Trail 64 – Central Scotland (Part 3)

Part 2 of this trail saw a range of units arrive at Grangemouth, each one bringing new aircraft and new personnel to this small Scottish site. Some, playing a rather sinister role, eventually move on to leave Grangemouth’s longest standing unit here to see the war out.

58 OTU was initially set up to train night fighters, but was quickly turned into a Spitfire training unit, the purpose to train pilots to fly the Spitfire, many of these trainees would be Polish. In fact, so many were training here that by February 1941, the unit had grown from a small half sized unit to a full unit with in excess of 50 Spitfires and 20 Masters available to the trainees. To help accommodate the aircraft, Grangemouth was paired with a satellite airfield located at Balado Bridge*⁸ between Edinburgh and Perth.

Lysander TT Mark IIIA target tug, V9905, on the ground at Westland’s Ltd, Yeovil, Somerset, before delivery to No. 58 Operational Training Unit at Grangemouth. (© IWM ATP 10716B)

The training unit would become the longest standing resident unit at Grangemouth and this would set the scene for its future.

The turn of the year though, really saw little change, except the weather got even colder. More rain and fog was joined by frost, and on several days the airfield was closed, its ground simply unsuitable for any flying activity.

Even though the weather was playing havoc, the work that both 58 OTU and the resident 614 Sqn would do in conjunction with the Polish airmen, led an affiliation between 614 and the Polish forces on January 10th 1941; an acknowledgement of the good work that was being done jointly between the two.

March 1941 then brought the news that 614 Squadron would be moving on, to Tranent (Macmerry), perhaps a welcome move as the last few months had seen flying hours drop to around 200 in the day and less than 20 at night. Several accidents had left aircraft badly damaged, crewmen injured and the squadron short of aircraft, it had not been a good year. But by early in the month, the move had taken place and 614 had departed to its new home where it could continue to carry out its sinister role.

With that, the OTU remained the main sole user of Grangemouth until on 10th March 1941,  when the Aircraft Delivery Flight Grangemouth was set up. (A month later it would be re-designated 4 Aircraft Delivery Flight). During its lifetime it would operate a number of aircraft: Oxfords, Dominies, Lysanders, Beaufighters, Mustangs and Typhoons. The role of the flight was to ferry aircraft from one location to another, taking new aircraft to new squadrons in support of 13 and 14 Groups.

Fighter pilot instructors give a demonstration of tight formation flying with Spitfires at Grangemouth 25th April 1941 (© IWM H 9180)

Delivering aircraft was not without its problems either. On October 2nd, a Hurricane IIA was being transferred by Sgt. Arthur Carl Young of the Flight from Martlesham Heath to Grangemouth. The pilot became disorientated in cloud, and so bailed out leaving the Hurricane to its fate crashing in an area near Goole.

The numbers of trainees at Grangemouth had grown significantly by 1942, so much so, that within 58 OTU a dedicated squadron was formed. Designated as ‘A’ squadron, it was manned by both British and Polish instructors, many of these were hardened veterans including Sqn. Ldr. Henryk Drobinski who had multiple kills and awards to his name.

But Grangemouth would be a multinational training centre, taking pilots from all around the world. The diversity of languages must have been a headache for some, the non- English speaking airmen having to learn very quickly indeed.

Collisions played a large part in the accident roll at Grangemouth, such was the nature of the training programme and those learning to fly the Spitfire, close formation flying being a large part of the syllabus here at the airfield.

In his biography “Challenge in the Air” (William Kimber, 1988), Miroslav Liskutin describes how on a six week course, six of the thirty pilots on his course were killed, a fact they simply lived with.

On April 17th, two pilots were killed when Spitfires R7073 and X4905 collided over Falkirk. One was killed outright, whilst the other died during an attempted crash landing following the incident. Sgt. Siemienczuk (26) along with P/O. Malkiewicz (24), both from Poland, were subsequently buried in Grangemouth Grandsable Cemetery located to the south of the airfield site.

In fact, 1942 saw no less than six collisions or near collisions, all of which resulted in either one or both pilots being killed. All these young men were in their 20s and from countries far beyond Britain’s own borders.

As the demand for training increased and subsequently the numbers of trainees increased, it was decided to increase the length of the main east–west runway by some 300 yards. This would allow for a greater amount of time to land and come to a stop and would allow for faster or larger aircraft to utilise the airfield should the requirement demand. Whilst the necessary work was carried out, operations and training flights continuing unhindered.

Ten months old Marian Edward, held by his mother Audrey Bełc (née Stephenson), receiving his late father’s DFC from Air Commodore W. H. Dunn during an award ceremony at RAF Grangemouth, 21 September 1942. The pilot standing far right in the group in the background is Flight Lieutenant Stanisław Brzeski, also of No. 58 OTU. Note also the former terminal building behind.(© IWM CH 7431)

The extension of the runway however, didn’t prevent further accidents from happening whether in the air or on the ground. Collisions with parked aircraft appear on several occasions, although and perhaps the worst incident, would occur some distance away from the airfield site.

On January 16th 1943, three Spitfires from the OTU were out on a formation flying exercise when they collided with a hillside killing two of the three airmen. It is what happened subsequent to the crash that is perhaps more incredible.

The accident occurred on Saturday 16th January 1943, when bad weather intervened in their flight plans. Initially they were ordered to land at the satellite airfield at Balado Bridge, but an accident there prevented this and so they were diverted to Perth.

In dense mist the three Spitfires X4614 (Ia), AR254 (Ia) and P8276 (IIa) remained in formation resulting in all three colliding with a 648ft high hill known as King’s Seat in the Ochils, 3km north of Dollar, Clackmannanshire. In the collision, two of the three pilots F.O. Hugh Gordon ’Bud’ Reynolds and Sgt. Gordon Murray Duda were both killed instantly.  The third pilot, an RAAF airman, Sgt. Vincent P Daly, managed to see the hillside in time and pulled his Spitfire’s nose up at the last minute to reduce the impact on the hillside. As a result, he survived sustaining only a broken leg and other minor injuries.

F.O. Reynolds, his Spitfire behind him. *⁶

The crash site being high up in the hills and covered in snow, would not be reached for some time though, and so Daly, even though suffering from a range of injuries (a compound fracture, bruising and cuts to head and body), managed to drag himself down the hillside where he was found two days later by a local farmer.

Daly had managed to use his scarf at the time of the crash, to tie his legs together making a make shift splint to support his broken tibia. He then set off, in freezing conditions, down the hill side toward safety and help. During the decent, he began to contract double pneumonia and suffered severe frostbite to both his toes and his nose – the tip of which he lost.

Once he had been located, Daly was transferred to Larbert Military Hospital, where he made a partial recovery, having to use special shoes and a walking stick to walk. Once out of hospital, he was sent back to RAF Grangemouth, but he never recovered sufficiently to fly again in the RAF. He died in 1969 in his home country, Australia, at the age of just 48 from a heart condition.

Reynolds and Duda were both flying with the RCAF (Duda being an American) and their bodies were eventually found and brought back to be buried at Grangemouth Grandsable Cemetery.

In memory of the airmen and as a lasting tribute a Cairn has been erected at the site (as is common in Scottish mountain crashes) in 2009, and was marked with a flypast by the BBMF Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster.

Cairn memorial dedicated in 2009 (© Gordon Brown)*⁷

Later that year, on October 5th 1943, 58 OTU would finally be disbanded in name, the aircraft and training programme being reused under the new name  2 Combat Training Wing still here at Grangemouth. For just the next two weeks or so, the unit would operate under this guise, before on the 15th yet another renaming would take place and it would become 2 Tactical Exercise Unit.  Continuing to use the Hurricane, Masters and Spitfires, it operated until 25th June 1944, at which point it was seen as surplus to requirements and disbanded for good. This move began the slow and inevitable run down of the airfield.

