting Tan y Bwlch Goods Shed/Cafe to become a cafe in 1967/8. This led on to other valuable apprentice visits. John served on the committee of Bristol Group from 2002 to 2010. Long after that the committee met at John and Margaret's spacious home in Grange Court Road, Westbury-on-Trym. On passing the front door there was time for a glimpse of a fine set of models of the Olympus and Pegasus engines for Concorde and the Harrier. On the walls were interesting pictures of items of engineering interest. The range of sandwiches and nibbles provided by Margaret put the committee's later host to shame.

John was married to Betty for 37 years until she died in 1994. It was a common interest in supporting Bristol University Botanic Garden that lead to John and Margaret meeting - they were married in 2005. Margaret is still an honorary member of the Group.