A museum with an international flavour

August 9, 2015 / Aviationtrails / 32 Comments

This museum forms Trail 26 of our tour around Britain’s aviation past. It is of particular interest to me, not just because of its aviation heritage, but because it’s not far from where I was brought up. Indeed, I was born in the City of Coventry, a mere three miles or so from here. After about 6 months we moved away to more leafy surroundings but the influence of Coventry was not left behind.

More importantly though, my father, my inspiration and the man who gave me my love of aviation, worked here at Baginton on the Argosy for Armstrong Whitworth, an aviation company long since gone. A dear friend of his, also worked here on some secret aircraft, so secret my father sadly never saw it.

The main building; the Sir Frank Whittle Heritage Centre.

Of course, this area is steeped in aviation history. The Jet engine was developed around here, Sir Frank Whittle’s name is used in his honour for a number of pubs and industrial sites across the region. I used to live not far from Lutterworth, famed for ‘Bitteswell’ where many test flight were made for AW, modifications were carried out to Britain’s Vulcans, Buccaneers, Gnats and Hawks to name but a few all under the name of British Aerospace. Also not far from my home was Whetstone, which had the first purpose-built jet engine factory. Coventry itself was a main target for the Luftwaffe suffering great casualties and damage during the blitz and the Cathedral ruins now stand as a monument to those who lost their lives during those terrible times. The former Standard (Later British Leyland) Motor works here built over 1000 Mosquitos and a number of other aircraft parts were made in this area. Baginton itself produced heavy bombers such as the Whitley and the Lancaster, Dunlop has a factory here as does Rolls Royce. Coventry and the area around it is steeped in both wartime and aviation history.

So Baginton holds good links to my past, and it has been far too long since I was there. So, whilst in the area, I decided to take a detour and visit the Midland Air Museum, Coventry.

The cargo hold of the Argosy

The museum is located to the northern side of Baginton (Coventry) Airport and has utilised this site since 1975. It originally had only five exhibits when it opened but has grown into the enormous collection it is today, holding around 40 airframes and various exhibits including: helicopters, a range of aircraft engines, cockpits, galleries and a vast collection of models. The main building, the ‘Sir Frank Whittle Jet Heritage Centre‘ is not only the main building for the displays and engines but holds a dedicated exhibition of Sir Frank Whittle’s remarkable work.

In here, are a vast number of photographs, letters and other documents relating to the creation and development of the Jet Engine. It takes you through, step by step, the process of development of the engine, Frank Whittle’s life and the organisations that built and developed this major invention.

Sir Frank Whittle and the early jet engine

The exhibition is housed in a small hangar crammed with jet engines amongst a small collection of aircraft. A meteor F-4 (and Mk 8 cockpit), a DH Vampire F-1, Saab J-29 and Lockheed’s T-33 being the most prominent. Cockpits other than the Meteor include that of the Harrier and a Canberra from RAF Wyton and some of these the visitor is free to sit in and experience what it was like as a pilot. Upstairs in this building, are displays of Baginton’s links with the air industry and local events of the Second World War. Again, photographs and documents relate the lives of those who lived through the war in the surrounding area. An absolute wealth of information here finished of with a huge range of well made models,

Sadly, most of the airframes are outside, some succumbing to the weather and all that the elements can throw at them. However, this aside, the range and selection of airframes is tremendous. Most models here come from the post war era, remnants of the Cold War. A Meteor night fighter stands next to the modern Tornado, A Gloster Javelin, A.W. Sea Hawk, D.H. Sea Vixen, Fairy Gannet and Harrier represent the great naval traditions of British aviation. From the RAF we have the Canberra, Hunter, Gnat, Percival’s Prentice, D.H. Beaver and two stunning E.E. Lightnings; a Saudi T-55 and a Binbrook F6 retired in 1988.

Many of these aircraft saw development in the years following the Second World War. The Canberra, first flown in 1949, served right up until 2007 and achieved many awards for altitude and performance flights. Used by Air Forces across the world, variants saw action over the Suez Canal, in Vietnam and in the Indo-Pakistan conflict in the late 1960s. Built under licence in the United States with a redesigned cockpit, the B-57 was admired by many. Production of the Canberra and its variants total around 1,500 and filled a number of roles with a variety of Air forces.

