Ralph William Ernest Beckett, 3rd Baron Grimthorpe, TD, DL (1891–1963), was a banker and breeder of racehorses.
He was a partner in the Leeds firm of Beckett & Co., which later became part of the Westminster Bank, and in the aeronautical firm Airspeed Ltd. His racehorses included Fortina, which won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1947, and Fragrant Mac, which won the Scottish Grand National in 1952.
[citation needed] Beckett frequently took part in the Cresta Run, St Moritz, Switzerland.
[citation needed] His interest in aviation included ownership of two light aircraft.
He founded an airline, North Eastern Airways in 1935,[2] using several aircraft produced by Airspeed, until it was grounded by World War II,[3] He was also president of Yorkshire Aero Club.