Biggin Hill
*BIGGIN HILL: Military Landing Ground originally WW1. Used between the wars, famous WW2 military aerodrome and much later civil aerodrome/airport
Note: The first picture (2018) was obtained from Google Earth © The next two pictures were taken, by the author, through perspex.
Military users: WW1: RFC/RAF (Royal Flying Corps / Royal Air Force)
School of Telephony Aka: Wireless Testing Park (Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.7, later B.E.2e and Sopwith 1½ Strutter)
Note: The first really successful air-to-air transmissions were conducted here in July 1917, by Lieutenant Furnival (with Captain Richard Peck as pilot) and Lieutenant Andrews, both flying Sopwith 1½ Strutters. These experiments were it seems the first in the world to succeed.
39 Sqdn (Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2e & B.E.12)
50 {Home Defence} Sqdn (Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 and B.E.12 types. Then Armstrong-Whitworth FK-8s, and finally Sopwith Camels)
Note: I have no idea which of these types 50 Squadron flew from BIGGIN HILL. Could anybody kindly give advice? Also, so typical of how complex and frustrating a task compiling a 'Guide' can be - further research appears to indicate that 50 Squadron were never based here at all! So who do we believe?
141 Sqdn (Bristol F2B Fighters)
Note: The lovely evocative picture, from a postcard, was sent by Mike Charlton who has an amazing collection: See - www.aviationpostcard.co.uk
BETWEEN THE WARS
Also from 1919 for four years, the base for the Instrument Design Establishment (IDE). And the WEE, presumably standing for the 'Wireless Experimental Establishment'?
Note: Quoting from 'Biggin on the Bump' by Bob Ogley: "As the WEE expanded new aeroplanes were flown - twin engine bombers Handley Page 0/400 and DH 10s - and more fields were requisitioned for lengthening the runways." And he adds; "By now Biggin Hill employed almost 600 including 68 officers, 297 men and 228 members of the Women's Royal Air Force."
In 1919, to quote Bob Ogley: "An event which took place in the House of Lords in August 1919 demonstrated the value of Biggin Hill as a research station." This was set up to show how a wireless connection could be made, from the Houses of Parliament to an aircraft in flight near BIGGEN HILL. Needless to say, the world of aviation was transformed by this event, but it took many years of development before pilots could easily talk to ground stations for advice and information.
It appears that the IDE was amalgamated with the Royal Aircraft Establishment and moved to FARNBOROUGH.
1919 to 1939: RAF Fighter Command
Night Flying Flight (Vickers Vimys)
23 Sqdn (Bristol Bulldogs, Hawker Demons & Harts)
32 Sqdn (Armstrong Whitworth Siskins, Bristol Bulldogs, Gloster Gauntlets and later Hawker Hurricanes)
Note: Did 32 Squadron fly all these types here?
56 Sqdn (Armstrong Whitworth Siskins and Gloster Grebes)
79 Sqdn (Hawker Hurricanes)
141 Sqdn (Bristol F2b Fighters)
601 Sqdn (Bristol Blenheims)
BIGGIN HILL PICTURE GALLERY (Scanned from the excellent book Biggin on the Bump by Bob Ogley). Note: It is most important to note that this book was first published in 1990 to raise money for the RAF Benevolent Fund and it has been very successful in this regard with several reprints. If anybody would like a copy, highly recommended, please contact Froglets Publications on 01959 562972.
1) Bob Ogleys picture captions - first picture: "An RE7 biplane, 140hp, was the first aircraft to land at Biggin Hill in January 1917". Today, I suspect, probably few people are aware of the Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.7? First flown in 1915 only 230 were built. If that seems a reasonable number built, (which today would indeed be the case), the later R.E.8 had, it appears, 4077 examples built.
2) Second picture: "A Hawker Demon of 23 Squadron flies over the Salt Box at Biggin Hill in 1933, the year that Hitler came to power. At the time Winston Churchill was worried about weakness in the air. "Only a strong British Air Force," he said, "can protect Britain from invasion and defeat". He was quite mistaken of course, as he often was, as history now shows. The vastly superior Royal Navy and the Army Coastal Defences meant that any invasion plans would never succeed. The threat was real enough though in 1940, but only for a short period, and soon abandoned.