Between 1944 and 1945 Grangemouth was used by several maintenance units, including both No. 14 MU and No. 243 MU, who used the site after the departure of the OTU to store materials and ammunition. This took the airfield into the late 1940s, at which point there followed a period of limited flying, primarily through a number of RAF gliding schools.

The first of these was No. 6 Gliding school , who were formed here in January 1945 using Cadets, Grunau Baby IIBs and Sedburgh TX.1s.  In 1947 a second school, No. 2 Gliding School was also reformed here after being disbanded at Dumfries earlier in the war.

Then on April 1st, 1948,  No. 13 Reserve Flying School was formed here at Grangemouth, under the control of Airwork Ltd,. This organisation ran a number of flying training units around the country including two at Scone outside of Perth. 13 RFS used six Tiger Moths and were led by Wing Commander F. Nugent. The School was disbanded a year later in 1949, with almost 200 trainees on their books at various stages.

In 1949, the two Gliding Schools were also amalgamated, the Scone operations continuing at the demise of Grangemouth and absorbing all their equipment.

A third school No. 4 Gliding School then joined Grangemouth in 1951, and eventually all three were absorbed into one under the control of No. 2 Gliding School. A year later the grand terminal building, which had now stood throughout the war, would be destroyed by a major fire, which further helped the demise of the airfield categorically killing any future it may have had.

By 1955, neither Glasgow nor Edinburgh councils had shown any interest in the site as an aviation project, despite the money that had been spent on it previously. Scottish Aviation had also pulled out its resources and so, with all glider schools gone, the terminal building destroyed and no prospect of further flying, the land was put up for sale with an £11m price tag.*⁹

With that, the airfield was closed. The great dream of civilian aviation at Grangemouth would never materialise again after that. The runways became a proving ground for the young, and new car drivers honed their skills on the concrete paths. By the 1960s, the site was being ripped up and built upon, houses very quickly filled the gaps and the oil refinery took over most of the site. The runway extension, built to allow for longer landings, now holds the Charlotte Dundas Shopping centre along with further housing.

Grangemouth’s humble existence started off as an amazing dream, one that was shattered by the calling of war. A future that was so promising for Scotland’s Aviation industry sadly failed to materialise. Instead, Grangemouth became a training ground for many young men who were far away from their homes in Europe and across the commonwealth. In all,  80 air and ground crew lost their lives while serving at Grangemouth, 60 of those being aircrew. The majority of these lay buried in the local cemetery close to the airfield where they served all those years ago. There are many famous names synonymous with Grangemouth too, many of these were ‘Aces’, highly decorated pilots who achieved many ‘kills’ in their attempt to turn the tide of war.  Becoming trainers they also set many trainees off on their long journeys to the war’s end. One such pilot was Neville Duke the test pilot, who went on to achieve great things in the aviation industry.

Whilst elements of the site are still visible,  (the two original hangars and traces of one of the runways as part of a Inchyra play park) the airfield leaves few distinguishing features and you would be forgiven for not knowing such a site ever existed close to this growing Scottish town.

In 2013, the cadets of 1333 (Spitfire) Squadron led by Squadron Leader Tom McMorrow, finally saw their plans come to fruition when they were present at the unveiling of their Spitfire memorial outside the original hangar that remains standing today.

Their work and dedication ensures that the memories of those who not only who died here, but served at Grangemouth will go to survive so that we can enjoy the peace we have today.

The full story appears in Trail 64.

Sources and Further Reading (Grangemouth)

National Archives: AIR-27-969-1; AIR-27-1547-1;  AIR-27-1550; AIR-27-2073; AIR-27-2079-1; AIR-27-2120-1

*¹ Falkirk Herald newspaper website accessed 24/6/23

*² Delve. K., “The Military Airfields of Britain – Scotland and Northern Ireland“, Crowood Press Ltd. 2010.

*³ During this early part of the Grangemouth’s operation, the unit names became interchangeable, the use of ‘civil’ in 10 CANS being dropped in many situations, and 10 AONS being referred to in the ORBs as early as September.

*⁴ Secret Scotland website (unsubstantiated)

*⁵ Aviation Safety Network Website.

*⁶ Photo from Daily Record newspaper website. Accessed 1/7/23

*⁷ Photo © Copyright Gordon Brown via Geograph Website Accessed 1/7/23

*⁸ The Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust placed a marker on the site of Balado Bridge on 8/7/23.

*⁹ McCloskey, K., “Airwork A History“, The History Press, 2012 (via Google books)

Trail 64 – Central Scotland (Part 2)

In Part 1, we saw how Grangemouth was created through incredible vision, but how the impending war shattered that dream. Also how it then went on to become a training airfield, training young pilots to fly Spitfires. This was not an easy task, the weather playing havoc with training schedules and an ill prepared airfield adding to the cauldron of problems that would culminate in the inevitable accidents and resultant deaths.

On October 1st 1939, F.O. James A. B. Somerville (known as Young Hamish, to his family) was taxiing his Spitfire I. (L1047), when P.O. J.S. Morton flying Spitfire I (L1059) landed on top of him. In the resulting accident Somerville was killed outright and his aircraft totally written off. P.O. Morton was uninjured and his aircraft received only minor damage, however, the accident would no doubt have a lasting impact the injuries to F.O. Somerville being so severe. *⁵

On October 6th, the order to move the entire 602 Squadron finally came though and the next day the main portion of the unit transported its belongings to Grangemouth. More poor weather prevented another early departure by the aircraft, but by lunchtime, all ground and air crew along with their Spitfires, were over at Grangemouth. Lacking in accommodation, airmen had to be billeted off site in the town itself, whilst Officers took up residency in one of the vacant houses just north of the airfield. The war had finally started for this small airfield in Central Scotland.

602’s stay at Grangemouth was to be short lived though. With threats of German attacks coming from the east, it was decided to move 602 elsewhere, and within a week new orders had come through to move lock, stock and barrel to RAF Drem, in North Berwickshire. By the 13th October, the Spitfires and all their personnel, were gone and Grangemouth was vacant once more.

602 Sqn would go on to make further ‘firsts’ whilst at Drem, when on the 16th of October, pilot George Pinkerton would intercept and shoot down, a Heinkel 111. In doing so, he would be the first pilot to to fire in anger in the skies over Great Britain. It would also be 602 who would down the first ‘intact’ enemy aircraft onto British soil. Known as the Humbie Heinkel, it would become famous for this reason.

It would then be all change again, and on the 19th October 1939, Grangemouth would see the arrival of a new squadron and a new aircraft.  141 Squadron Led by Pilot Officer H. Anderson,  another former Turnhouse unit, brought with them Gloster’s Galdiator, an outdated but much loved biplane that began being supplemented during November by the more updated Blenheims.

Like their predecessors, airmen were billeted in three halls in the town whilst officers occupied two vacant houses -110 Boness Road and its neighbour. Whilst accommodation was far from ideal, it would do for now and all those assigned here were soon in and settled.

On the next day, a funeral guard of honour was provided back at Turnhouse for the burial of several German airmen. Those who were to stay behind had the unenviable task of filling sandbags, which were to be used around the dispersal points to protect aircraft from attacking bombers; a task that was eventually postponed due to yet more heavy Scottish rain.

In the following weeks little happened at Grangemouth. Six Gladiators were eventually brought in and used for local flying practise. The squadron tried to use the Air Observer School Ansons and although permission was eventually granted by Fighter Command, no instructors were available due to the School’s own backlog of hours. Further sand was delivered and yet more bags were filled, the monotony of such duties being broken only by the trickle of a small number of Blenheims from Hullavington.

