Peter Davis A Bampton Archive Publication
Witney’s Forgotten Airfield 1918 to 1951 By Peter Davis
A Bampton Archive Publication
A Bampton Archive Publication www.bamptonarchive.org
First published April 2015 Updated August 2020
The cover painting evocatively captures a busy scene in Witney’s circuit in the mid-thirties. Featured are Witney and Oxford Aero Club De Havilland Moths G-EBZI and G-EBZP, Klemm G-ABOS and, on the ground, the former Universal Aircraft Services Bristol Fighter G-ACCG. The artist is unknown but their work and copyright ownership are acknowledged.
The author of this work acknowledges the respective copyright owners for the images and photographs used.
BCA-18/B August 2020
Witney’s Forgotten Airfield 1918 to 1951
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Introduction W
itney, the principal town in west Oxfordshire, once described as “that sleepy little market town nestling in the Cotswolds,” was for many centuries famous for the manufacture of high quality blankets. The age of the aeroplane descended on the town on the morning of Wednesday 1 October 1913, when a Royal Flying Corps (RFC) BE2a landed in New Leys field, on the side of the Witney to Curbridge road. After leaving Burton-on-Trent on the Monday, the aircraft had arrived at Burford, after several stops, by the Tuesday evening. The pilot, Lt. S.C.Winford-Smith, was accommodated there overnight and attempted to fly on to his destination at Aldershot the next morning, but high winds forced him to land at Witney. Such was the interest that many residents made their way to the field, as for most, this may have been the first time that they had seen an aircraft. In the afternoon of his arrival the pilot took a local inhabitant for a flight as far as Ducklington, and then, to the delight of onlookers, “proceeded to carry out some graceful movements, giving a very fine exhibition of the art of airmanship.” The next morning he made a successful departure amid cheers from the assembled locals. A Witney Gazette reporter, apparently carried away with the event, stated, “This particular type of biplane is one of the best types of English Army Flying Machines. This biplane is fitted with a 70 hp Renault engine and a speed of 100 mph is quite an ordinary experience in this type of machine.” Within a year we were at war, and aircraft were to become a common site over the town as Witney was to have its own airfield. Perhaps not forgotten by some, but for most they will be unaware that Witney had an airfield which carried out an important role in both world wars, and was in use during the intervening years.
Peter Davis April 2015
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An Airfield for Witney A
erial activity in the county at the start of the First World War was centred on Port Meadow, near Oxford, where flying had taken place since 1911, and it was now a Royal Flying Corps (RFC) training station. As war progressed, a need for more airfields arose, and the War Office selected Witney as having a suitable area of land to the west of the town, ideally situated alongside a reasonable road and about a mile from the railway station. The land selected and requisitioned formed part of Downs Farm, and occupied a position at the top of the hill overlooking the town. It was bordered to the north by the A40 Witney to Burford road, to the west by the road to Curbridge and to the south and east by fields belonging to Park Farm.
The green shaded area identifies the airfield location, mid-way between Witney and Minster Lovell
In the summer of 1916, when the mills were at full war production, War Office personnel arrived and surveyed the site, and in September work on Oxfordshire’s first purpose-built airfield was under way. The initial menial work of levelling the ground and removing hedges was carried out by German prisoners of war, while a Portuguese labour unit carried out much of the building work. Some 250 acres of land were requisitioned, and three pairs of coupled sheds (hangars) and a single span Aeroplane Repair Section (ARS) shed were built, each of brick construction with timber, Belfast Truss type arched roofing. 9
The first aircraft arrive
During March 1918, when the airfield was nearing completion, three Bristol F2b Fighters and an RE.8, from Netheravon on Salisbury Plain, flew over the field and proceeded to land. The F2bs landed without incident, but the RE.8 went into a spin, nosedived and crashed, coming to a standstill inverted. Fortunately for the pilot, he was not to be Witney’s first fatality, as he was able to climb out of the wreckage unscathed.
A group of local residents inspecting the BE.2a, which landed in New Leys Field, Witney on 1 October 1913 when flying from Burton-on-Trent to Aldershot
Also during the month Witney residents were treated to a glimpse of a real enemy aircraft, when a captured Albatross was displayed in the Market Square, in aid of War Bonds Week. It is not clear on what date the airfield was officially declared open, but on 30 March, No. 24 Training Squadron (TS) moved in, followed by 8 TS on 1 April, both from Netheravon. With them came a varied assortment of aircraft types, which eventually included examples of: Avro 504, BE 2, BE 8, BE 12, Bristol F2b, DH1, DH6s Farman F.20, FB 5, FK 8, RE.5, RE 8, Sopwith Camel and Pup, Curtis JN 3, Longhorn, Martinsyde, Shorthorn and Voisin.