The Boulton Paul P.111A bulit in one piece and designed to explore the aerodynamic properties of the Delta wing.

Baginton is not just limited to RAF types either. The USAF is also represented through several models, there’s the North American F-86A Sabre and F-100D Super Sabre, McDonnell Douglas F-101B Voodoo and of course the famous McDonnell Douglas F-4c Phantom.

Initially designed as a carrier based aircraft, the Phantom was adopted by numerous air forces across the world including the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy. First flown in 1958, it was so successful that it would continue to serve into the early 21st century; with production totaling nearly 6,000 – it was a major contribution to aviation history. Like other models here, the Phantom fulfilled a variety of roles, being continually adapted to meet new demands and challenges. Truly a great aircraft.

No Cold War exhibition would be complete without opposing aircraft. A MIL Mi-24D Hind helicopter with its formidable nose mounted cannon and gas turbine engine stands alongside Russia’s highly proven warrior, the Mig 21.

A McDonnell Douglas F-101B Voodoo

The Midland Air Museum has a good international flavour to it. Lockheed’s F-104 Starfighter, dubbed ‘Witwenmacher‘ or ‘Widowmaker’ because of its unforgiving nature, stands in Royal Danish Air Force colours, the Mig 21, East German, the Gnat in Finnish Air force markings and the French represented with Dassault’s Mystere IV.

However, amongst all this hardware, there are two airframes that stand out for me here at Baginton, and not for their size alone, Avro’s B2 Vulcan ‘City of Coventry’ XL 360 which stands in 617 Squadrons colours, a squadron it served with before retirement, and Armstrong Whitworth’s Argosy 650, of which this is the oldest surviving example. To see both, not only remind me of my younger days, but provide a link to my father whose memories are fading as each day goes by.

One of the delights of the Midland Air Museum is that you can sit for free (donations accepted) in many of the cockpits where knowledgable guides will talk you through its history and features, something rarely found elsewhere.

Avro Vulcan B2 XL360 ‘City of Coventry’

To finish off your walk round, there is a small but clean and pleasant cafe, a shop that is filled to the brim with model kits, books and other mementos of your day. The staff are friendly and helpful, always a blessing.

Whilst some of the airframes are looking a little jaded, there is an extensive collection to be found here, and for those interested in all things aviation, especially the development of the Jet engine; from the early days of the Sapphire, through to the Olympus, the Avon and the RB199 turbo fans of the Tornado; the Midland Air Museum has them all.

Sisters sit side-by-side

Coventry Cathedral is about 3 miles from here, and if time permits, is also worthy of a visit.

Details of the museum can be found through their website.

RAF Langham – A revolution on the very tip of Norfolk.

June 7, 2015May 31, 2015 / Aviationtrails / 2 Comments

This airfield concludes our four-part tour around Norfolk. It visits a large airfield that played a revolutionary part in the Second World War. So revolutionary, that it paved the way for air defence well beyond the Second World War. We go to the very edge of North Norfolk, to an area of sanctuary, mud flats and a bird watchers paradise. A place where the sound of the Lark has replaced the roar of the piston engine.

RAF Langham

RAF Langham is located at the tip of North Norfolk’s coast. Its location perfect for the role it was to operate.

Built as a satellite to Bircham Newton, it opened in 1940, with three grass runways, and would take aircraft from a number of nearby airfields. Not having any official resident units until 1941, when the Polish and Czech units of 300 and 311 squadrons used it as a forward operating base, it saw little operational action. Langham was initially used as a gunnery training airfield, towing targets for gunnery practice at nearby Stiffkey, a few miles to the north. This is perhaps Langham’s most famous role and the one that many people associate with Langham.

Langham Airfield (photo of the display board at Langham Dome).

Then in November 1942 Langham was closed and redeveloped having concrete runways laid and around 35 looped style dispersals. The longest runway, (NE/SW) was of 1,988 yards, the second (N/S) 1,400 yards and the third (E/W) also of about 1,400 yards, all approximate. The accommodation sites were well away from the airfield many in and around the village of Langham itself to the east or south-east. Three T2 hangars were also erected, one to the north-west and two the south-east in the technical area. There were also various technical and administration blocks and a bomb storage area well away to the north of the site.

Langham’s Watch Office.