Training flights were fraught with danger, and there were several accidents including on November 12th 1939, a crash on a night approach by  Sgt. P. Green in his Gladiator. Sgt. Green was unfortunately injured in the accident, but after being taken to nearby Falkirk hospital for treatment, he made a good recovery. Also in November five Gladiators were sent to Acklington for firing practice. Due to bad weather though, all five had to make emergency landings en route, P.O. Louden hit a wall and P.O. Smith landed badly. In both incidences the aircraft received substantial damage but thankfully neither pilot was injured. The other three aircraft reported no damage after their various forced landings.

P.O. Louden would have a second lucky escape in the following January when the Blenheim he was flying, overshot the runway and crashed beyond the airfield boundary. Again the aircraft was badly damaged but P.O. Louden was once more unhurt.

The weather in southern Scotland can be terrible, and persistent heavy rain not only caused cancelled flights, but also made the ground boggy and difficult to traverse. Even the floodlight tractor became bogged down and stuck in the mud causing further problems for night flying activities.

The routine of local flying, link training and lectures then became the norm for the days leading into the new year. January 1940  saw snow, rain and fog play a large part in the daily lives of those stationed here, causing as many issues on the ground as it did in the air. In the following month, the squadron was given new orders to transfer to Prestwick, a move it made on the 13th. But before they had time to unpack and settle in, further orders came in to return back to Grangemouth, their stay at Prestwick lasting no more than a week!

The early part of the year saw yet more night flying practice and yet more landing accidents. The Blenheims taking a bit of beating as heavy landings caused considerable damage to landing gear and aircraft structures.

By April 1940 another new aircraft was being delivered to the Grangemouth squadron, the Boulton Paul Defiant I. A ‘fighter’ that had failed miserably in its initial role – falling foul of the enemy’s superior aircraft – but would later become more effective as a night fighter. The first of these aircraft was delivered on April 4th 1940, by from 24 Maintenance Unit (MU) based at Ternhill.

141 Squadron continued to re-equip with the Defiants, and by the end of June 1940 they were carrying out target practice at various sites around the UK. Excitement then came to the airfield when on 26th June 1940, crews were called to standby – the first air raid warning of the year sounded over Grangemouth. No bombs were dropped but an enemy aircraft was seen to be shot down. Those pilots from 141 Sqn who were put on stand by at the airfield were not needed and probably disappointed for not having the opportunity to put into practice their new found flying skills.

Replica Supermarine Spitfire Mark I X4859 PQ-N -which crashed 15th September 1941 over Avondale estate killing Sergeant Eugeniusz Lukomski. It stands at the front of the former airfield as a memorial to all those who trained here, especially the Polish airmen. Unveiled by 1333 Grangemouth Air Cadet Squadron in 2013.

A second warning sounded again on the 28th June, but once more those 141 Sqn pilots put on standby were not required, another disappointment for those waiting for the signal to scramble and a chance to get their revenge.

On that very same morning  (June 28th 1940), new orders came through to 141, their posting to Grangemouth had come to an end.  It was all move once more. Busses began to ferry the staff and their equipment from Grangemouth back to Turnhouse, a move that lasted for most of the day. By the late afternoon all aircraft and personnel had made the transfer across and the settling in process would begin once more. This wouldn’t be the end of the link however, for a small detachment would return in July before the ties between Grangemouth and 141 Sqn were finally severed for good.

The month of June would see many changes at Grangemouth, not only did 141 Squadron depart, but there would be three other units all arrive within days of each other before the month was out.

On the 8th, 614 Squadron arrived, followed the next day on the 9th by No 52 (Army Co-operation) Wing and then on the 28th, 263 Squadron. It would be a hectic time for this small and ill prepared airfield.

Two of these units, 52 ACW and 263 squadron would both be short lived stays, neither remaining beyond the end of September 1940.

The role of No. 52 (Army Co-operation) Wing, was a tactical move to help defend the northern regions from enemy attack. These Lysanders and Defiants were brought in to free up valuable Spitfires and Hurricanes who could subsequently be moved south to protect London and the South East. Here in Scotland, they could protect not only the industrial regions of the north from attack, but assist in army training operations ready for their return to the continent – whenever that would be. Being located at Grangemouth, they were in easy reach of both the west and east coast, an area they began patrolling almost immediately. This stay would be yet another short lived one though and they soon would move on elsewhere just a month after their arrival.

The second of these short stay units were the Hurricanes from 263 Squadron.  263 had been re-established at RAF Drem earlier in the month, after flying on board naval carriers,  including HMS Glorious until she was sunk on June 8th 1940. They were now firmly a land based unit, and gradually getting back to full strength.

The other change came with the introduction of Westland’s Whirlwind for 263 Squadron. The underrated and rather obscure fighter being brought in to replace the Hurricanes they had been using since their reformation the month before.

In early September 1940, the time for change came once more, this time it was 263 who were to transfer from Grangemouth back to Drem, taking their newly acquired Whirlwinds with them. This would be the squadron’s only spell at Grangemouth before their final disbandment in 1963.

Aircraft of No. 58 Operational Training Unit at Grangemouth: a Miles Master Mark I undergoes an engine service in the hangar, while another Master is parked on the hard standing outside. In the background a Spitfire can be seen taxiing on the airfield.(© IWM H 9190)

The first of these June moments however, was to be the longer lasting one, remaining at Grangemouth until March 1941. 614 (County of Glamorgan) Squadron arrived on June 8th 1940, transferring north from Odiham

Over the next two days, twenty-two Lysanders  would arrive, the crews being billeted in tents around the airfield site; hardly an ideal situation considering the location of the airfield and the weather they were experiencing at the time.

614 Sqn was another of the twenty-one Auxiliary Air Force units, and the only one formed in Wales. It had been operating in France assisting the Army as artillery spotters, providing coordinates for the French and British gunners desperately trying to stem the tide that was the blitzkrieg.

Once settled, 614 Squadron began practise flights dropping messages and performing tactical reconnaissance sorties.  By the 17th June 1940, day long patrols were being carried out along the east coast of Scotland, covering an area from Inverness to Berwick, flying over the coastline and up to 5 miles inland. None of these patrols provided any signs of enemy action though.

Over the next few weeks further patrols and practise flights took place, one aircraft was damaged when struck by a second trying to land, and others had to land in fields due to bad weather or engine failures. There were no causalities but some of the aircraft were badly damaged in these incidents.

614 were also used to test gas spraying techniques in a chemical warfare role. Parts of Grangemouth were off limits and heavily guarded, and permits had to be issued to those personnel needing access to such areas. The idea behind this was that of the enemy launched an invasion force along the Scottish coast, then mustard gas (stockpiled at Grangemouth) would be used against them. This secret and somewhat underhand method of warfare was carried on by 614 once it moved to Macmerry in the following year.*⁴

In July 1940, internal changes saw the headquarters, motor transport unit and armaments sections move from one part of the airfield to a farm located at the northern side of the site. Simultaneously 180 airmen moved into  the recently requisitioned annex at the local Grange School, whilst a further 100 moved into the school itself. A temporary measure that would only last until the next school term started. Other duty personnel were moved to tents around the airfield, perhaps somewhat reluctantly, especially as within days, heavy rain would flood them out resulting in them being billeted off site as well.

Over the next few weeks little flying took place as bad weather continued to cause problems. Airfield defences continued to be erected and a visit by the Inspector General Sir E. Ludlow-Hewitt, broke the monotony of the pouring rain.

On August 10th 1940 an accident occurred when Lysander P9186 piloted by F.O. N. Merrett and F.O. J. Harper collided with Lysander N1251 flown by P.O. Cheminant. During the evasive tactics exercise the aircraft struck Merrets Lysander losing virtually all its main-plane. The aircraft then crashed to the ground killing both occupants. The second aircraft, whilst damaged, managed to land safely.

Bad landings caused extensive damage to several aircraft in the month that followed, whilst three others were grounded awaiting spares. Luckily none of the occupants in the poor landings were injured, but it did mean the squadron was now six aircraft down causing issues with both cover and patrols.