Witney trains pilots in fighter tactics
Witney came into being as an RAF station, as on 1 April 1918, the RFC and the Royal Naval Air Service had amalgamated to form the Royal Air Force, and its role was to give training in fighter tactics. The squadrons had commenced training without delay and on 30 April, 7 TS, also from Netheravon, took up residence, sporting a similar miscellany of aircraft types. By 1918 standards RAF Witney was big, and the large brick built hangars were supplemented with at least eight temporary Bessonneau canvas hangars positioned in a row, close to and parallel with the Burford road. There were barrack blocks, administration buildings, an officers’ mess, lecture huts, hospital, gymnasium, motor transport section, boot shop, church, and as a reminder of its role, a mortuary, plus other buildings, enabling the Station to be almost self-contained. 10
An aerial view of the airfield with the Burford road on the left, taken in June 1918
Several of these buildings, mainly domestic, strayed outside the boundaries mentioned earlier, and the main complex, including barrack block accommodation, officers’ mess and hospital, were sited to the west of the Curbridge road. To the east of the Curbridge road, near the airfield southern boundary, stood the firing butts, and a target for aerial gunnery was situated in a field belonging to Ringwood Farm at Minster Lovell.
Some of the Bessonneau canvas hangars alongside the Burford road seen in July 1918 11
Another view of the hangars illustrating the diverse aircraft types, four being seen here
The first fatality
Witney’s first fatality came early, on 29 April, and involved a Lt. Harvey, flying an F.2b. “I was flying over the aerodrome at 2000 ft with a pupil when the control wires to the rudder got jammed. I shouted to him that I would take over the controls and try to free them, but I suppose he panicked and opened the throttle. We went into a spin, and hit the side of the hangar as we crashed. The chaps, thinking we were both dead, took us to the ae r o d r o m e mortuary, but I managed to persuade them that I was still alive.” They were both taken to hospital in Oxford, where the pupil later died. On 16 June the airfield received its most honoured guest, when Princess Helena Victoria made a tour of the Station, and also visited one of the blanket factories in the town. For greater efficiency the War Office decided to group various TSs using the same airfield into larger, more cohesive units. Thus, on 15 August, RAF Witney became designated as 33 Training Depot Station (TDS), a large unit with 36 Avro 504s, 36 Bristol F.2b Fighters and miscellaneous other types.
A group of 33 TDS trainee pilots pose for the camera in June 1918 12
To cope with the heavy training programme and large number of aircraft, a field on the opposite side of the Burford road was used as a dispersal, and a field between Burford and Northleach was used for practice take-offs and landings. On 7 September Witney came under the control of 21 Wing Head Quarters (HQ), Oxford, as did the airfields at Bicester, Port Meadow and Weston-on-the-Green, which was in turn controlled by HQ 2 Group, the whole being part of the South Eastern Area, which had its HQ at Covent Garden.
Americans arrive
Americans had volunteered to serve in the RFC since the outbreak of war, and when the US entered the fray in 1917, large units began to arrive in the country. The first contingent of American Flight Cadets arrived at No. 2 School of Military Aeronautics at Oxford in early September, and pilots and ground crew were soon integrated into flying training at Port Meadow and Witney, and to accommodate the initial influx at Witney, bell tents were erected alongside the Burford Road. A good public relations exercise took place on 30 August, when 33 TDS held a ‘Grand Sports Meeting’ in the recreation ground at Marriot’s Field in Witney. Some 29 events were held in the afternoon, followed by a dance in the Corn Exchange in the evening.
Extra-curricular training
It was not unusual for trainee pilots to supplement their legal flying quota with the odd extra-curricular training sortie, aircraft being seen parked by the River Windrush or in fields adjacent to farm houses, where the young beaux were dallying with the fair sex in the firm’s time. Unofficial flights with civilian passengers were not uncommon, and one with a farmer’s daughter nearly sealed the pilot’s fate, when he got into an out-of-control dive from which he was just able to recover. In October a Canadian airman was performing over the airfield for the benefit of some colleagues on the ground, when his aircraft broke up in a dive and crashed near Curbridge, killing him instantly.
A Bristol Fighter that came to grief when it crashed alongside the Curbridge road 13
An RE.8 coded ‘8’ in front of one of the Bessonneau hangars
Another type, a DH.9, which appears to have recently landed
War’s end
On cessation of hostilities on 11 November, with flags flying in the streets of Witney, the RAF were soon performing “many wonderful and daring stunts” overhead. A rundown of the armed services was almost instantaneous and training units such as at Witney disappeared overnight and by early 1919, the once busy airfield was deserted. When civilian flying resumed in May 1919, the government proposed opening up certain aerial trunk routes in the country, including one from London to Dublin, and Witney was earmarked to be the first stopping point, an Aerial Station, where pilots could refuel and find accommodation and mechanical assistance, but the scheme did not materialise. 14
By October, RAF Witney no longer appeared on the official list of RAF units, and was offered for sale by the Ministry of Munitions as being suitable for use as a factory, for storage, for a sanatorium or as a training institution. By 1920 dismantling of some of the hangars had begun and the remainder of the buildings, complete with the airfield, were put up for sale by Mr Galloway of Downs Farm, and sold to a Mr Joe Bartlett. Witney resident and lawyer Charles Batt, had witnessed the dismantling of the coupled hangars, and with a friend, Dr C T Cheatle of Burford, discussed what possibilities could be made from the remaining ARS hangar. The outcome was an under-cover tennis court, and in partnership with Dr Cheatle, the last hangar was purchased and in 1922 a club was formed which was to flourish for eleven years.
