They were the first company in the world to make production aeroplanes, employed thousands of people in Kent…. and perhaps most impressively launched the world’s first flying pig.

In short, The Short Brothers changed the world - and a new free art exhibition has opened at Rochester Art Gallery to celebrate their magnificent achievements.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Short Brothers’ factory closing in Rochester, and the new exhibition features paintings – including a large oil and charcoal painting of the ‘Canopus’ flying boat by internationally acclaimed Medway artist Billy Childish – along with original technical drawings, models, film and memorabilia, to showcase factory’s history.

At its peak, the company employed 12,000 people and tested its innovative flying boats on the River Medway, including the famous Empire and Sunderland models, as well as developing the World War II Shorts Stirling, the first four-engine bomber.

But the company’s history dates back to the early days of aviation – when the Short Brothers Aeronautical Company was founded at Eastchurch on the Isle of Sheppey in 1908.

The following year. John Moore-Brabazon became the first Englishman to fly a powered aircraft on British soil, at the Aero Club ground on Sheppey - and six months later in November 1909 Mr Moore-Brabazon hit upon an idea for another first.

"I was shooting in the neighbourhood when a farmer casually suggested to me that I might take a pig up in my aeroplane," he explained to The Mirror, “...and so accomplish what has so long been proverbially impossible."

As the story goes, a six-week-old piglet was chosen from the yard of the Rose and Crown in Leysdown - and dubbed Icarus II for the maiden flight, which took place in a Short Brothers biplane.

"It was a short, fast flight," related Moore-Brabazon, "and though he squealed a little to begin with, my four-legged passenger soon quietened down, and behaved as if he quite realised the importance of the occasion. Even the proximity of the engines did not distress him in the least."

The 3.5-mile round trip is said to be the first flight of any livestock in a powered vehicle, and took place only six years after the Wright Brother’s first powered flight in history.

But not all such record attempts involving Short Brothers planes were so successful.

In early 1919, the talk within aeronautical circles was all about who would become the first to fly the Atlantic, and a prize of £10,000 had been offered by the Daily Mail for anyone who could do it.

Oswald Short, one of the three founding brothers of the firm, realised the torpedo of their Short Shirl bomber could be replaced by an extra-large fuel tank, making the machine ideal for long- distance flights.

He may or may not have been right, but sadly RAF veteran pilot Major JCP Wood, and his navigator Capt CC Wylie never got to find out. After successfully crossing mainland Britain, the duo were about 12 miles out to sea off the Welsh coast, when the engine gave a cough and stopped, forcing them to turn around and glide towards shore before ditching in the sea.

Thankfully both were rescued, but the record bid was over – and in June that year, John Alcock and Arthur Brown flew their First World War Vickers Vimy bomber into the record books by crossing from St John’s, Newfoundland, to County Galway in Ireland.

Nevertheless, the Shorts Brothers were just at the start of their journey, which would end with them providing a livelihood for thousands, shaping Medway society and changing the world of aviation.

The new exhibition takes a creative look at the Short Brothers legacy, and will feature designs from the exciting new artwork ‘Wings Over the River Medway’ by local illustrator Jon Schwochert.

Created with augmented reality studio Arcade, Jon’s work will be installed on Rochester Esplanade, and audiences will see his illustrations come to life over the iconic River Medway via augmented reality through their phones.

Commissioned by Medway Council, the work tells the story of the Short Brothers with a dash of the surreal and was inspired by the creativity of the brothers and their workforce in Medway.

Later this month artist Bryan Hawkins will be giving a free workshop at the exhibition on Saturday, 26 August 26, from 11am to 1pm, and 2pm to 4pm in the Gallery.

Saturday, October 7 will bring Liz Walker, the great, great niece of the Short Brothers, to the Rochester Art Gallery, to give a free talk from 1pm – 2pm as part of the exhibition.

Cllr Harinder Mahil, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Heritage, Culture and Leisure, said: “Let your imagination soar at this fantastic exhibition which looks at part of Medway’s rich history.

“This is a unique chance to step back in time and appreciate the amazing work undertaken at the Short Brothers’ factory, and I would encourage as many people as possible to take the opportunity to hear from their great, great niece Liz Walker.

“It is great that we are able to put on these free exhibitions throughout the year, and I would like to thank our teams for their hard work in putting this exhibition together and Liz Walker, The Castle Club, Rochester and Robert Flood from the City of Rochester Society for their support and contributions.”

This exhibition has been created in partnership with Medway Archives and the Guildhall Museum Rochester.

Rochester Art Gallery is open between 9am - 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday at Medway Visitor Centre, 95 High Street, Rochester, Kent, ME1 1LX.

And readers might be wondering what became of Icarus II? His groundbreaking flight wasn’t his only success at living out a proverbial phrase in reality. Having become a celebrity on Sheppey, Icarus’ owner Mr Ward decided to keep him as a pet – meaning the first pig to fly also saved his own bacon.