The last few days of September 1940 brought other incidents and fatalities. Outside the airfield, a dispatch rider was killed in a head on collision with a car, and an enemy bomber dropped a bomb in the vicinity of the airfield. No damage was done to the site but it brought home the fact that war was never very far away. At this time work also began on building the asphalt runways, which up until now had remained as grass. With luck, the heavy rain that had continued throughout the summer would soon not hinder flying activities.

At the close of September 1940, 754 hours had been flown by crews in daylight but only 17 had been flown at night; it had not been a great summer all round.

On the 4th November (1940) news came though that Grangemouth was transferring from 22 Group back to Fighter Command, the news brought little more than hope, those units already here remaining where they were and with what they had.

The miserable weather of 1940/41 brought little to cheer about at Grangemouth. Perhaps the greatest interest, apart from a hopeful christmas break, was the formation of a training unit in December. On the 2nd, 58 Operational Training Unit (OTU) was set up and provided with Spitfires along with a selection of Fairy Battles, Hurricanes and a Whitley amongst others. The OTU was supposed to have been formed earlier in November, but when Sqn. Ldr, (later Air Vice Marshal) Henry Hogan arrived, it was not ready for the OTU and so he left disappointed having to return the following month.

The last part of the trail shows how Grangemouth met it demise. Once the dream of a visionary it slowly begins to decay as the war comes to an end and units are gradually pulled out, surplus to requirements. The end comes slowly, but not before its last and longest standing unit arrives.

The full story appears in Trail 64.

Trail 64 – Central Scotland (Part 1)

In this latest trail around Britain’s wartime airfields, we travel to central Scotland, and the foothills of the Highlands. Travelling west from Scotland’s capital Edinburgh, we head toward an area of outstanding beauty where the flat lands begin to meet the lower highlands. Here during the Second World War, lay an airfield that never reached its full potential, but it did play a major part in the training of the RAF’s fighter pilots.

In Trail 64, we visit the former RAF Grangemouth.

RAF Grangemouth.

Grangemouth lies 1 mile from the town that gave it its name and 3 miles from Falkirk. The Firth of Fourth, Edinburgh’s major sea outlet, crosses west to east north of the airfield providing not only major docks and shipping services, but dry docks for submarines and other naval vessels as well. It is the natural sea outlet that led to Grangemouth’s very existence when founded in 1768 by Sir Lawrence Dundas, following the creation of the Forth and Clyde Canal that linked Glasgow to Edinburgh.

The Shipping that this development brought led to a huge expansion of the docks at Grangemouth. Exports increased along with the number and size of the docks available. Then during the First World War, these were taken over and renamed  HMS Rameses, by the military, who set up a mine manufacturing and training school here. Once usefulness of mines was realised, old merchant vessels were quickly adapted to drop mines and these were both stored and loaded here at Grangemouth.

The airfield itself was located to the south of these docks, and would play a large part in their defence, especially as a major oil refinery has been located here for many years. The expansion of this refinery, albeit a turbulent one, has since taken over the airfield site leaving little trace of its history behind.

Accommodation  for those personnel stationed here was often rudimentary to say the least, tents providing cover for many whilst the local town hotels were used for the luckier ones. A substantial number of houses along Boness road, just beyond the airfield perimeter, were also known to have been requisitioned over a period of time, some used for sick quarters whilst others became aircrew billets.

Life for Grangemouth airfield began long before the current industrial modernisation of the area though, initially being earmarked as a civilian site for commercial operations before war broke out. It was opened on May 1st, 1939 and was intended to have as many as four grass runways, the longest being 1,360 yards long. It would be operated and run by Scottish Aviation Ltd., who were based at Prestwick. Built by a number of companies including the construction company Wimpey, it would have at least twenty dispersals, two of which had blister hangars on them by the war’s end.

The main Edinburgh road originally passed between the airfield and the Firth, thus restricting any wartime expansion northwards. Now replaced by the M9 to the south, this road is now a minor road through housing serving a thriving residential community.

When it was handed over to the military, the site was then developed further, some of the rudimentary accommodation was replaced by more substantial blocks, and the grass runways were replaced with tarmac. The airfield was by then, able to cater for upwards of 600 personnel of mixed rank and gender.

With a total of eight Blister hangars added, its maintenance facilities were then extended far beyond those of its civil requirements.

It ambitious origins began in early 1939, with the purchase of 500 acres of farmland to develop into what was intended to be Scotland’s largest airport, initially serving routes to London, Glasgow, Edinburgh and the Shetland Isles.  During its construction, two large civil airport hangars were built along with a large and luxurious terminal at a cost of some £160,000 (£14,000,000 today).

The luxurious Terminal building (Falkirk Herald)

Even before the site was completed, the grass runways were active with the first commercial ticket being sold to Provost Robert Peddie for the princely sum of £9.00 10 shillings. The ticket gave him passage south in a de Havilland Dragon Rapide, but more importantly, this inaugural flight meant that Grangemouth was now commercially ‘operational’, even though it had not yet been officially opened.

On July 1st, 1939, Air Marshall Viscount Trenchard, the ‘Father of the RAF’.*¹ arrived at the airfield declaring it officially open for business. Known as Central Scotland Airport, it was part of the expansion of the much troubled North-Eastern Airways, a company that had only been formed five years earlier, on March 4th 1935 by a group headed by the wealthy racehorse owner and banker, Ralph Beckett, 3rd Baron of Grimthorpe.

A KLM operated DC-3 at Grangemouth.  It is thought this was taken at the opening of the airfield,. The terminal is in the background. (Feel Falkirk website P12358)

Flying in direct competition with the rail service LNER, North-Eastern Airways operated flights from London to Newcastle and then onto Grangemouth before heading northward again to Perth and beyond. The majority of their fleet were Airspeed AS.6A Envoys, with the Rapides following on later.

Eastern Airways Timetable April 1939 @Bjorn Larsson

North Eastern Airways Timetable April 1939 @Bjorn Larsson

North It was intended that more routes would soon open up encouraging new operators and prosperity to the area, unfortunately this was only a pipe dream and with increasing costs and cheaper rail tickets challenging the operator, these routes were soon closed proving uneconomical to run in light of strong competition. The onslaught of war then hammered the final nail in to the coffin of commercial operations, By September 1939,  all flights had ceased, and the future of Grangemouth was no longer in the hands of civilian operators.

Whilst these commercial operations were the prime reason for the purchase and development of Grangemouth, Scottish Aviation’s interest, and that of  Air Marshall Trenchard was more than a passing coincidence. The company had early on in the proceedings, secured a government contract to train pilots for what seemed to be an inevitable war with Germany.

Scottish Aviation set up their own civilian run training group 35 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School (ERFTS) to fulfil this contract. They operated some fifty-one aircraft including: the Audax, Hawker Hinds, Tiger Moths and soon after Avro Ansons, with an intended capacity of 200 trainee pilots at any one time*²

Soon after the declaration of war, a reformation of military training operations took place, and a new unit was established here with 35 ERFTS being disbanded and reformed as 10 Civil Air Navigation School (CANS). The use of the Ansons continued. This name however, would only last until November, when a further re-naming took place, forcing the disbanding and renumbering of the unit to 10 Air Observers Navigation School (AONS)*³

10 AONS, continued to soldier on with the Ansons. Then on 2nd December 1939  it was all change again when the unit was absorbed into the Prestwick school, 1 Air Observers Navigation School. Grangemouth, now closed to all civilian operations, was passed to full control of the RAF’s Fighter Command and 13 Group. It would seem there were to be big changes ahead.

Meanwhile, back on August 25th 1939, the RAF began mobilisation, orders were sent round military airfields to begin preparing for war. One such order came through to the Abbotsinch based 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron, instructing them to inspect the buildings at Grangemouth with a view to moving there shortly afterwards. Sqn Ldr. Farquhar and two other members of his staff then travelled by car to Grangemouth, inspected the site and made their findings known later that evening.