The first operational units arrived in April 1944, with Beaufighters of 455 (Australian) and 489 (New Zealand) squadrons of the Beaufighter Strike Wing, on the 8th and 13th respectively. This wing would famously form a combined attack against enemy shipping in the North Sea, being responsible for the sinking of 4 ‘U’ Boats and 36 surface vessels whilst here. A combination of nose mounted cannons and underwing rockets proved a deadly adversary for the flak ships and merchant vessels of the German Navy.

In August that year, the 521st Squadron moved from their base at RAF Docking to Langham to carry out its role of meteorological reconnaissance. Operating with Lockheed Hudsons, they would soon be ‘upgraded’ to Boeing’s massive B-17 adapted for these special duties. Other coastal command roles such as air-sea rescue were also carried out from Langham and a range of aircraft types would operate from here for the duration.

A collection of technical buildings still exist today.

Post war Langham was used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force as a Technical Training School, until June 1947 when it was vacated and then finally put into care and maintenance in the following September. For a short period between March 1953 and November 1958, it became a target towing site once more, pulling targets for No. 2 Civilian Anti-Aircraft Cooperation Unit and finally as if to defy the odds, it was used as an emergency landing ground for aircraft from nearby RAF Sculthorpe.

As with many of these Norfolk sites, Langham was eventually sold off, bought by Bernard Matthews becoming home to a number of turkey Sheds, the role it performs to this day.

Like so many in Norfolk, Langham’s main runway now houses poultry.

The majority of the concrete layout of Langham remains today, utilised by the company for transportation and storage. The technical sites and accommodation sites virtually indistinguishable from the farmland it once occupied. A small collection of buildings can be seen from the public road including: the watch tower, Fire tender shed, a Floodlight trailer, tractor shed, a Night flying equipment store and a small brick hut used for weather balloons. To the north-east, on the brow of the hill sits the restored battle headquarters. But certainly the most famous and most distinguishable building of this site, is the former gunnery trainer dome.

The ‘famous’ Langham Dome – former Gunnery Trainer.

Refurbished through Lottery Money, the dome is now classed as an ancient monument and a museum run by the Trust and Friends of the Langham Dome. Much has been written about the dome and recently (May 17th 2015) the BBC ran a programme about its development and history which is available on BBC iplayer for a short period. Only a small number of these structures exist today, none of which are accessible, which is what makes the Langham dome so special and unique. Developed in conjunction with Kodak, it projected a film of an aircraft onto the dome wall, to simulate an attack, at which the gunner would ‘fire’ his gun. The trainer would measure the trainees accuracy using a dot to the front of the aircraft visible only to himself. A remarkable breakthrough in gunnery training, it led the way in anti-aircraft training for a good number of years even after the war.

A plaque from Veterans of the Royal Netherlands Airforce in the Church at Langham.

Langham is one of Norfolk’s most Northerly airfields, it provided a safe haven for returning aircraft, and its residents conducted air-sea rescue missions, sank a number of ships and played a role in meteorological reconnaissance and anti-aircraft training. A mixed bag, but certainly an important one, the memory of Langham should continue and thrive for without it, there would certainly have been many more casualties in the Second World War.

References

A website dedicated to the Dome and life at RAF Langham can be found here. It includes a range of photographs and first hand accounts of what it was like to live on or near the airfield.

The BBC iplayer programme may only available in the UK and for a short period of time. You can find it here.

Battle of Britain Memorial Capel-le-Ferne, Kent.

June 4, 2015June 1, 2015 / Aviationtrails / 2 Comments

A recent revisit took me back to the Battle of Britain memorial at Capel-le-Ferne between Folkestone and Dover, in Kent. It sits high on the cliff-top, in a windy corner, a stones throw from the international docks at Dover, and the Battle of Britain airfield at Hawkinge. A ‘recent’ addition to the range of memorials, it is a poignant reminder of the young men who, from many nationalities, gave their lives in the name of freedom and the defence of this country.

Last time I was here, work was starting on the new visitor centre and the two replica aircraft, a Spitfire and Hurricane, had both been removed.

The replica Hurricane.

This week, on May 25th 2015, I went back to see what had been done.

The new centre is superb. First of all it has a good car park with ample space for a large number of cars.