Flying returns
During this rather dormant period for the airfield little flying took place until 1926, when one of the more successful air tour companies, Berkshire Aviation Tours Ltd, based at East Hanney near Wantage, made Witney its maintenance base. Whilst at Witney the
The headstone in Witney Cemetery of 2nd Lieutenant Doolittle who died in an accident on 8 October 1918, aged 23.
RAF Witney in 1918 showing the domestic and airfield areas 15
company operated Avro 504s and DH.6s and also worked on other operators machines, bought and sold aircraft and remained until May 1929, when the company merged with a larger organisation.
In 1928 the Witney Concrete Speedway took participants through the hangar, with an alternative course following the dotted line
Maurice Gardner, who later purchased the UAS Avro 504, seen with a Western Aviation, Cheltenham example after winter maintenance 16
Supplementing the tennis club, other sporting activities took place, one with participants of the four-legged variety, when the Witney Horse Racing Association transferred its activities to the airfield from a field near the railway station. All went well until greed crept in, and ‘certain unlawful practices’ resulted in a lack of patronage, causing the meetings to be stopped. In the autumn of 1928 the field became the venue for the Witney Concrete Speedway for motorcycles, and although only four meetings were held, each drew in large crowds of spectators. Additional revenue was earned in the late 1920s by leasing part of the hangar for the storage of fairground equipment. Another pleasure flying operation, Western Aviation of Cheltenham, wintered their Avro 504s at Witney from 1930 to 1932, and following his nationwide survey, in January 1931 Sir Alan Cobham cited Witney as a desirable location in his report on the Establishment of Municipal Aerodromes.
The staff of Berkshire Aviation Tours face the camera prior to setting off for their 1928 pleasure flying season (Clifford Stanley Kent is 3rd from right, and Lionel Louis Leleu is 4th from right)
Universal Aircraft Services takes over
A new company, Universal Aircraft Services Ltd (UAS), registered in December 1932, took over and renovated the remaining hangar and all airfield facilities, having been set up as a training school for pilots and engineers. Initial equipment were an Avro 504 and a DH.60 Moth, and in March 1933 a Bristol Fighter was added and in August, an air taxi service was set up at Llandrindod Wells, but how long it operated is not known. At weekends the Avro and the Moth gave five-shilling joy rides, and if one could afford ten shillings, flights were also available in the Bristol Fighter. The Bristol was sold in September, but remained based on the airfield with Noel Mavrogordato, Lord Nuffield’s private pilot, and during the latter part of 1934, his charge, a DH.85 Leopard Moth, was based at Witney until Morris Motors’ own flying field near Stanton St. John became ready for use. 17
Adverse weather conditions did not deter the crowds that turned up to see Alan Cobham’s National Air Day Display on 2 May 1933, in support of his slogan ‘Make the Skyways Britain’s Highways.’ Locals were treated to a second flying event on 13 June, when Witney was one of around 200 towns visited during the year by British Hospital Air Pageants; this display being in aid of Oxford’s Radcliffe Infirmary.
The programme for the British Hospital Air Pageant, which took place on 13 June 1933, in aid of Oxford’s Radcliffe Infirmary 18
A flying club for Witney and Oxford
In October 1934, UAS embarked on an expansion programme, the first stage of which was the formation of Witney & Oxford Aero Club Ltd, to take on the flying side of the company, and at the time this was the only flying school in the county. A wooden clubhouse was erected and early equipment were a Hawk Major and three DH.60 Moths and later a Klemm and additional Moths were added. UAS sold its Avro 504, and this also remained at Witney and gave joyrides around the county, in particular at Port Meadow, during 1934 and 1935. Another Bristol Fighter was acquired in March 1935 and another Alan Cobham National Air Day Display took place on the airfield on 16 April.