On September 1st 1939, at 23:45 hrs, a notice came through to 602 Squadron to mobilise all units and prepare for war. With a considerable amount of preparation already having been done, the squadron were able to pronounce themselves ‘mobilised’ by 10:30 hrs the following morning. Commanding Officer Sqn Ldr A.D. Farquhar with Flight Lieutenants W. Robinson “A” Flight, and G.D. Pinkerton “B” Flight, led the way, taking the Scottish unit to war.

602 Sqn had the grand distinction of being the first of the Auxiliary Air Force squadrons to be formed, an honour that occurred in 1925. Although the first staff member, adjutant Flt. Lt. Martyn arrived at Renfrew to begin proceedings on September 12th 1925, the squadron’s official birthday wasn’t  recorded until September 15th.

The two hangars and terminal building. These hangars are the sole remaining structures left on the site. See photo below. (Falkirk Herald Website)

Between its formation and its impending move to Grangemouth, 602 Sqn had operated a wide range of aircraft: Hawker Harts, Hinds, Hectors Gauntlet IIs and from May 1939, Spitfire MK.Is. The Spitfire being a major leap forward in terms of flying technology, speed and power. This change gave 602 yet another ‘first’, being the first Auxiliary unit to receive the new aircraft type.

Two days later on September 3rd, official notice Movement Order 3 of 1939, gave notice of the imminent  move, and preparations immediately began at Abbotsinch. The aim of the squadron’s move to Grangemouth was to protect the valuable iron foundries, dockyards and numerous chemical factories that were now abundant along the banks of the Fourth.

Apart form organising the move, the first few days of war were unsurprisingly uneventful, with orders to “Stand by” being given to both A and B Flights coming to nothing more. The routine quickly changed to night flying practise, and as a result, the first ‘casualty’. In the dark, with little lighting to guide them in, a Spitfire crashed on the airfield whilst trying to land but luckily no one was injured and the aircraft only suffered ‘minor’ damage.

The quietness of the Phoney War, enabled the C.O. to test a new device that would stop the obscuring of the windshield from oil thrown out by the propeller. The unit was made, fitted and tested in the air, and photographs along with a detailed report was submitted to Fighter Command on September 6th. On the 8th, Sqn Ldr. Tidd of 13 Group came to see the item in action for himself, and finding it most suitable, had it used on all aircraft. As a result, the idea played a major part in future Spitfire development.

Left: One of the two original hangars still used at Grangemouth.

On the 30th September, a further visit to Grangemouth led to the decision that only a small detachment, and not the entire squadron, of 602’s Spitfires could be moved to Grangemouth, not at least until the accommodation, currently held by the Navigation School, had become vacant. These few aircraft and their ground crews would operate from Grangemouth between 09:00 and 18:00 hrs each day with ground staff and pilots being billeted on site during their tour there.

The next day, October 1st, a small detachment comprising of six aircraft, along with  ammunition and all the necessary flight equipment, departed Abbotsinch for Grangemouth. The desired early departure was unfortunately delayed by poor weather, something that was going to dominate the next few years at Grangemouth, and so the group, led by Flt. Lt M. Robinson, didn’t arrive until later than planned that day.

It was also at this time that 602’s sister squadron and rival, 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron, another Turnhouse unit, would begin to receive their Spitfires. As these were new aircraft to the squadron, each Flight, ‘A’ and ‘B’, would travel to Grangemouth to train. ‘B’ arrived first, flying between 17th and 24th, followed by ‘A’ Flight between the 25th and the 30th. These daily flights meant a considerable amount of movement in and out of the airfield, and with so many trainees in unfamiliar aircraft, accidents were almost inevitable.

In Part 2, we see how Grangemouth goes on to develop further, how the weather played a role in its operation and how with so many young men eager to learn, mistakes were made with dire consequences.

The full story appears in Trail 64.

RAF Hethel – from Africa to Norfolk

As we leave both Swanton Morley and Hingham behind, we head directly east crossing the main A11 toward Wymondham and Mulbarton. Here we visit another former USAAF base now home to Lotus cars. We stop off at RAF Hethel.

RAF Hethel (Station 114)

RAF Hethel was initially designed for the RAF but, like so many airfields of the Second World War, it was transferred very quickly to the USAAF for use by the bombers of the  Eighth Air Force. Construction of the site began in 1941 and wasn’t complete when the first units arrived in 1942.

The ground echelons of the 320th BG arrived at Hethel in September, poised and ready for training. Travelling across the northern sea route, they arrived long before the air echelons who, due to extremely bad weather, had to divert from their designated route to the longer Southern route, via Africa. As this was considerably further to fly, many of the B-26s, of these units did not arrive until well into the December.

A dramatic picture of B-24 Liberator ’44-40085′ “Z-Bar” of the 389th BG after crash landing at Hethel. It was hit by British Flak and on trying to land, crashed into a radar building. Surprisingly all the crew escaped. 22nd April 1944 (IWM)

Training of these raw crews became the responsibility of the Eighth Air Force – and raw they certainly were. The 320th had only been active since June 23rd that year, and within  weeks they would be posted to North Africa once suitable airfields had been secured.

Construction work continued on Hethel throughout the latter stages of 1942 and into 1943; the number of hardstands rose from the original 36 to 50 giving a mix of both ‘spectacle’ and ‘frying pan’ types dotted around the three concrete runways. The main runway ran north-east to south-west with two smaller runways traversing east-west and north-west to south-east respectively. A large bomb store was located to the north-west, the opposite side to both the technical and accommodation areas both of which were to the south-eastern side of the airfield. That all important commodity, fuel, was stored to the south, and three T2 hangars would eventually provide room for aircraft maintenance away from the bitter 1940’s winters.

With the 320th away in North Africa, Hethel was operationally quiet, but the summer of 1943 would once again bring changes.

Oil had long been considered a major target, reduce your enemies oil supplies and you reduce their ability to function. Stopping these supplies however, was going to be no easy task. The mighty German war machine was using oil located in the far eastern regions of Europe, located at the very edge of any major allied aircraft’s range. This gave the Luftwaffe plenty of time to attack, on both the inward and outward journeys. With round trips in excess of 2,000 miles, they would be dangerous and difficult missions for any crews. Polesti in Romania would become synonymous with oil production and a major target for the allied forces. To reach it, crews would have to fly from North Africa at very low-level, something they had not even thought possible let alone trained for in B-24s. In the summer a plan was hatched to do just that, a low-level bomber raid by B-24 Liberators of the Eighth and Ninth Air Force launched from bases in North Africa.

Hethel and the 389th would play their part in this daring plan. The first vanguard of the 389th led by Brigadier General Jack Wood, arrived at Hethel on June 11th 1943, followed by the air echelons of the four squadrons: 564th, 565th, 566th and 567th over the next two weeks. The ground echelons travelling by ship, would arrive some time later. Urgency was the key word and so as to not lose valuable training time, ground crews were drafted in from nearby Shipdham (93rd BG) and Hardwick’s 44th BG.

This change in tactics, from high-level to low certainly perplexed the crews of the 389th. New top-secret bomb sights had been trialled over The Wash to the north of the Norfolk coast and they had been successful in their operation. Extensive training operations were put in place to prepare the crews for the forthcoming operations. So intense was this low-level training, that two B-24Ds collided over East Anglia, ’42-40687′ piloted by 1st Lt. Edward Fowble, and ’42-40774′ “Heaven Can Wait” piloted by 1st Lt. Harold James, struck each other. Whilst both aircraft managed to return to Hethel, one of the navigators, 2nd Lt. Charles Quantrell sadly lost his life. Eventually on the 31st June, the crews left Hethel, to join those they had worked so hard with, they flew via Portreath to their destination in Libya. From here they would undertake a multitude of missions including the support of the Sicily invasion before going on to attack the infamous oil refineries at Polesti. Whilst in Libya the 389th would earn many distinctions including a posthumous Medal of Honour to Lt. Lloyd H. Hughes (s/n 0-666292) for his determination in dropping his bombs on target even though his B-24 was burning ferociously. The 389th would also receive the Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) from Lt. General Spaatz and hence forth become known as “The Sky Scorpions“.