The visitors centre itself has a bright open reception area and a small shop for souvenirs (I had to buy a book!) and upstairs a new cafe with a balcony overlooking the monument and across the English Channel to France.

The Visitors center behind the ‘Wall of Honour’.

Entrance to the memorial is still free, but there is the option to try the ‘scramble’ experience, which I believe costs £6.00.

The Spitfire and Hurricane are both back, admittedly both are metal replicas but up here it gets very windy and the weather can change dramatically in seconds, so it’s probably for the best. They are certainly good replicas.

The carved Pilot, sitting in the centre of a three-bladed propeller, gazes patiently out to sea, watching for his missing friends. Designed by Harry Gray of the Carving Workshop, Cambridge, the pilot is surrounded by the creats of those squadrons who took part in the famous battle in the Kent skies.

To either side, two large mounds, signify the locations of anti-aircraft batteries, now silent and filled in, perhaps two replica emplacements might add to the ‘feel’ of the site, although sometimes less is more.

As before, the monument is a quiet and moving place to sit; to read the names of those who gave their lives for us, and to absorb yourself in the battle through the numerous information panels around the site. From here you begin to imagine the vapour and smoke trails high above you and to think that Hitler and his invasion forces, stood not more than 30 miles away in the distant haze on the coast of France.

A big improvement to a very moving place.

RAF Bircham Newton.

March 29, 2015March 29, 2015 / Aviationtrails / 6 Comments

Trail 20 is a Trail that takes us round northern Norfolk. Our first stop is RAF Docking. After Docking, we travel to Bircham Newton.

Bircham Newton has it origins in the First World War prior to the birth of the Royal Air Force. Its distinguished career, saw action in both World Wars and post war right up to 1965 when it finally closed.

The former Guard House now stands as a shop.

Opened in 1916, its first operational use was as a fighter gunnery School in 1918. Its runways were grass and early residents included: DH4, DH5 and the DH9, amongst others. There then followed a period of expansion and development where larger buildings and accommodation blocks were built. Its first and possibly its most significant early aircraft, were the Handley Page V/1500 bombers. An enormous 4 engined aircraft, it was designed to hit Germany hard, targeting Berlin from airfields in East Anglia.

During expansion, a number of squadrons were based here: 7, 11, 166, 167 and 274 to name but a few. Primarily a bomber base during this period, it was soon passed to Coastal Command, who would also take charge of a number of other airfields around this area, including both satellites at RAF Docking and RAF Langham. Many of the original buildings were demolished and those we see today built instead.

Former armoury and photographic building.

New residents for Bircham featured heavier twin-engined aircraft such as the Lockheed Hudson, Bristol Beaufighter and Vickers Wellington, for which steel matting was laid to prevent sinking in the soft earth.

The majority of missions from here were anti-shipping activities, mine laying and Air-Sea rescue. Like its satellite, Docking, it saw a large number of squadrons pass through it gates, too many to give the required credit to here.

As the second World War drew to a close, Bircham’s activity began to dwindle and its role lessened. From Anti Shipping activities to Flying Training, Transport Command and finally to a Technical Training unit, training the Officers of the future. Flying reduced, and Chipmunks became the order of the day. The most notable ‘resident’ of Bircham being HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, who made several landings here as part of his flying training in the early 1950s.

One of the former technical buildings no longer used.

Finally, in 1962, Bircham Newton closed its doors to aviation, but it was not to be the end of the story. In 1965, with the development of the Kestrel, Hawker Siddeley’s VTOL baby, Bircham came to life once more, albeit briefly, with the sound of the jet engine.

A year later, Bircham was sold to the National Construction College and the pathways are adorned with young building apprentices, diggers and cranes of varying sizes. Being a busy building college, many of the original buildings hae been restored but the runways, flying areas and sadly the Control Tower, removed. Whilst private, the airfield retains that particular feel associated with an airfield.

The main stores with two of the C-type hangars in the background.

Luckily, the main road passes through the centre of Bircham. A memorial project has been set up to remember those that served at the airfield with photos and exhibits from days long gone. A memorial has also been erected and stands outside the original Station Commanders house, just off the main road and is well sign posted. The original accommodation blocks, technical buildings and supporting blocks are still visible even from the road. The 1923 guard-house, is now a shop and the operations block, the reception centre.