This former UAS Avro 504, remained at Witney and is seen at Port Meadow in 1934, where it carried out pleasure flying
An interesting 1934 line up of an Avro 504 a DH Moth and an Avro Avian 19
An Oxford Times advert for Sir Alan Cobham’s Air Display, which took place on 16 April 1935
Witney and Oxford Aero Club leaflet circa 1935
The 1918 domestic site buildings are evident in this photo taken by Maurice Gardner from his Avro 504 in 1934 20
Although already a thriving concern, the WOAC was not officially opened until 8 June, when much-celebrated 70 year old aviatrix Mary Duchess of Bedford flew in from Woburn Abbey in her DH.60G-III Moth Major to perform the ceremony. It proved a worthwhile occasion for the Club, as an account appeared in the Aeroplane magazine and photos of guests graced the pages of Tatler. More land was purchased from Park Farm in early 1936, and training was now also given on wireless telegraphy, navigation and parachute packing as well as the servicing of private aircraft. Witney Gazette headlines in April proclaimed ‘An Aerodrome for Carterton?’ ‘District
An evocative painting capturing a busy scene in Witney’s circuit in the mid-thirties. Featured are WOAC DH Moths G-EBZI and G-EBZP, Klemm G-ABOS and on the ground, the former UAS Bristol Fighter G-ACCG. The artist is unknown, but was certainly familiar with the airfield
Surveyed by Air Ministry Officials,’ ‘Land Believed Suitable for RAF Station’ and ‘Will Planes Stop Hens Laying?’ This was of course the beginning of RAF Brize Norton, only some four miles from Witney’s own aerodrome and the following month it was announced that it was to be a flying training school and up until then, the nearest airfields from which traffic could infringe were the RAF Stations at Abingdon, Bicester and Upper Heyford.
Slashing, arson and Witney Aeronautical College In July, the airfield achieved a mention in the national as well as the local press, recognition that they could well have done without. The Daily Telegraph headline for the 20th stating ‘Wreckers Raid Aerodrome.’ Fabric had been slashed on three aircraft, a 21
An over optimistic drawing of a proposed Witney Aeronautical College building, as illustrated in their 1936 prospectus
Witney Aeronautical College prospectus
This photo from the WAC 1936 prospectus, shows the UAS fleet paraded in front the hangar with company titles emblazoned on the doors of the 1918 hangar
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Three WOAC aircraft, two Moths and a Klemm, parked near the clubhouse
A WOAC Moth about to start up with ground crew in attendance
Three Hawker Hinds from RAF Castle Bromwich, Warwickshire attended the opening of the WAC mess in July 1937
Bristol Fighter G-ACCG was part of the UAS fleet before passing into private hands
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Bristol Fighter, a privately owned Miles Hawk and a Moth belonging to the club. Further expansion of UAS prompted the formation of the Witney Aeronautical College Ltd (WAC) in August 1936, to take over the training school premises and the engineering side of the business, with UAS Ltd and WOAC Ltd as proprietors. For a short period normality returned to the airfield, until ‘Witney Aerodrome, Second Disaster’ was proclaimed by the Oxford Mail on 28 October. ‘Aeroplanes Destroyed in Witney Hangar Fire,’ ‘Arson Suspected – Police investigating’ proclaimed another good selling edition of the Witney Gazette. Three aircraft, two WOAC Moths, and another, which was privately owned, had been destroyed by a mysterious fire the previous day. The Witney Fire Brigade soon had the blaze under control, and although these two crimes were never solved, it was presumed to have been the work of a well organised group, as similar fires had also taken place at other airfields. In 1937, a residential mess was built for the WAC and the clubhouse relocated close by, and officially opened in July, with another garden party and flying display to mark the occasion. The following month the Club lost a Moth when it crashed through a hedge near Crawley Mill ending up inverted; the pilot escaping with scratches.
In 1937 the WOAC clubhouse was moved close to the College building
Willoughby Delta Company
Percival Nesbitt Willoughby’s ambition had been to design a flying wing type airliner, which would be capable of flying the Atlantic, and in 1931 he formed The Willoughby Delta Co. Ltd, with an office on Kingsway, London. Over the next few years, the airliner, designated the Delta 9, was designed and a scale model had undergone laboratory trials, in both the UK and the USA. Capital for this futuristic airliner was not forthcoming and a scaled down research vehicle was deemed to be the first step to prove that the aerodynamics of the aerofoil layout were sound. To build it, Willoughby leased part of the hangar and workshops from UAS, and in January 1937 his company moved in with a small team to construct and fly this aircraft.
Other activities
A resident at this time was a Percival Vega Gull, whose owner lived at Carswell Manor, 24
A pleasing image of Aero Club DH Moth G-EBZI, which appears in the painting on the cover, seen in July 1937. The following month it crashed near Crawley Mill.
near Faringdon, from where he used his BA Swallow to commute to the airfield. Similarly, the Earl of Cardigan was a regular visitor and sometimes based his aircraft, an Avro 504N, a BA Swallow and a Hornet Moth, which normally operated from his strip near Marlborough. RAF Brize Norton had opened in August 1937, and in the spring of 1938 its resident, No. 2 Flying Training School (FTS), started to make use of Witney airfield for air-to ground camera firing exercises with Audax and Fury biplanes.
