A prolific subcontractor building airframes during the first World War Boulton ampamp Paul entered the field of design and manufacture in 1917 with the formation of an Aeronautical and Research Division under John Dudley North. Never destined to be one of the big players they produced a relatively modest output of prototype aircraft and then in 1937 a series of bombers and a small batch of civilian twoseaters. The relatively unsuccessful Defiant was their bestknown aircraft. However hidden f