It is also usually conveniently forgotten that the RAF Bomber Command had no role to play in the so called 'Battle of Britain', which in fact mostly only affected the south-east and southern areas of England. That situation would have rapidly changed if the invasion took place - but as said - it never got even started. As RAF photo-reconnaissance sorties proved at the time.
3) The third picture caption is: "In common with other operational RAF stations Biggin Hill opened its gates to the public on Empire Day. This is the crowd which gathered in 1934 to witness an exhilarating display of aerobatics by the pilots of 32 and 23 Squadrons." Note how the crowd were free to wander around, and indeed wonder at, the aircraft - which were of course front line types in those days.
4) For the fourth picture Bob Ogley tells us: "This is a pre-war reconnaissance photograph taken from the German airline Lufthansa en route for Croydon." Note how low it was flying. "Efforts were made to camouflage the airfield even more but the Lufthansa pilots were not deceived." Not at all surprising; firstly because they knew exactly where it was and secondly, as I can testify, a large airfield in a rural setting such as this, surrounded by relatively small fields and equally small wooded areas, really stands out from miles away.
"The Lufthansa and Luftwaffe reconnaissance photographs taken in 1939 and 1940 were recovered after the war in German archives." It must of course be borne in mind regarding the pictures taken from Lufthansa airliners, that there was no form of en route air traffic control in those days. In effect pilots could decide on their own choice of routeing and altitude.
5) Everything in aircraft design is a compromise, and the Hurricane and Sptifire are excellent examples. The Spitfire, even today, gets all the plaudits but this is largely unfair in several respects. In those early days of WW2 highly skilled RAF pilots held the Hurricane in high regard - mainly because it was a superior 'gun-platform' - the much stronger wing of the Hurricane did not warp (or nowhere near as much) when the eight machine guns were fired. Therefore the chances of hitting the target to maximum effect were greater if flying a Hurricane.
However, the fuselage of the Hurricane was a direct development of the 1930s biplane Hawker designs such as the Fury, Hind and Hart, and therefore could not be developed as the Spitfire was under the design genius of Joseph 'Joe' Smith. For some rather odd reason regarding the Spitfire, Reginald Mitchell's name still reigns supreme. He was of course the Chief Designer at Supermarine in charge of the overall initial design, but the fabulous elliptical wing was designed by Beverley Shenstone. That thin wing certainly improved performance and aerobatic capabilities over the Hurricane which endeared it to so many pilots, but as said, in the earlier versions at least, it was not as good as a 'gun-platform'.
In addition, as I understand it, the all-round visibility from the cockpit of a Hurricane, so essential in the kind of aerial combat they were involved with, was superior to the Spitfire. This said, and can you believe it, in the early days RAF fighter pilots were expected to go into combat wearing a shirt and tie! Which very obviously inhibited their ability to fully turn their heads around. Once they realised that Luftwaffe fighter pilots wore open shirts with soft material scarves, they soon insisted that they should do the same.
6) It might not be fully appreciated that actually learning to fly an aircraft in the RAF (and it still is) was just a small part of the process. Flying an aircraft into combat, as can be seen in this photograph from the Kent Messenger newspaper also involves wearing a large amount of 'clobber' to undertake the task. This is not quickly learnt, it takes time to adjust to being trussed up in a flying suit, together with a Mae West' lifejacket and parachute and having your head enclosed with a helmet, goggles, and the face mask for both oxygen at height and the microphone for RT (Radio Transmissions).
Plus of course they had to learn all about the strictures of RAF protocol, like how to correctly salute a superior officer. Equally important it now seems as to how to shoot down an enemy aircraft. This on top of learning aerial combat tactics which were quickly proved to be utterly futile.
Faced with all this to contend with, it is surely quite easy to understand that so many of the raw young pilots thrown into the so called 'Battle of Britain' rarely survived more than a sortie or two. In effect 'cannon fodder', just as in WW1.