Enter Witney Aerodrome Ltd
UAS did not achieve its aims with the WAC and as it was unable to procure the necessary capital to continue, and in March 1938 it went into liquidation. The following month the airfield was taken over by Witney Aerodrome Ltd. with Mr. E. B. Taylor, who had built the college building, and Mrs. B. S. MacDonald, who’s Hawk Major had been based since 1935, as directors. The Hawk Major joined the WOAC fleet and by August there was only one Moth remaining, BA Swallows now being the standard equipment; eight being taken on charge up to the outbreak of war, of which three survive to this today! Mavrogordato had exchanged his Bristol Fighter for a Comper Swift in June 1938, but it was short lived as its engine failed after take-off in July and ended up in the sewage farm at the south of the airfield! His next based mount was a Southern Martlet, which post war, was acquired by Billy Butlin, and is now with the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden. Willoughby’s aircraft, now designated the Delta F, was registered as G-AFPX in January 1939, and in early March emerged from the hangar, named ‘St Francis.’ Its maiden flight took place on the 11th, when it made the short flight to RAF Brize Norton, where it landed, and on its return the pilot reported that it was very stable, and of relevance, 25
In March 1938 Mrs B S Macdonald (pictured) and Mr E B Taylor took over the airfield following the demise of UAS and formed Witney Aerodrome Ltd
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he requested that adjustments be made to the tail setting before further tests were carried out. Newspapers reported its flight and the air correspondent of the Times was taken on a flight, which he favourably reported on in the 10 May edition. On 10 July, Hugh Olley,
A Bristol Fighter, Klemms, Hawks and DH Moths can be seen near the hangar, with the College building at the bottom right in this 1938 view
The ill-fated Willoughby Delta ‘St Francis’ takes to the air. It was to crash with the loss of its pilot and designer in July 1939 27
the Chief Flying Instructor of the WOAC, had carried out an initial test flight, following work on the tailplane, but returned for some adjustments to be made. On completion Willoughby, who had not flown in his creation prior to this, accompanied him for a second flight. Whilst flying to the west of Bicester the aircraft was seen to go into a dive from which it did not recover, crashing near the village of Caulcott. The wreckage was strewn across a large area and both occupants had died on impact. The crash was not attributed to the novel configuration, but to an ill-designed elevator trim tab that had sent it into the dive.
A 1938 view from the Burford Road, taken from approximately where the entrance to Windrush Industrial Park is today. The board reads Witney Aerodrome Ltd AVIATION TRAINING.
Two days after the declaration of war, this photo was taken in the 1918 vintage hangar with WOAC and private types grounded. The wooden Belfast Truss roof can be clearly seen 28
De Havilland takes over With the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939, there was an immediate cessation of all private and club flying throughout the UK. Unlike private flyers, the airlines still attempted to continue, but were not helped when a ban was put on all civilian flying east of a line drawn from Southampton to Edinburgh. Aircraft built by the De Havilland (DH) Aircraft Company, had relied on the manufacturer’s base at Hatfield in Hertfordshire, which was just to the east of the dividing line, for spares and maintenance, and the company now had to find a suitable airfield in the ‘free zone.’ Clarry S. Thom, a senior member of DH, was tasked with finding such an airfield, and how many were considered is not known, but he made a flying visit to Witney in a Hornet Moth, piloted by one of the company’s sales team, Philip Gordon-Marshall (PGM). Thom selected Witney as being not only ideally situated, but as also having adequate facilities and the DH Co, with PGM at the helm, became sub-lessors of the airfield on 27 September, and started moving in the following month.
An interesting photo taken in January 1940 with PGM standing in front of a Queen Bee, a US Embassy Stearman, a Vega Gull and a DH 86 with the first Bellman hangar under construction and the former WAC building and clubhouse in the background.
All civilian spares and a number of aircraft were transferred, together with a nucleus of about 30 skilled workers, most being billeted in the old college building with the remainder accommodated in the town and local area. The college building also doubled as an office block and canteen. Also, at around this time, some US Embassy aircraft were transferred to Witney, including a Beech 17 and a Stearman. PGM’s first test flight at Witney was in a Tiger Moth biplane trainer on 11 December, and a week later he lifted a Percival Vega Gull from the snow covered airfield for another air test. Brize Norton’s No. 2 FTS also used Witney as one of its Relief Landing Grounds, when it went on to operate Harvard and Oxford trainers, and the emergency services were 29
called into action on 23 February 1940, when an Oxford undershot, and crashed into a boundary wall. It was bitterly cold during the winter of 1939/40, the boiler and heating in the old hangar being quite inadequate and as there was only a limited supply of electricity, any form of electrical heating was out of the question and a small diesel engine-driven generator heater was installed.