The original squash courts are still used as they were intended.

Reputedly haunted, the squash courts (built-in 1918) continue to serve their original purpose, and most significantly, the three large C-type hangers and 2 Bellman sheds are still there – all visible from the public highway.

RAF Bircham Newton, stands as a well-preserved model one of Britain’s wartime airfields. Although Private now, the buildings reflect the once time bustling activities of a busy centre of aviation.

RAF Memorial and Station Commanders house

The recently added RAF Memorial and behind, the Station Commanders house

The memorial project at RAF Bircham Newton has a website and can be found here. Norfolk Heritage Explorer also has more details here.

Finally – recognition for Britain’s airfields and the sacrifice made by so many.

March 24, 2015 / Aviationtrails / 10 Comments

The government recently announced their final budget before the forthcoming general election. Amongst the tax hype, vote buying and pre-election promises we have come so accustomed to, was a small recognition to those who gave their all for the security of Britain.

Recognition has finally been given to the deterioration of Britain’s wartime airfields. In particular Stow Maries that dates back for the First World War, the museum at Hendon and the chapel at the former RAF base at Biggin Hill, have all been the subject of grants to improve and update them.

This does not in itself signify a dramatic change in heart of the upkeep or a reduction in planning and development of Britain’s wartime airfields, but it does show a change in attitude toward those that flew from them and the memories we hold of them.

Any small recognition of the sacrifice made by these people, and the fading historical aspect of these now decaying sites has to be good. Maybe just maybe, somewhere along the line planning regulations may change to allow for preservation of some small part of these sites before they are all gone forever.

This has to be a positive step forward, let’s hope so!

An interesting article relating to this appeared in the “Telegraph” newspaper on May 21st. It’s well worth a read and can be found here

1st Lt. Raymond Harney and 2nd Lt. Warren French – 349th BS, 100th BG

March 1, 2015February 28, 2015 / Aviationtrails / 2 Comments

: Lt Raymond Harney (Photo courtesy of Tsymond Harney JR.)*1

A recent story that came to light, was that of two American airmen whose World War II story has finally come to a close 70 years after their death.

The two airmen, U.S. Army Air Corps 1st Lt. Raymond Harney (s/n O-523208) and U.S. Army Air Corps 2nd Lt. Warren French, (s/n O-2056584) of the 349th BS, 100th BG, were in a B17G (44-6306) over Germany on September 28th 1944, when they were hit by flak whilst on a mission to Merseberg. This would be their eighth and final mission.

Mission 652 involved a total of 342 B-17s which were sent to bomb the Merseburg/Leuna oil refinery and any additional targets of opportunity. During the operation, 10 B-17s were lost, 4 were damaged beyond repair and 251 damaged but repairable. Escort for the mission was provided by 212 P-51s of the USAAF.

B-17 ’44-6306′, was delivered to Kearney airbase on 28th June 1944, then moved to Grenier airbase, New Hampshire on 9th July 1944, for onward transport to the United Kingdom. It was assigned to the 349th Bomb Squadron, of the 100th Bomb Group, given the code ‘XR-G’, and based at RAF Thorpe Abbotts from the 12th July 1944.

The crew of 44-6306, assigned on the 28th August 1944, was: (Pilot) 1st Lt Raymond E.Harney, (co-pilot) 2nd Lt William R.Kimball, (Navigator) 2nd Lt Charles M.Hamrick, (Bombardier) 2nd Lt Warren.M.French, (Top Turret/Engineer) Cpl Thadeus L.Gotz, (Radio Operator/Gunner) Cpl Hubert J.Burleigh,Jr., (Ball Turret) Cpl Melvin F.Cordray, (Waist Gunner) Cpl Robert C.Minear, (Waist Gunner) Cpl James J.Sorenson, and (tail Gunner) Cpl John H. Bundner. (For this particular mission, Gotz was not aboard, S/Sgt Jack D.Francisco flew as tail gunner and Cpl Robert C.Minear flew as Flt. Engineer.)

At 12:10, whilst over the target, the B-17 was hit in the number 2 engine by anti-aircraft flak. As a result, the engine caught fire, the aircraft withdrew from the protection of the formation, joining another formation further back, but began to fall back again when the number 4 engine was also feathered. Harney continued to fly the crippled B-17 for a further two hours after being hit, before finally ordering the crew to bail out. He decided that he and the injured French, would remain and try to land the aircraft.

