All rights to a "Zep fighting battleplane" for sale, 1916

[BereniceUK]

I came across this advertisement in The Times, dated Friday, February 18th, 1916. Anyone know anything about it? Had the maker of the aeroplane been made bankrupt, and the assets were being sold off?

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ZEP FIGHTING BATTLEPLANE.

....For SALE, on reasonable terms, all the RIGHTS in highly successful FIGHTING AEROPLANE, together with one machine nearly completed, and fitted with 120 horse power Engine, a well equipped Works and Drawing Office, and a thoroughly competent Staff for both. The fast machine built by this firm had the following performance : An aggregate of fourteen hundred miles flown in eighteen hours, carried twenty passengers without injury, speed range of forty to eight-three miles per hour, maximum climb of five hundred feet per minute with full load, high altitudes reached with ease, perfect automatic stability in all winds. The machine now nearly completed will, it is anticipated, greatly exceed these records. Magnificent opportunity for private investor or small syndicate. The fullest particulars, with photographs and Press Reports from "Flight" and "Aeronautics," can be obtained on application to Messrs. Thorold, Brodie, and Co., Solicitors, 4, Regent street, S.W.

[KizmeRD]

Could this be an army surplus Clément-Bayard built airship (the advert clearly struggles with terminology ‘Zep fighting battleplane!}
 

MB

[DavidOwen]

I wondered if it could be dis-information ruse, i.e. an attempt to get false information to the enemy and then I found this from 4 June 1917 Evening Mail, 

[BereniceUK]

19 minutes ago, DavidOwen said:

I wondered if it could be dis-information ruse, i.e. an attempt to get false information to the enemy and then I found this from 4 June 1917 Evening Mail, 

I assume that all the aeroplanes for sale were of types no longer considered suitable for active service in the war.

 

2 hours ago, KizmeRD said:

Could this be an army surplus Clément-Bayard built airship (the advert clearly struggles with terminology ‘Zep fighting battleplane!}
 

MB

Noticeable that the only mention of Zeppelins came in the heading of the advertisement, so it could have been placed there by the newspaper, not the advertiser.

[Mike_H]

It reads as if someone is trying to sell the production rights to the aircraft. 

[pierssc]

He's selling the production rights, and the factory.

I wonder..... I think this might be Noel Pemberton-Billing putting his aircraft factory up for sale having been elected (or expecting to be elected) as an MP.  Wiki suggests that this was "in early 1916" which fits the date of the advertisement.  The company was sold to Hubert Scott-Payne, who renamed the company.... "Supermarine". 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noel_Pemberton_Billing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine

According to the articles, P-B had a particular thing about the danger to the country from Zeppelins "As a result, his return led to the company concentrating on designing the quadruplane P.B.29, which was designed to shoot down zeppelins. "  It seems to have been named the "Zeppelin Destroyer" but never went into production.

 

 

[BereniceUK]

He seems to fit the bill perfectly. Thanks very much, pierssc, and all of you, for your thoughts and suggestions.

[KizmeRD]

Well done @pierssc, great job linking this to the P.B. 29.

MB