In 1912 Sydney Camm was the enthusiastic secretary of the Windsor Model Aeroplane Club (WMAC) designing and making models and starting the design of a man-carrying glider. In the early months of 1966 Sir Sydney Camm was in correspondence with Dr. Jamison of Bristol Siddeley Engines about the possibilities and potential of hypersonic fighter aircraft. In the intervening period he had been Chief Designer, and later a Director and Chief Engineer of the Hawker Company at Kingston for 41 years. This shows how impossible it is to cover, or even attempt to cover, his life and Work in any detail in a lecture of reasonable length. There is enough material for a series of lectures, of which this must be looked on only as the first. Because this is the first, I propose to take advantage of the fact and give a broad general review highlighting the main periods and achievements of his career, although even this is difficult in view of the steady intensity of his effort and his constant devotion to aviation right up to his death.