Outside of the village of Schwickershausen, to the north of another major target, Schweinfurt, Germany, they attempted a belly landing bringing the aircraft down in a turnip field. The B-17 slid across the ground, ripping off the port wing, causing a tremendous fire. Neither Harney nor French sadly survived the subsequent fireball.

Although he managed to get the crew to leave the aircraft, their safety was not guaranteed and sadly, many were killed by local the police in the following days. Only two of the gunners, Cpl. Melvin F.Cordray, and Cpl. Robert C.Minear, survived as POWs.

What makes this story more significant than usual, is what followed after the crash.

‘Bloody Hundredth’ members’ grave marker returned to Thorpe Abbotts

The Cross and Certificate Donated to the Thorpe Abbot Museum. *2

The local people, made a wooden cross in remembrance of the crew and they kept it hidden away in the local church for over 70 years.

The large wooden cross, had the words “Hier ruhen in Gott! 2 amer. Flieger,” or “Here rests in God 2 American flyers,” engraved on it, along with details of the aircraft crash. On the 70th anniversary of the crash, 28th September 2014, a memorial service was held in the village of Schwickershausen. Following this, on 5th October, the cross was flown over to England in an American KC-135 Stratotanker from RAF Mildenhall, with two Luftwaffe Tornados ‘escorting’ over Germany. The cross was donated to the ‘Bloody 100th’ museum at Thorpe Abbots for safe keeping. A certificate was also handed over along with the cross signifying not only the now peaceful and co-operative alliance between the two nations, but the final closing of a chapter of the history of two crew members of the “Bloody Hundredth.”

This is a remarkable story, and one that certainly stands out amongst the horrors and heroism of the Second World War.

Warren French’s memorial stone in Belgium*3

Lt Raymond E. Harney’s Gravestone is at F.t Snelling Cemetery in Minnesota, his remains are in the graveyard at Gemeindefriedhof Schwickershausen. Warren French’s headstone is in the Ardennes, Neuville-en-Cond, in Belgium.

Thorpe Abbotts airfield and museum is featured in Trail 12

Sources:

*1 photo https://100thbg.com/index.php?option=com_bombgrp&view=personnel&id=2186&Itemid=334

*2 Photo from RAF Mildenhall news http://www.mildenhall.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123429343

*3 Photo from ‘Find a Grave’ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=56358247

This story first appeared in the RAF Mildenhall news report; http://www.mildenhall.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123429343

What Now for 2015?

January 4, 2015January 4, 2015 / Aviationtrails / 7 Comments

Now that Christmas and the New Year celebrations are over, it’s time to take stock and consider where we go next with the blog.

Since starting this site last April, the blog has grown and developed in ways I never thought possible. I’ve visited over 40 different airfields and written trails about each one. As each trail has been written, I’ve found some amazing stories of heroism, bravery and heartache. The more I delve, the more I find, to the point where it has now become quite factual in its basis but the original idea of a nostalgic trip is still strong and evident in each and every article.

I have now of course, had a great deal of help from Marcella, whom I met on ‘Twitter’, spent Christmas 2013 with and have developed an amazing long distance relationship with. With her living in the United States and me in England, we have learnt to live with 3,500 miles and a time difference of 5 hours. Not easy at times!

She has an incredible eye for detail and a determination to find and check every detail, researching many of the additional facts and pieces of information that I wouldn’t necessarily have the time to do. She has also brought new ideas to the blog and has played a large part in its overall development.

As a result of this partnership, the blog has diversified from a range of trails around Britain’s old disused airfields, themselves a record of historical events, to include poetry and personal tales of bravery and heroism. It has also given me the chance to talk at length with my father, to learn about his time in the RAF, to know some of the stories behind his photos. We have learned about the structure of the USAAF, individual squadrons of the RAF and the ‘friendly invasion’ that affected so many lives both here in Britain and in the United States.

The blog following has grown too. Traffic to the site has grown steadily, readership is on the increase and a ‘family’ of friends has developed through a shared interest. I met in person, people through the blog who have shared their own pictures and stories. I personally have learned so much from others. It has truly been a terrific year.