7) This is interesting - note that the 'spare erk' has his hands over his ears. The other poor sods, or 'erks', tasked with holding the tail down appear to have nothing to protect their hearing. Or, perhaps, did they stuff cotton-wool in their ears?
8) It is very important to understand the significance of this map as it shows, very clearly, where most of the so called 'Battle of Britain' took place. And even that didn't include much of Essex. Indeed, I cannot recollect NORTH WEALD or STAPLEFORD TAWNEY getting much of a pasting from Luftwaffe bombers? It was of course 11 Group who, almost alone, countered the Luftwaffe offensive in Kent and Sussex mostly. We really must remember that most of the RAF Fighter Command Squadrons spread around the UK were sitting on their backsides whilst this was going on. And indeed, people such as Leigh-Mallory in charge of 12 Group in the Midlands, was very reluctant to offer any help to 11 Group during the most critical periods.
Equally important, regarding the 'so called' German invasion plans, is the fact that that the Royal Navy outnumbered the German Navy by a factor of seven to one, and, the coastal defences were far more effective than the German defences had during the 'D-Day' invasion - and look how costly that proved to be in death and casualties to allied forces who had almost total control of Naval support and air superiority.
9) The Boulton-Paul Defiant is an excellent example of designers getting the upper hand, without having no knowledge whatsover of the realities involved. McDonnell-Douglas designers for example made exactly the same mistake with the Phantom during the Vietnam war - it had no guns - only missiles. The Defiant had no forward facing guns! It seems incredible today, but this design was approved to go into production. It certainly did, initially, catch out many Luftwaffe pilots attacking from astern, but they soon caught on and the Defiant quickly became a 'sitting duck' target. Later however it did somewhat reddem itself as a night fighter.
10) The caption reads: "In February 1941, 609 (West Riding of Yorkshire) Squadron flew into Biggin Hill from Warmwell and the pilots were delighted to exchange Spitfire 1s for Spitfire IIs. They were not so pleased to learn that their first operational flight, after three months of inactivity, was to take place the next day - an offensive sweep over France. The 609 Spitfire in the hangar was flown by Squadron Leader Michael Robinson."
This situation very clearly shows both the callous disregard for aircraft and pilots, plus the general ineptitude of those in charge of RAF planning tactics. As Bob Ogley points out, 609 Squadron had had three months of inactivity prior to arriving at BIGGIN HILL, but rather than working the Squadron back up to full operational combat status, they immediately threw them in 'at the deep end' therefore maximising the chances of casualties. Unlike their masters these pilots were far from being stupid so no wonder they were not pleased.
11) This caption reads: "The figures on the board speak for themselves. This is the tally for 92 East India Squadron, which included some of the highest scoring aces in Fighter Command. It needs to be remembered that 92 Squadron arrived here after the 'Battle of Britain' and stayed until September 1941.
12) Bob Ogley's caption for this picture is: "Spitfire IXs of 611 Squadron fly low over the Salt Box towards Bromley on December 9, 1942. The walls are all that remain of the triple-bay hangar blown up by Group Captain Grice in 1940. Behind the hangar is the cupola of the station headquarters. In front is a 40mm Bofors AA gun and the Nissen huts and sheds used for maintenance and dispersal. 611 West Lancs Squadron had arrived on September 23 for a three month stay on 'The Bump'. (Photograph Imperial War Museum)"
13) This picture from 'Biggin on the Bump' was taken by Philip Lane in 1988. Not a lot has changed except for the addition of a couple of hangars in the SW corner, and of course the amount of executive jets which can be seen today, but none visible in this photograph.
14) The two 'gate guardians' in 1955, in front of the St Georges Chapel of Rememberance.
15 & 16) "The Hawker Hunters and Meteor 8s of 41, 600 and 615 Squadrons at Biggin Hill in 1956. (Photographs by Joe Merchant). See '1946 to 1958' below.