De Havilland Repair Unit
At Lord Nuffield’s suggestion, the job of repairing damaged military aircraft was handed over to private industry, and Cowley became the headquarters of the Civilian Repair Organisation, while Witney was designated as the De Havilland Repair Unit. With ever-increasing numbers of aircraft now requiring repair and the sole hangar having limited floor space, in 1940 two Bellman hangars were erected, becoming Nos. 2 and 3 hangars. As these were only intended for storage there was no heating or lighting, but they were soon brought into use for the repair of Tiger Moths.
Flt. Lt. Jones with PGM and his dog in front of a Queen Bee, radio controlled target version of the Tiger Moth
Cowley had taken over Tiger Moth production from Hatfield, and the first one was delivered to Witney by road in April 1940 for initial flights, and the first of many camouflage inspections in the area was carried out for the Air Ministry the following month. With Tiger Moth repair work being carried out in Nos. 2 and 3 hangars, No. 1, the original hangar, concentrated on DH. 89 Rapide and Dominie cabin biplane trainers and communications aircraft. By August, there was a work force of 86, and on the 16th PGM witnessed Junkers Ju 88s come out of cloud and bomb Brize Norton, while air testing a Tiger Moth. During 1940 and 1941 a Home Guard platoon made up of DH employees, under the command of a regular army officer was the only protection afforded the airfield at night, until the task was taken over by the RAF Regiment. 30
A layout of the De Havilland Repair Unit showing hangars and associated buildings
Additional workspace taken over
In early 1941 PGM scoured the nearby countryside for any possible additional floor space for use as workshops, or for storage. Perhaps the best find was Dent’s glove factory at Charlbury, which in April became the main wing inspection and repair department, and also dealt with many other fabric covered components. Crofts Blanket Mill in Witney became the bulk stores and parts of Blarney and Tower Hill Garages on Burford Road doubled up as additional workspace, while Crawley Mill was also used for storage. Former Battle of Britain pilot, Flt. Lt. Richard Jones was seconded to Witney in the spring of 1941 as a test pilot to relieve PGM of test flying duties.
Enter the Hurricane...
Hurricanes had been repaired at Hatfield, but by early 1941 all possible space was required for Mosquito production and all the jigs and tools were transferred to Witney. To make way for Hurricane work, Tiger Moth repairs were transferred to Rearsby, near Leicester and the first Hurricane was flown into Witney during May. Within a week five more had arrived, and with the departure of the Tiger Moths, No. 3 hangar became the first Hurricane workshop. Flt. Lt. Jones had problems during a test flight in a Hurricane in November, when engine failure after take-off necessitated a return to the airfield. Unfortunately, leaking glycol on his windscreen caused a loss of forward vision and a wing hit a telegraph pole, forcing a landing with the undercarriage retracted. Some Sea Hurricanes also received attention, bringing with them the added problem of salt-water corrosion. For general maintenance an aircraft was flown in, normally by Air Transport Auxiliary pilots, but those that required repair following an accident or battle damage were roaded in on RAF Queen Mary vehicles. Each aircraft was subject to an initial survey, when it was decided whether to repair it or ‘reduce it to produce.’ 31
Some of the 373 Hurricanes that were returned to front-line use are seen here in No. 3 hangar in January 1942.
...and then the Spitfire
To switch from a simple fabric-covered aircraft to a heavier front line fighter such as the Hurricane was not without problems, but in March 1942, with just ten months of fighter type experience under their belts, the work-force saw the arrival of the first Spitfire, and No. 2 hangar became dedicated for work on the type. The Spitfire with its all metal stressed skin construction required the learning of new techniques, and a large floor mounted jig was installed to allow repairs to the fuselages, and the first was returned to the RAF in October. Further building work took place in 1942, when temporary metal hangars were erected along the western edge of the airfield and a paint shop, wing shop, survey hangar and flight shed also materialised, and the workforce now numbered around 700. PGM was a very popular character with a large circle of friends in the aviation world, many of whom visited him at Witney. DH management and friends were usually accommodated in Burford, where three hostelries were favoured – The Bull, The Lamb and The Bay Tree, as were the Old Swan at Minster Lovell and the Swan at Swinbrook . On 29 August, Flt. Lt. Jones was again in difficulties in a Hurricane, when a hydraulic problem prevented selection of the undercarriage, necessitating a forced landing at RAF Akeman Street, with the undercarriage retracted. A celebration dinner was held on 5 March 1943 to mark the return to service of the 200th Hurricane. Possibly the largest aircraft to visit Witney was a Whitley from No. 10 Operational Training Unit at RAF Stanton Harcourt, which landed in fog, although 32
the date is not recorded. Sir Stafford Cripps, who lived at Filkins, made a tour of the Unit in his capacity as Minister of Aircraft Production, on 28 December. The first Hurricane had taken 3-4 months to overhaul and the first Spitfire about six, but by the beginning of 1944, three Hurricanes and two Spitfires were being returned to service each week. A letter was received from Hatfield in March, congratulating the workforce on delivery of the 1000th aircraft back into service. The final Hurricane, the 373rd overhauled and returned to service from Witney, left the airfield on 26 October.