One of the remaining buildings on the Accommodation site.

Whilst the main sections of the 389th were out in Libya, the remaining Hethel units were reduced to training and Air-Sea rescue missions, ironically searching for downed B-17 crews, something the Liberator would prove to be invaluable at.

With the return of the Africa detachments, the Bomb Group  was complete again, and missions over occupied Europe could begin once more from Hethel. Their first contribution to this new phase was to attack Leeuwarden, but cloud cover forced them to find alternative targets on which they unleashed their devastating load. With operation STARKEY about to commence, the 389th were ordered to target the Luftwaffe airfields in the St. Omer region, and then again six days later they visited St. Andre De L’Eure. The next day, the 389th were informed that they would be returning to North Africa this time in support of the Salerno beachhead. A blow to those crews who had only recently arrived here at Hethel.

With the group split again, Hethel based units would continue the fight on. As the renamed 2nd Bombardment Division, they now carried a large Black ‘C’ enclosed in a white circle on their tail fins and starboard wingtip, they would also fly the updated ‘H’ model B-24. With a nose turret, more experienced crews had their reservations about these aircraft, slower and heavier they were also colder due to gaps in the turret surrounds.

A number of strategic missions took these aircraft over occupied Europe many deep across the German Heartland. As 1943 drew to a close the 389th would attack dock yards at Vegesack, Danzig and Wilhelmshaven; targets at Munster, Breman, Emden and Kiel to name but a few. It was at Emden that the Luftwaffe fighters were trialling a new weapon, a bomb dangled on 100 feet of wire to catch the bombers. A rather poor attempt it nevertheless caused great concern for pilots having to fly through wires hanging in an already busy sky. To bring 1943 to a close, on the 30th and 31st December, the 389th were part of further large formations attacking both Ludwigshafen on the Rhine and the airfield at St. Jean D’Angeley respectively.

Views of the former Technical site, now under the ownership of Lotus cars. The grey line across the centre of the photograph is the former runway now a testing track.

A new year brought little change, but with the introduction of H2X-equipped aircraft, bombing became more accurate, and new targets were identified; ‘No Ball’ operations began and attacks on German cities increased. Late February saw the 389th in action during ‘Big Week’, an operation designed to cripple the German aircraft industry by targeting both aircraft and component manufacturing sites.

With the lead up to D-day, operations would occur almost every day from June 2nd up to June 29th, there would be only six days in this month period where no missions were flown by the 389th.

November 1944 would bring another devastating blow to the crews of Hethel. A collision between B-24J ’42-50452′ ‘Earthquake Magoon‘ and another B-24J ’44-10513’ on November 21st over the local parish of Carelton Rode, saw the loss of 17 of the 20 crew men. A devastating blow that highlighted the need for good communication and careful flying in these close quarters.

Missions carried on and as the war drew to a close, fighter attacks became less effective but even more daring. Pockets of resistance were becoming a ‘nuisance’ and the need for the further ports led to an attack in the Bordeaux region. On April 14th 1945, 1,161 heavy bombers were sent to the area. The 2nd Air Division accounted for 336 of these aircraft, of which only two were lost; B-24J ’42-50774′ “Stand By” and B-24J ’42-51233′ “The Bigast Boid“.

In “The Bigast Boid” of the 567th BS, was pilot 2nd Lt. Edward Bush and his nine other crew members. The aircraft was seemingly hit by friendly fire from B-17s flying above, completely severing the aircraft in half at the trailing edge of the wing, resulting in total loss of control. In the subsequent crash all ten crew members were killed. Other pilots from the 389th who witnessed the accident, attributed the fires and crash to flares being dropped from higher flying B-17s, – such was the danger of flying in tight formations.

Leon J Nowicki, engineer of the 389th BG with the B-24 “The Bigast Boid”. The aircraft would be lost to ‘friendly fire’ on April 14th 1945.  (IWM)

Eleven days later on April 25th, 1945 the 389th BG flew its final mission. The last target to receive the attention of the four squadrons was Salsburg, an operation that closed the books on 321 operational missions in five different versions of B-24. In total they dropped 17,548 tons of ordnance, lost 116 aircraft as Missing in action and claimed 209 enemy aircraft shot down. In 1945 they were awarded ‘best squadron’ on efficiency, an award that clearly reflected their attitude and dedication to the war effort.

With the departure of the air echelon at the end of May 1945 and the ground echelons from Bristol, the unit was given 30 days ‘R and R’ before inactivation in September. Hethel like so many airfields was then handed back to RAF Fighter Command who stationed a small number of Squadrons here before disbanding them. In September 1945, 65 Sqn and 126 Sqn were here with Mustang IVs. 65 Sqn stayed taking on Spitfire LF XVI E models before moving to Spilsby in early 1946. 126 Sqn left, had a months stay at Bradwell bay and then returned here, also taking the Spitfire LF XVI E and eventual disbandment in the following March.

Five Polish squadrons then came to Hethel. During the period March to December 1946: 302, 303, 308, 316 and 317 each stayed bringing with them Spitfire XVIs / Es, Mustang IIIs, and IVs, before all being disbanded in the December 1946.

Some technical activity on the site became almost token in comparison and eventually, after being used for repatriation and displaced persons purposes, Hethel was closed and sold off. After laying dormant for a number of years, the majority of the site was bought by Lotus Cars, the company who own the ‘airfield’ today using part of the main runway and perimeter track for testing their high performance cars. The remaining accommodation areas were bought back by the local farmer and are now used for chicken farming, or left allowing the woods to envelop what is left of the accommodation sites.

A T2 Hangar moved to the northern side of the airfield. One of the better ‘accessible’ features of Hethel.

Considering the role of the Lotus factory, access is generally good. Look for signs for ‘Lotus Engineering’ and drive along the road passing the Lotus site. This was the main entrance to the airfield, separating the ten accommodation and defence sites (on your right) from the main airfield to your left. On the right hand side are some of the former Defence site buildings, now used by small industrial units, the Lotus factory taking over the main technical area including the control tower. On your left is one of the original three hangars. Continue on past the Lotus entrance along the road as far as you can. To your right is a wood, this once housed Communal Site 1 and beyond this the other accommodation sites. A footpath allows access through here where a small number of buildings can be seen albeit enveloped in very dense undergrowth. The road along here eventually turns into a farm, and private property, however, the chapel and Gymnasium are located along this road and have since been turned into a museum. Access to the museum is through this gate. Beyond, the road turns into a footpath and utilises the former perimeter track linking to the main runway to the north. This runs alongside the track now used by Lotus.

From here turn back, return to the main road and turn right. Follow the road parallel to the former east-west runway and turn right. Keep going following the road round, eventually you come to another T2 Hangar. Not originally erected here, it was moved at some point from elsewhere, but is perhaps one of the better examples of airfield archaeology left on the site that is ‘accessible’.

Whilst the majority of Hethel has been removed or utilised by Lotus, it makes for a fascinating trip. The museum, run by volunteers, opens infrequently but I believe offers a fabulous insight into life on the base during the war. One of the more stunning aspects of the exhibition is a number of murals painted in 1944 by “Bud” Doyle. A small memorial is also located at the museum in honour of those who served here.

Hethel was once a heaving airfield, it has now taken on a new sound, but the memories of those brave young men still linger in the Norfolk air; the trees sway to the tunes of their music and their lives rest peacefully at last, honoured in the churches of the nearby Norfolk villages.