WW2 BATTLE OF BRITAIN
*Battle of Britain RAF Sector Station (10th July 1940*) 11 Group
32 Sqdn (Hawker Hurricanes)
141 Sqdn (Bolton-Paul Defiants)
*Although some people today like to ‘Big Up’ BIGGIN HILL as being the home of the 'Battle of Britain' squadrons, it was nothing of the kind. A runner-up at best. The airfield was being battered into submission by the Luftwaffe and really struggling to survive - often with their Squadrons being moved around to other RAF Stations. If anything in southern England TANGMERE (SUSSEX) can lay claim to that title as they alone in 11 Group had three squadrons based on that date. TURNHOUSE (LOTHIAN) defending Edinburgh was alone in July 1940 in having four squadrons. But of course, they played virtually no part.
(1st August 1940) 32 Sqdn (Hawker Hurricanes)
(August 1940) 72 & 266 Sqdns (Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires)
(1st September 1940) Just one squadron based here, 79 Sqdn flying Hurricanes
(8th September 1940) 92 Squadron flew in from PEMBREY with Spitfires
BUT, we must remember that BIGGIN HILL was subjected to possibly more Luftwaffe ‘effective’ bombing raids than any other Station? Three in one day at one point. Those serving at MANSTON would probably dispute this? MANSTON was I think also targeted by German bombers using the airfield as an alternative to drop their bombs on if they failed to reach their primary target? In fact I believe MANSTON was largely abandoned at one point but still available for emergency landings. KENLY and CROYDON got a good pasting too. With hindsight we now know that arguably the biggest mistake 11 Group made was having any aircraft based in Kent - from where the RAF pilots were at the greatest disadvantage, being far too close to gain altitude against the Luftwaffe.
This said, the Spitfire pilots from BIGGIN HILL had a better chance, being further away, but still too close to effectively intercept the top cover Messerschmitt Bf.109s flying at around 30,000ft, who were of course at the limits of their range and therefore having having very limited combat capability.
This lesson was of course proved when Hitler decided that London should be bombed on a massive scale in reprisal for the puny RAF bomber attack on Berlin. Given the remarkably stupid 'big-wing' approach taken by the Luftwaffe supremo Hermann Goering, (arguably the finest 'ally' the UK had during this 'Battle of Britain' period), his Messerschmitt Bf109 fighters had exceeded their range so could offer no protection. The RAF fighters had a 'field day', especially the Polish pilots from NORTHOLT, and clearly the strategy was doomed.
What was not expected was that the Luftwaffe could so quickly adapt to the night bombing of London, against which we had virtually no effective means of defense. And of course, once the Luftwaffe realised they had virtually no opposition, the wholesale night bombing of British cities commenced with devastating results. I don't think, even today, that the person responsible for deciding to bomb Berlin has ever been held to account?
AT OTHER TIMES IN WW2: RAF Fighter Command 11 Group
1 & 609 Sqdns (Hawker Typhoons)
32, 56, 154, 229, 242, 401 (RCAF) Sqdns (Hawker Hurricanes)
19, 41, 64, 66, 72, 74, 91, 92, 124, 133 (Eagle), 304, 340 & 341 (all Free French) & 307 (Polish) Sqdns (Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires)
plus
401 (RCAF), 411 (RCAF), 412 (RCAF), 485 (RNZAF), 602 (City of Glagow), 609, 610, 611 (West Lancashire) & 689 Sqdns (Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires)
141 & 264 Sqdns (Boulton-Paul Defiants)
1020 Servicing Wing HQ
Post WW2: 41 Sqdn (Gloster Meteors then Hawker Hunters)
600 (City of London) Reserve Sqdn (Spitfires then DH Vampires then Meteors)
Operated by:
1965: Surrey Aviation Ltd
1980s/1990s: Airports UK Ltd
2000: Regional Airports Ltd
British airline users: Post 1945: Loveair (London Flight Centre)
Charter/air taxi: Post 1945: Air Couriers, CCF Aviation, Gold Air International
Aerial photography: Post 1945: CCF Aviation
Note: This picture from a postcard was also kindly sent by Mike Charlton
This picture, although taken by an amateur, is I think very interesting. Possibly taken in the 1960s? It would apppear that in those days the use of runway 11/29 was generally favoured by the GA fraternity.
