Gerard d'Erlanger

Baron Gerard John Regis Leo d'Erlanger (1906–1962) was a merchant banker in London (partner of Erlanger Ltd. and Myers & Co) and aviation enthusiast.

Baron d'Erlanger was the second son of Emile Beaumont Baron d’Erlanger (1866–1939), banker and musician, and his wife Catherine, Baroness d'Erlanger, née Catherine Robert d'Aqueria de Rochegude. (See: Erlanger family tree).

He helped form British Airways and became the chairman of the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). At the outset of the Second World War, he successfully lobbied for creation of the Air Transport Auxiliary which he then commanded.[1]

References

1. Masefield, Peter G.; Higham, Robin (2004), "D'Erlanger, Sir Gerard John Regis Leo (1906–1962)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/32789