Sources and notes

While in the area, visit All Saints Church at Hethel, a memorial headstone dedicated to the crews of Hethel is located in the churchyard with a Roll of Honour inside the church itself. It also contains a Roll of Honour and extracts from ‘The Attlebridge Diaries’, for those who flew as part of the 466th BG from nearby RAF Attlebridge.

A plaque and small stained glass window in All Saints Church, Carelton Rode, commemorates the deaths of the seventeen airmen killed in a mid-air collision in November 1944.

The Hethel Museum was closed on my visit, but a blog site gives some details of the exhibits along with the restricted opening time information.

I recommend: Freeman, R.A., “The Mighty Eighth“, published by Arms and Armour, 1986 which has proven to be a valuable source of background information.

Also Joe Baugher’s website, for serial numbers of the USAAF aircraft.

RAF Swanton Morley – Small but rich in history.

In this Trail, we return to Norfolk and take in three former airfields each of notable historical value. Our first is probably better known as an Army barracks than it is an RAF airfield, but, for the duration of the Second World War, it would be home to a number of different aircraft types and to a range of international crews. Amongst the many residents here would be those from Poland, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand. We start our journey at the former RAF Swanton Morley.

RAF Swanton Morley

Following the end of hostilities in 1918, Britain’s defences and in particular the RAF, were cut back dramatically. From around 250,000 personnel (the worlds largest air force) to just under 30,000 by the early 1920s, the reductions were both severe and widespread. Political in-fighting between the three armed forces and the Government had seen the RAF lose out significantly, and under the terms of the ‘Ten year Rule’, expansion was prevented, and so little could be done to redress the declining situation.

During the 1930s, world developments (and in particular those in Germany) raised the threat of yet another war, at which point the Government realised that Britain’s defences were now totally inadequate and in dire need of redevelopment and expansion.

Their response was a series of expansion ‘schemes’  which would not only reshape the organisation of the RAF, but would cater for the huge increase in numbers of personnel that would be required to raise an adequate fighting force .

Considered lacking in direction by many, these early schemes surprisingly paid little attention to future needs, and so no real provision was made for supporting aspects such as training, maintenance or supply.

Scheme A, approved in July 1934, would set the bench mark at 84 home-based squadrons, a figure that was still woefully inadequate compared to the might that was building up across the channel. Each scheme would build on and replace the former, taking into account layout, new developments and the materials available – but all under the monetary restrictions of the 1930’s depression.

By the time war came, Scheme ‘M’ had been implemented (November 7th 1938), which called for 163 home based squadrons involving 2,500 aircraft for Britain’s home defence. It was under this scheme that Swanton Morley would be built.*¹.

Initially designed as a fighter station, construction began in 1939, and one of the criteria for this scheme was to include type ‘C’ hangars. However, being incomplete by the outbreak of war, it was caught in the transition period between temporary and permanent aircraft storage. The ‘C’ types were cancelled in favour of three ‘J’ types, only one of which was actually built – this left Swanton Morley with considerably less hangar space than was actually required. Unfinished, the airfield opened on September 17th 1940 under the ownership of No. 2 Group Bomber Command.

As war broke out, a small detachment of 107 Squadron Blenheim IVs were based here. 107 Sqn were widely spread with other detachments at: Lossiemouth, Newmarket, Hunsdon, Horsham St. Faith and Ipswich, whilst the main squadron was based at RAF Wattisham. As part of 83 Wing, 107 would be joined by a further detachment from 110 Sqn the following month, also bringing the twin-engined Blenheim IV.

It was a No. 2 group aircraft that famously made the first sortie over the German frontier on the very day war broke out, and then on the second day, Monday September 4th 1939, a flight of four 107 Sqn aircraft and one 110 Sqn all from RAF Wattisham, dropped the first salvo of bombs on German ships at Wilhelmshaven . It was from one of these aircraft (Blenheim IV ‘N6240’) that Observer, Sergeant George Booth, and AC1 L. J. Slattery would become the first British Prisoners of War, captured when their Blenheim was shot down by German defences. None of the five aircraft returned, a rather disastrous start to the war for the RAF.*²

Work continued at Swanton Morley throughout the next two to three years, and eventually accommodation blocks were raised, hard perimeter tracks laid and four T2 hangars erected. Around twenty hardstands were created although many aircraft were still dispersed on the grassed areas around the technical site. A bomb store was developed to the south, and lighting added to the three runways, but despite of all the improvements, upgrades and developments, it was felt Swanton Morley did not warrant having any hard runways and so they continued to remain as grass.

It wasn’t until the end of October 1940, that Swanton Morley would have its own squadron of aircraft, 105 Squadron arrived bringing their Blenheim IVs to compliment those of 107 Sqn and 110 Sqn. With two detachments at Lossiemouth and Luqa (Malta), 105 would take part in anti-shipping sorties and attacks on targets in the low countries. A successful unit they swapped these for the Mosquito IV in November 1941, becoming the first operational squadron to receive these highly manoeuvrable aircraft, taking them to nearby Horsham St. Faith in the following month.

A Blenheim of 105 Squadron passing over a fiercely burning enemy merchant vessel (© IWM (C 1940)

One of Swanton Morley’s earliest casualties was a 105 squadron aircraft, piloted by F/O. D. Murray DFC with Sgt’s C. Gavin and T. Robson. The aircraft, Blenheim IV ‘T1890’, was brought down over Brussels with the loss of all three crew members.

It was during August of 1941, that the first of many units would arrive – No. 152 Squadron. Like so many other squadrons around the country, their stay was to be short-lived taking their Spitfire IIAs to Coltishall the following December.

Coinciding with 105’s departure, was 226 Squadron’s arrival. At the end of December 1941, 226 Sqn would bring a new twin-engined aircraft to the grounds of Swanton Morley, the Douglas Boston. The Mk III was proving to be a formidable medium bomber and night-fighter, featuring improved armour, larger fuel tanks and its two Wright Twin Cyclone engines providing 1,600hp each. 226 Sqn were to later replace the MKIIIs with the MKIIIAs in January 1943 under the lend-lease agreement and then very shortly afterwards, with the B-25 Mitchell II. 226 Sqn operated these aircraft for almost a year at Swanton Morley before moving on to Hartford Bridge and the continent in 1944, thus becoming Swanton Morley’s longest standing squadron.

It was with 226 Squadron that the United States would make its mark on the war. On June 29th 1942, with both Eisenhower and Churchill present, twelve RAF Boston IIIs were sent to bomb the Marshalling yards at Hazebrouck, one of these aircraft (AL743) was flown by an all American crew. A rather ‘unofficial’ entry into the conflict, it was made more formal on Independence day, July 4th 1942 when six U.S. crews joined 226 Squadron in a low-level attack against Luftwaffe airfields in Holland. Twelve RAF aircraft took off a few minutes after 07:00 hrs and flew low and fast over the North Sea toward Holland. After splitting up to attack their designated targets, one group encountered severe flak and was badly beaten, one aircraft crashing whilst another had an engine knocked out. Before the pilot could regain control, the aircraft, Boston AL750, scraped the ground coming remarkably close to a complete disaster. However, the pilot Major Charles Kegelman, managed to regain control and nurse the stricken aircraft back to Swanton Morley. Of the twelve Bostons sent out, two U.S. and one RAF crewed aircraft failed to return. A baptism of fire that resulted in a 30% loss of the U.S. Air Force contingency. For their bravery, three DFCs were awarded to the U.S. crews, with Major Kegelman receiving a D.S.C. from Major Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, American commander in the European war theatre. This made Major Kegelman the first member of the United States forces in Europe to be decorated for gallantry against the enemy.

Whilst not the first U.S. involvement nor their first casualties of the war, their actions did officially bring the United States into the European conflict.