Flying club/schools: Alouette Flying Club, Biggin Hill School of Flying, Cabair Flying Schools, CCF Aviation, Civilair, Classair, EFG Flying School, King Air, Metropolitan Police Flying Club, Sportair, Surrey & Kent Flying Club, Tropair Airservices
1959 ‘snapshot’: 600 (City of London) Sqn Flying Club, 615 Sqn Flying Group, Air Touring Club, Airways Aero Cub, Alouette Flying Club, Biggin Hill Flying Club, Experimental Flying Group, Horizon Flying Club, Horizon Flying Group, Puss Moth Flying Group, Rollason Flying Group, Surrey & Kent Flying Club, Vendair Flying Club
Helicopter ops: Biggin Hill Helicopters
Pleasure flights: Post 1945: CCF Aviation
Maintenance: Post 1945: Fairflight
Location: E of A233, 6 nm ESE of Croydon, 5nm SSE of Bromley
Period of operation: 1917 to present day
Note: These maps are reproduced with the kind permission of Pooleys Flight Equipment Ltd. Copyright Robert Pooley 2014.
Site area: 1916: Originally 80 acres (Some say 75 acres)
From 1917: 115 acres 1024 x 512
Runways: WW2: 03/21 1527x46 hard 11/29 914x46 hard 05/23 868x46 hard
1965: 02/20 1828x46 hard 11/29 902x46 hard 05/23 640x46 hard
1990: 03/21 1834x46 hard 11/29 816x24 hard
2001: 03/21 1808x46 hard 11/29 816x24 hard
Note: It is interesting to see that in the early Pooleys Flight Guides, now one of the best, there are many very serious errors. Not least in this case, when it ignored mentioning the main 02/20 runway!
BIGGIN HILL PICTURES
NOTE: The third picture, of the UTVA-66, is of a type that I believe is very rare in the UK, and indeed I suspect this example may well be unique? If you will excuse a rather crass analogy, it is something of a cross between a 'metal' Auster AOP and a Cessna L-19/O-1 Bird Dog and intended for similar duties. But, with more advanced design features than those two types. I would love to know if, with these apparent advantages, it could out-perform the other two types? First flown in 1966 only 130 were built it seems, in then what was known as Yugoslavia.
NOTES:
Venue, (20th May 1932), for Alan Cobham’s Aviation Day UK Display Tour.
FLYING A 'PAPER ROUND'
In his excellent book 'Biggin on the Bump' Bob Ogley tells us: "On May 5, 1926, the first general strike in British history began when the Trades Union Congress voted to back the miners in their dispute. Biggin Hill had an important role to play on behalf of the Government. All leave was cancelled and a cordon of armed sentries thrown around the station."
"Each evening copies of the Government newspaper, the British Gazette were delivered by army lorries to Biggin Hill. The bundles were placed in the rear cockpit of the three Vimys, (My note: Presumably of the Night Flying Flight based here?), which then took off on a long and unusual paper-round dropping copies of the Gazette over every town in the South." Probably the south-east mostly - perhaps as far west as Bournemouth?
This exercise does of course raise several questions, not least the London-centric British Goverment intending to reinforce its power base in the Home Counties and the south-east of England especially. One can only wonder at the reaction today if our government decided to use the RAF for such blatant propaganda purposes.
INTERCEPTION TRIALS
It was here that the Interception Trials took place in the mid to late 1930s, (1936 & 7 perhaps?) which were to form the backbone of the fully integrated control system which proved so astonishingly effective, or would have done if most of the RAF fighters were in the right place to start with, which most were not of course. The guiding light behind these trials was Sir Henry Tizard who headed the Committee for the Scientific Survey of Air Defence – often called the ‘Tizard Committee.’ The Committee first met in 1935 and from the outset appears to been in the forefront of promoting radar. However, it was probably Tizard’s genius to realise that radar by itself would be virtually useless unless it could be linked to a highly efficient and practical method of quickly deploying and then vectoring defending fighters towards the enemy. It was also Tizard who championed the concept of having a ‘chain’ of radar stations around the southern and eastern coastline of England.
