The Royal Air Force in 1927 required a replacement for their current elementary trainers, the elderly Avro 504Ns.

They specified that the power plant should be an Armstrong Siddeley Mongoose engine, a radial five-cylinder type, and the design should "have regards to the elimination of the Woodworking Fitter trades."

Automatic slats of the Handley Page type were fitted to the leading edges of the upper wing.

On 4 February 1941, three surplus Tomtits were acquired from Leicester Aero Club by Alex Henshaw, chief test pilot at the Vickers-Armstrongs Castle Bromwich aircraft factory for use as personal transport until mid-1942.

G-AFTA survived the war, was sold by Henshaw in 1946 but then acquired and restored by the Hawker company in 1949.

During the war, it was flown by Alex Henshaw and gained a Spitfire windscreen and faired headrest.

After purchase and restoration by Hawker in 1949, it became the mount of company test pilot Neville Duke and was repainted dark blue and gold.