So what now, where do we go? Certainly more trails, they are the backbone of the blog and tell the tale of events in World War Two. More heroic tales too, to highlight the sacrifices these young men (boys in many cases) made in the name of freedom and democracy. Perhaps too a new look, a revamp of the style. More factual information to back up the trails, and perhaps some revisits to old sites to update them and see what has happened since I was last there.

We would also like to share our trails with more people, raise the awareness of the state of these sites, and maybe encourage others to follow the trails around Britain’s disused airfields. Now is a fantastic time (if you are brave enough to withstand a little wintry weather), to go out and have a look round. The winter provides excellent views of buildings and other remnants of history that remain on these airfields, that in the summer, are obscured by trees and other greenery.

We welcome guest posts too, encouraging readers to add and share their own trails or stories. The more trails, the better the record we have! These posts need not necessarily be about a trail. We would love to share stories of those who served during this tumultuous time in history.

Finally, as always, we greatly appreciate your feedback and thoughts in the comments sections.

With a readership that is growing world-wide, ‘Aviation Trails‘ has truly taken off and is climbing. Here’s to 2015, new trails and new friends!

Andy and Marcella

What the Luftwaffe failed to do, the local council have finally managed.

December 7, 2014December 7, 2014 / Aviationtrails / Leave a comment

Many of Britain’s airfields have hung on desperately to a small corner of history. Hawkinge is sadly one of those that has been buried deep beneath housing, schools and shops. Sadly, one of England’s most historic airfields, has finally been defeated not by Goring’s Luftwaffe, but by local planners.

Hawkinge was at the forefront of the Battle of Britain, it was repeatedly attacked by the bombers of the Luftwaffe. Because of its location, just minutes from France, crews would often have little warning and would have to take to the sky unprepared. Many returning aircraft would use its runways as a safe haven returning battle damaged and weary; Hawkinge fire crews were some of the busiest Britain was to have. It was used as a transport depot in the First World War, became a mecca for international pilots, saw some of the first ‘drones’ and was used in the filming of the 1969 film ‘The Battle of Britain’.

Today a small museum, utilises what’s left of the original buildings whilst housing creeps like poison ivy, ever further across the airfield.

The nearby cemetery is home to not only RAF pilots but also fallen Luftwaffe crews, ironically remaining in the land they tried to take all those years ago.

As part of a second aviation trail around historic Kent, Hawkinge is a must for any follower of history, aviation or the Battle Of Britain.

See the full story and Kent’s second trail here.

Eisenhower stopped off at Lashenden

December 3, 2014November 30, 2014 / Aviationtrails / 4 Comments

It was during this time, on July 4th 1944, that General Eisenhower stopped off at Lashenden following one of his many flights over the German lines in Normandy. His pilot, Brig. Gen. Elwood R. Quesada, veteran of 90 sorties, was berated by his superiors for such a ‘foolish’ act. In response he said, “When a five-star general says ‘Go,’ you go!”

Lashenden, also known as Headcorn, was an advanced landing ground, built initially for the RAF, it was taken over by the US Ninth Airforce who used to to fly P-51s and P-47s out over France.

Today it is a thriving airfield, whose annual reenactments bring back the nostalgia of 1940s Britain. Find out more about Lashenden’s history and other airfields in Kent. Click on this link.

1940s Britain is reenacted on the Former Lashenden Advanced Landing Ground used by the Ninth Air Force.

Polish Fighter Ace Turned a V1 on its back.

November 30, 2014November 30, 2014 / Aviationtrails / Leave a comment

The first V1 for 315 sqn was shot down by Flt Sgt Jankowski at 13:10 on July 11th. There were three more the following day and several others would meet similar fates. Shooting down a V1 was dangerous, many aircraft being caught in the subsequent blast. Other, less conventional methods would include tipping the wing of the V1 destabilising the gyroscopic guidance system within, sending it tumbling to the ground. On one occasion, WO Tadeusz Szymanski managed to completely turn a V1 onto its back using such a method.

Brenzett, was an advanced landing ground, built to be temporary, but even so, it produced some remarkable stories.

As part of a second trail around Kent, we visit three more of Britain’s airfields, Hawkinge, Brenzett and Lashenden. Each with its own story to tell. Want to know more? click here to go back to 1940s England and then see what has happened to these historic places.