THE 'MILLIONAIRE'S MOB'
Please read a fuller account in Biggin on the Bump by Bob Ogley. "Before the war the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF) was known for attracting aristocratic young men with a passion for weekend flying and a habit of disturbing the traditional peace of a British Sunday." Bob then tells us; "When 601 flew in to make Biggin Hill its wartime base the rich young pilots had little regard for the rigid discipline of the regular service." But, and make no mistake about it, they were very determined to prove they could be equal to any RAF regular pilot in combat.
And it appears they proved their point. One excellent example was Max Aitken, the son of Lord Beaverbrook, owner of the Daily Express and Minister in charge of Aircraft Production. Most of these pilots owned their individual private aircraft, in his case the Aeronca G-ADZZ. And, he; "....became a distinguished fighter pilot with many kills and a bag of honours. He had one unique record. Max Aitkin flew on an anti-shipping patrol near Aalborg, Denmark. He therefore flew on the first and last day of the war. This being the war in Europe of course.
However, there is another aspect of this general account by Bob Ogley which has for years held an especial interest for me. "Equipped with its Bristol Blenheim 1F converted fighters, 601 Squadron was in action on the day war was declared when 12 pilots were alerted to intercept the "intruder" over Knole Park." Which turned out to be the motor of a refrigerator picked up by the 'listening devices'.But, "As the Blenheims returned to Biggin Hill they suffered a further indignity. They were fired at by the anti-aircraft battery."
This is an utterly disgraceful story still to be told, and nobody knows how many allied aircraft were shot down by the mostly utter idiots consigned to anti-aircraft duties. These anti-aicraft batteries were mostly manned by crews that couldn't muster a single functional brain amongst the lot of them. They were invariably incredibly dumb and stupid individuals, the bottom of the barrel in IQ terms, and shot at everything in the air, even when it was beyond any doubt it was an an aircraft belonging 'on our side'. The more I research the subject, the more incredible accounts I discover. Like the Royal Navy ship which stationed itself to deliberately shoot down allied aircraft returning from the D-Day landings.
DUBIOUS CLAIMS
As said elsewhere the claims made for BIGGIN HILL being the Battle of Britain RAF aerodrome are much exaggerated. It was so badly bombed that in the end only one squadron was struggling to exist here. On the subject of exaggeration the claims made for ‘kills’ by RAF aircrew were excessive to say the least but eagerly picked up by the press for propaganda purposes. For example on the 15th September 1940 when the tide turned, (now London was to be bombed…a BIG strategic mistake), the RAF claimed 183 enemy aircraft shot down. The actual figure is most probably 56!
The Luftwaffe were no better. They claimed to have shot down 79 RAF Fighter Command aircraft, in fact probably 26. Interesting to see that the proportions of over-estimation on both sides is almost exactly equal, roughly 3:1. I suppose this can be explained because in the tumult of battle many aircraft which eventually went down on both sides were often fired at by, it is claimed, on average three other aircraft. So this seems to make sense?
AN INCREDIBLE STORY
I came upon this when reading Last Of The Few by Max Arthur in 2015. A compilation of accounts by then elderly pilots (and others) who had served on both sides during the so called 'Battle of Britain'. This account regarding the final flight of Squadron Leader 'Spike' O'Brien was by the then Flight Lieutenant Myles Duke-Woodley. (See also WITTERING (NORTHAMPTON) and MIDDLE WALLOP (HAMPSHIRE) for two more accounts of the carreer of 'Spike' O'Brien.
"In late August his squadron reinforced 11 Group on one sortie against a raid by Me 110s on Hawker's Weybridge factory. (My note: He was then based flying Spitfires at MIDDLE WALLOP in HAMPSHIRE). He was seen to be engaging an Me 110, believed destroyed, whilst being attacked by another. Some fifteen minutes later he appeared in the circuit at Biggin Hill. He lowered the undercarriage and flaps and was turning on to finals at around 600 feet when his aircraft caught fire. Probably an incendiary bullet had lodged in his petrol tanks, and then sparked off the petrol vapour above the fuel when the level fell."