Sergeant Bennie Cunningham, Technical-Sergeant Robert Golay, Major Charles C Kegelman and Lieutenant Randall Dorton in front of a Boston bomber. (Roger Freeman Collection IWM)

1943 would go on to prove to be an eventful year for Swanton Morley. With the Allied invasions plans taking shape, a new force was needed to support those destined to take to the Normandy beaches. The creation of the Second Tactical Air Force (TAF) in November 1943, was designed to meet that challenge and with it came changes at Swanton Morley.

Ownership now passed from Bomber Command to the Second TAF, and many units that would operate from here were part of that force. Following a relatively short stay by 88 Squadron (30th March 1943 – 19th August 1943) flying both the Boston III and IIIA, No. 305 (Weilkopolski) Squadron would arrive bringing the first Polish crews to Swanton Morley. Being the fourth and final Polish bomber squadron to be formed, they arrived in early September bringing Wellington MK Xs with them. Whilst serving in Bomber Command, the Polish had amassed some 1,117 sorties in which they had lost 136 brave young men as either killed or captured.

After arrival here, 305 Sqn changed their Wellingtons for Mitchell IIs and in line with the Second TAF objectives, began attacking targets around the Cap Griz Nez region. Being daylight operations, this was something new for the Polish crews, but one they relished and carried out well. In November after only being at Swanton Morley for two months, the Polish crews left leaving 226 Sqn with only a small detachment of 98 Squadron Mitchells for company.

At the end of 1943, three days after Christmas, No. 3 Squadron arrived bringing  a new breed of aircraft with them – the single-engined Typhoon IB, which they kept at Swanton Morley until February 14th 1944. No. 3 Sqn had been one of three founder squadrons of the Royal Flying Corp in 1912 and they remain one of the few squadrons to retain an active role today, flying the aircraft’s namesake, the modern Eurofighter Typhoon.

Whilst here at Swanton Morley, No. 3 Sqn carried out duties that the ill-fated Hawker Typhoon performed well at, low-level ground attack and anti-shipping roles. Dogged by development problems – engines fires and deadly levels of Carbon Monoxide in the cockpit – the Typhoons suffered terrible problems throughout their wartime service, subsequently virtually every model was scrapped at the end of war.

February 1944 was all change again at Swanton Morley. A detachment of 107 Squadron would return after a couple of years absence, and with their arrival came the departure of 226 Sqn after just over two years of being at Swanton. On the thirteenth of that month, they left for Hartford Bridge in Hampshire, in preparations for the Allied invasion at Normandy.

In the two months that followed, Swanton Morley began its wind down, a move signified by a number of short stay units. Each of these would however bring a wide range of nationalities, including crews from the Australian unit No. 464 (RAAF) Sqn, from 25th March 1944 to 9th April 1944. Then came 180 Sqn (12 – 26th April 1944) a short-lived unit that survived just under four years before disbandment only to be reformed as No. 69 Sqn.

Coinciding with 180 Sqn was the Auxiliary Squadron, No. 613 Sqn with Mosquito VIs. This too would disband at the end of the war also to reform as 69 Squadron. Then as April drew to a close another international unit would arrive and depart, a New Zealand unit, No. 487 Sqn (RNZAF)  also bringing Mosquito VIs – an aircraft they used in conjunction with 464 Sqn in the attack on the Amiens prison earlier on.

Finally for two weeks in May 1944 (6th – 18th), a dutch contingency arrived in the form of No. 320 Squadron. 320 Sqn was formed out of evacuated Dutch airmen along with a handful of Fokker T-VIIIW seaplanes which they used until spares were no longer available. Here at Swanton Morley they had lost their seaplanes and were now flying Mitchell IIs, wreaking their revenge by attacking enemy communication lines and airfields. After the war the crews of this unit were transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy and 320 was disbanded as an RAF unit.

Before arriving at Swanton Morley, No. 320 Sqn flew a handful of Fokker T-VIIIW float-planes, that they had brought with them when the Netherlands fell to the Germans. Here, one is being serviced at Pembroke Dock, August 1940. (© IWM (CH 1042)

Coinciding with the invasion of Normandy in June 1944, the Bomber Support Development Unit (BSDU) transferred across from RAF Foulsham. Developed under the wing of 100 Group, they used a range of aircraft to investigate and develop electronic counter measures and radar technologies for aircraft.  At Swanton Morley, this involved nine Mosquitoes, MK XIX and XXX, to operate in both operational and non-operational duties. The BSDU (and 100 Group) were responsible for a range of electronic devices including Serrate, Hookah, Perfectos and Mandrel to name but a few, and were involved in some 114 operations, claiming  five air-to-air victories.

The USAAF were to play another small and final part in the life of Swanton Morley, when on 25th July 1944, B-24H ’41-29402′ “The Mad Monk” of the 786th BS, 466th BG, took off from nearby Attlebridge. It clipped some trees causing it to crash-land at Swanton-Morley; the aircraft was so severely damaged it was condemned and salvaged for spares.

Another near disaster was averted at Swanton Morley when Mosquito NFXXX (MM797) of the BSDU crashed after take off on the night of 2nd-3rd January 1945. On take off, with a full fuel load, the port engine began leaking glycol at a furious rate. Too low to bail out, the pilot, Flt. Lt. Harry White DFC, put the aircraft down on the frozen ground. After both pilot and co-pilot were pulled from the wreckage by local farmers, the aircraft exploded creating a ferocious fireball that destroyed the air frame completely.

Eventually the war came to a close, the ‘Window’ research station was transferred to the BSDU and in the summer 100 Group was disbanded. With that Swanton Morley fell quiet and no further operational units would serve from here.

In the closing months of 1946, No. 4 Radio School moved in using Avro’s Anson, and Percival’s Proctor and Prentice aircraft. Various ground units also used the site but gradually flying all but ceased. Eventually on September 15th 1995, Battle of Britain day, the RAF Ensign was lowered and RAF Swanton Morley was officially closed. A small private micro-light club took over part of the site, but in 1996 the Army claimed the airfield forcing the club to close. It remains in the hands of the Army today as the ‘Robertson Barracks’, named after Field Marshal Sir William Robertson and no flying takes place.

Swanton Morley’s history was fairly rare, in that it never had any concrete runways and boasted to be one of the longest lasting Worlds War 2 grassed airfields. It had, at its peak, one – ‘J’ Type hangar and four – ‘T2’ hangars. Its watch office, built to drawing 5845/39, included a Met Section and is now thankfully, a Grade II listed building making it one of the best originally preserved examples of Watch Office designs.

Swanton Morley had four T type hangars. All but one have been demolished. This one remains in private ownership.

Many of the original buildings have gone and either their concrete bases left or more modern replacements put in their place. Some of the concrete pathways have been removed as have all the dispersal pans. The bomb store is now a field and all but one of the hangars were demolished – the remaining one being re-clad.  A number of pill boxes and air-defence structures also remain, but like the main airfield site it is all securely kept behind very high fences and armed guards.

The public highway circumnavigates Swanton Morley, but views are best achieved from the main entrance. As with all active military sites there is a no stopping rule, but as you pass, careful observations will reveal some of the main buildings of the accommodation area.

Swanton Morley retains some if its historical features, and they are all in the care of either the Army or the local farmer. As the MOD holds this site, many of these features are well hidden from public view, but for now at least, this along with the preservation order on the watch office, does at least mean Swanton Morley’s past is in part ‘protected’ for future generations.

From Swanton Morley we visit two more airfields in the area, Hethel, a USAAF base with its own museum and Hingham an airfield that had possibly the shortest life of any UK airfield.

Sources and further reading

*¹ Royal Air Force Historical Journal No. 35

*² Chorley, W.R., “Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, V1, 1939-40″, Classic, 1992

Norfolk Heritage Website

Freeman, R.A., “The Mighty Eighth“, Arms & Armour, 1970

Bowman, M., “100 Group (Bomber Support)”, Pen & Sword, 2006

Polish Fighter Ace Turned a V1 on its back.

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.

Brenzett Village Sign Depicts its Aviation History