A signed menu from the celebration dinner on the return to service the 200th Hurricane
A further 79 had been found to be beyond economical repair and were reduced to produce. For a time Spitfire work spread into No. 3 hangar, but a reshuffle moved Dominie repair work into No. 2, where conditions were more suitable for doping, No.3 becoming the sole domain of the Spitfire. No. 1 was still used for Dominies and work on miscellaneous other types.
Witney bids farewell to Philip Gordon-Marshall
In March 1945 there was an air of sadness about the place as the ever popular PGM, the much respected gentlemanly general manager, had been transferred back to Hatfield. Entries in his log book record that he made frequent flying visits, either for pleasure, when the object was to spend a night or two at Burford, or to carry out test flying. 33
Sir Stafford Cripps, right, having just arrived by air for a tour of the DH Repair Unit on 28 December 1943
The spotless component repair bay on the occasion of Sir Stafford Cripps’ visit 34
Flt. Lt. ‘Ricky’ Jones, the only service test pilot attached to the unit, in the cockpit of a Spitfire in October 1943
A highly evocative photo taken on the flight line in October 1943, in which two Spitfires of the US 8th Air Force, a Hurricane and two Dominies can be seen. The firewatcher’s post can be seen on the roof between the two Bellman hangars. 35
Sir Stafford Cripps, centre, in front of Spitfires in No. 2 hangar. From left to right, the others are Mr Trubshaw (Ministry of Aircraft Production), Mr Ward (DH Business Manager), PGM (General Manager) and K Brown (Works Super Intendant).
Another October 1943 scene with Spitfires, Hurricanes and Dominies awaiting collection. The aircraft on the right has Royal Navy titles and is a Sea Hurricane
War in Europe came to an end on 8 May 1945, and many of the workforce that had been conscripted from far and wide, were now free to return home. Spitfire work continued until the 399th of a wide variety of marks departed the airfield on 5 December. His work now finished, Flt. Lt. ‘Ricky’ Jones also took his leave of the airfield during December and settled in Witney. The De Havilland Repair Unit had been fortunate
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Two lady ATA ferry pilots pose for the camera before returning the Dominie to its unit
in having PGM and Richard Jones, both well respected and fondly remembered in the coming years. Aircraft output figures can be misleading, but up to 15 August 1945, a figure of 1,457 was recorded. To this must be added about 450 aircraft which were reduced to produce and over 6,000 components repaired. At its peak the workforce had numbered around 1,200.
Three recently converted Dragon Rapides on their way from Witney to Portugal in November 1945, accompanied by a Percival Proctor 37
Post war activity and the first UK Chipmunks
The airfield now entered its final phase. With war coming to its conclusion De Havilland was eager to produce a new trainer to replace its ageing Tiger Moth, and this task was given to De Havilland Canada in the summer of 1945, and production of a new all metal stressed skin monoplane, named the Chipmunk, was under way by the end of the year. DH test pilot Pat Fillingham, who had been involved in testing Canadian-built Mosquitoes, was invited to fly the aircraft, making the maiden flight on the 22 May 1946.
Canadian built Chipmunk G-AKCS was assembled at Witney and flown by DH test pilot Pat Fillingham (right) in August 1947
Seen from an RAF Benson Mosquito in January 1947, the airfield layout and buildings are clearly defined 38
After a few teething problems had been resolved the aircraft was crated and sent to Hatfield in the November, and three other early Chipmunks came to the UK and received attention at Witney, and were air-tested by Fillingham. The Chipmunk went on to become a popular trainer with air forces throughout the world, well over 200 being produced in Canada and more than a thousand in the UK, and 60 under licence in Portugal.
Three newly converted Dragon Rapides awaiting delivery to Air France in early 1948
Doves, Mosquitos, a Beaver and a Vampire
De Havilland’s first post-war civil design, was the DH.104 Dove, developed as a replacement for the now ageing DH.89, and PGM accompanied Peter de Havilland to Witney in the prototype, in July 1947. Some were later delivered to Witney for customising, as were several Mosquitos destined for foreign customers. Witney did just touch on the jet age when an early Vampire arrived by road to be modified for carrier landings. During 1946 PGM had been appointed Sales Director with the De Havilland Airspeed division, at Christchurch, and his final visit to Witney was on 23 June 1949, thus ending his almost ten year connection with the airfield. The following April, he parked his Leopard Moth at RAF Brize Norton, while he spent a few nights in Burford, where no doubt he reflected on his Witney years.
