WWII airfield

[wonwinglo]

If you have Baginton & Honiley Nigel I would be very interested.

I should like to build a model of the former one,when I worked there,there were signs of bullet holes in the hangars,the Polish aircrew used to shoot birds out of boredom in the rafters,during the air raids on Coventry they wanted to get up in their Hurricanes,but they were forbidden to do so and went beserk.

[Guest]

sorry late posting back here but just to assure you it is NOT sawbrideworth.....in fact it is about 7 miles away from sawbridgeworth and about 10 miles away from stansted airport. will go later today to get pictures!!!!

you right about runways...etc leaving darkened areas of grass/mud though so its all quite confusing!

[Guest]

Any info on Baldoon in Wigtownshire SW Scotland ? Maintenance airfield ?

[wonwinglo]

Could have the answer,there was a WW1 landing ground,take a look at these-

Mathams Wood which became part of RAF Sawbridgeworth at

Grid Ref TL460180 or Lat / Long N5150-E00007

The main WW2 airfield at

Grid Ref TL465178 or Lat / Long N5150.08-E00007.13

WW1 NLG at

Grid Ref TL466173 or Lat / Long N5150-E00007

[wonwinglo]

***RJ Information has been relayed,any more leads will be posted here,photograph any distinctive buildings or landmarks.

sorry late posting back here but just to assure you it is NOT sawbrideworth.....in fact it is about 7 miles away from sawbridgeworth and about 10 miles away from stansted airport. will go later today to get pictures!!!!you right about runways...etc leaving darkened areas of grass/mud though so its all quite confusing!

[wonwinglo]

***We will get this mystery airfield out of the way Duncan,then we can deal with Baldoon,no problem.

Any info on Baldoon in Wigtownshire SW Scotland ? Maintenance airfield ?

[Guest]

Sure thing Barry, it is a fascinating subject old airfields. Lest we forget and all that. Pity it isn`t pushed a bit more. The WW 1 aspect is intriguing for the current search.

[wonwinglo]

Spot on Duncan,that reminds me of this story-

Several years ago Vic Norman of Crunchie Aerobatic team fame,was sitting reading a book one summers evening,the book was about early aviation during WW1,it happened to mention the name of an airfield in the Cotswolds called RFC Rendcombe,Vic lives in the Cotswolds and thought that he had heard of the place ? he did no more but got his car out and drove a few miles down the road to a large overgrown field,investigation showed a rifle range,mortuary buildings,old nissan hits and other wooden buildings,yes this was indeed the remains of a WW1 airfield,he then set about finding the owner,the outcome was he came to some arrangement and slowly started to restore the airfield,new period type hangars emerged which served to keep his wing walking Stearmans in,a crew room etc and he had himself a piece of working aviation history.

The thing is there must be lots of disused airfields like this,most were no more than landing grounds with mobile facilities and those strange canvas Bessenou hangars ( two exist at R.A.F Halton to this day )

Having stood on windswept runways on disused airfields it is an errie sensation,lets face it people and comrades laughed,sang and died at these places,it is often said that people make a place and without that atmosphere the buildings and pubs,and such like are nothing,without the atmosphere everything has gone.

But such places are real hunting grounds for historians,we must treat them as shrines to people who gave so much for King and country.

[Guest]

barry what did you use to get the grid refferenc/lag-long?

unfortunatly you cant search by either in google map so im trying to scale the whole of the region looking at the lat/long numbers wizzing past!

unfortunatly i havnt had the time nor the energy to go and take the photos today i will go tomorrow.

[Guest]

Only pic i could find from my books etc

Sawbridgworth Lysanders

[ATTACH]14418.IPB[/ATTACH]

[Guest]

Barry

This is Bagingtons Battle Headquarters

[ATTACH]14419.IPB[/ATTACH]

[Guest]

Baginton map

here ya go barry

[ATTACH]14420.IPB[/ATTACH]

[wonwinglo]

***You know Nigel,I think that this was in existance up until a few years ago,thanks for the interesting picture I will keep that for my files.

This is Bagingtons Battle Headquarters

[Guest]

Here is Honiley

[ATTACH]14421.IPB[/ATTACH]

[wonwinglo]

***Great detail Nigel,the Alvis works mentioned here is still in existance,they use the buildings to restore old aero engines,the company is called CFS Aerospace,the initials stand for 'Collett,Foden,Slater' the founders who started in the comany in Malta,Collett is the chairman of the well known Air Atlantique group of companies.

On a sad note the 'Spirit of St Louis' replica that broke up in the air at an airshow at Baginton a few years ago, crashed onto one of these buildings,saw it happen,the cause was a badly welded strut attachment that had been repaired after a runaway accident,aeroplanes always bite back.

here ya go barry