DH 89s and the first UK Beaver
Dominie production continued at Loughborough until March 1946, when all components, were transferred to Witney, where many late production aircraft were converted for civilian use. Large numbers of Dominies now came on the market, and most were converted to civilian DH.89A Rapide standard at Witney. In addition, two aircraft were built from spare parts and given Witney construction 39
numbers W.1001 and W.1002. In all, 81 Rapides emerged from Witney for the British register and for export.
Witney airfield in July 1948 with a Mosquito, a Tiger Moth, a Dove and Dragon Rapide visible in front of the hangars
The letter-headings used by the De Havilland Aircraft Company when at Witney. The upper used during the war years and the lower post war. The Minster Lovell address was used on both headings. 40
This unidentified Mosquito at Witney is probably destined for an overseas air force
G-ALOW, the first Beaver to arrive in the UK from Canada was assembled at Witney in 1949 41
From the drab camouflaged types that had emerged from the hangars during wartime, civilian colour schemes now brightened the airfield. For the UK market the colour schemes of Channel Island Airways, Hunting Air Travel, Isle of Man Air Services, Jersey Airways, Olley Air Services, Railway Air Services and Scottish Airways were examples. Those destined for overseas operators included aircraft for Air France, Air Services India, Anglo-Iranian Oil, Arab Air -Transjordan, Danish Red Cross, Iraqi Airways and KLM. Additionally aircraft went to Brazil, Canada, Portugal, South Africa and Sweden.
Request for airfield extension
Witney Estates had appealed to the Air Ministry for permission to retain the additional land requisitioned during the war, but this was turned down, and they were informed that they could only retain the land of the pre-war airfield, as the requisitioned land was required for farming. A notice of closure was issued on 11 March 1949, and in August, De Havilland left the airfield, but not before another type from the DH Canada stable, the Beaver utility aircraft, the first of which to arrive in the UK was assembled at Witney. The airfield was sold by auction in London on 21 September, to S Smith and Sons (England) Ltd., but as late as October 1951, it was still listed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation among the airfields required to be retained for civil flying. Smiths Industries transferred their car accessories division to the airfield and went on to produce car heaters, fans and hydraulic components on the site, employing many former De Havilland personnel.
The original hangar survived until 1970, when it was demolished to make way for a car park
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Bampton connection
Over the years many Bampton residents had been associated with the airfield, in particular working with the De Havilland Repair Unit during the war years. Molly Rose made ten flying visits during her time as an Air Transport Auxiliary pilot, on the last occasion collecting a Spitfire and delivering it to RAF Colerne in Wiltshire.
The First World War guardroom, survives alongside Downs Road
The former College Mess and later DH offices seen alongside the Burford Road in 2002 43
Postscript
In June 1945 the de Havilland (Witney) Association was formed to keep alive friendships formed during the war years, and membership at one stage exceeded 500. It survived until 1986, when a dwindling and scattered membership thought it had served its time. The void was filled by the de Havilland Fellowship, formed the following year to cater for the same membership and this survived until a final reunion on 13 May 2000. During 1969, C. Martin Sharp, the company’s public relations manager from 1936 to 1960, recalled his memories of wartime Witney: “Line-ups of Hurricanes and Rapides, the bullet holes and bomb splinters, the cat and the gate police and the spotless canteen, and the good spirit that prevailed, thanks especially to the personality of folks like Ken Brown, Philip Gordon-Marshall and jolly visitors who used to drop in on you from the air, their wings appearing over the brow of that considerable hill that you called the aerodrome.�
A current view of the site, with Downs Road running down the centre to Curbridge, Bromag Industrial Estate on the left and Windrush Industrial Park on the right
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A new road sign ‘Richard Jones Road,’ is a fitting tribute to a notable Battle of Britain pilot, DH Witney test pilot and Witney resident
The airfield is not truly forgotten as Windrush Industrial Park, on the site of the airfield, has names commemorating its memory, Range Road, where the 1918 butts survived until the early nineties, De Havilland Way and Richard Jones Road. The Witney Aeronautical College (and later DH office block) building still survives. The wooden WOAC clubhouse found its way down alongside the River Windrush at Minster Lovell as a sports pavilion, where it survived until the mid-nineties. The final first war hangar was pulled down in 1970 to make way for a car park, but many 1918 buildings survive along Downs Road on the Bromag Industrial Estate and further along the road, on the opposite side, the Guardroom is an interesting survivor from the period. Many aircraft that passed through Witney survive in museums or still fly in private hands and DH’s lasting effect on Witney was the bringing of more diverse trades into the town, breaking down the reliance on blanket making. How long the remaining buildings will survive is uncertain, but a memorial plaque would be a fitting tribute to Oxfordshire’s first purpose built, and long serving airfield – and maybe then it will not be forgotten.
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