"He was seen to bale out, but his parachute was not fully deployed when he hit the ground and he was dead when the ambulance reached him."
Here comes the incredible part of the story: "I spoke later to the doctor who was in the ambulance. When he examined Spike's body, he found that his left arm had been shot off at the shoulder, and his left eye shot out of his head. Yet he had flown that Spit right down to approach for a normal landing!"
ON WHOSE SIDE WERE THEY ON?
I have banged on about this many times elsewhere in this 'Guide' and examples occur here. Such as 229 Squadron flying their Hurricanes down from DIGBY in Lincolnshire on the 27th May 1940, only to send them back on the 5th June. An even better example seems to be 213 Squadron sent across from WITTERING in June 1940 but despatched to EXETER in that same month. What we need to remember here is that the 'Battle of Britain' offensive did not start until 'officially' until the 10th July 1940, and yet here is clear proof that people in the RAF command structure were already at work to diminish the operational effectiveness of the RAF fighter squadrons at least.
They were still hard at work during the later bombing campaign, but that is another story, addressed elsewhere.
To me it is clear that without any doubt that the RAF senior command was riddled with people, some very sympathetic to the Nazi regime. Lets face it, our Royal family was fundamentally German when WW2 started, and they changed their family name to Windsor to try and disguise this awkward fact. So it seems obvious that many people in the British 'establishment' would also have connections with Germany. It seems without doubt that Hitler was very surprised that the British decided not to ally itself to the Nazi regime.
The constant and needless moving around of squadrons was obviously a method of seriously reducing their operational effectiveness, and yet nobody at the very top in the RAF seemed to spot this - which in effect was sabotage. This said, it is very important to differentiate between these needless movements of squadrons, especially during the so called 'Battle of Britain', and those squadrons being sent away to rest. But here again, rather than send them to Oxfordshire for example, they were invariably sent far away to the north of England, thereby not only wasting fuel and engine and airframe time, but also putting the pilots into a totally different flying environment. And this of course would take time to adapt to - learning the geography for navigation and the very different local weather patterns. Which again is very wasteful if these squadrons were to be sent south, which usually they were.
ANOTHER ASTONISHING STORY
Once again, Bob Ogley in Biggin on the Bump has this story to tell. Part of the background is that 39 people were killed on the 30th August bombing raid in 1940: "The bombing of Biggin Hill continued day after day until there was nothing left to destroy except part of one hangar, the clothing equipment store and the remarkable resilience of Group Captain Grice and the 1,000 people who worked on the "The Bump". Why on earth did they stay when far safer other airfields were relatively close by to the west and north, and from which they could operate against the Luftwaffe far more effectively?
"After the ninth or tenth raid and one more fatality, the CO came to the conclusion that the Luftwaffe would keep on coming until there was nothing but rubble below. At the same time Felicity Hanbury, (my note - the Assistant Section Officer in charge of the WAAFs), decided she would give the clothing away before the store was destroyed. Soon the clothing store was empty, and just in time. Twenty four hours later it was another smouldering heap. Now only the hangar remained."
"Group Captain Grice made a drastic decision. He would blow up the hangar to save more loss of life. Explosives were put in place and at six o'clock on September 4 the CO ordered everyone to take cover. There was a giant explosion and the hangar collapsed. Biggin Hill was now totally flattened. The daylight raids virtually stopped."
But here we learn how the mindset of those with only desk jobs worked: "The Air Ministry was not impressed with ASO Hanbury and certainly not with Group Captain Grice. An equipment officer claimed the clothing in the store had been removed illegally and the CO was censured at a Court of Enquiry for his unorthodox action."
Here again a very good example of how so many working in the 'establishment' were very clearly working to diminish the effectiveness of the military forces opposing Nazi Germany. There can be absolutely no doubt about it, these people were working on the side of the Germans. But, I suspect, many of them were so stupid, so ill-informed and totally wrapped up in their tiny insignificant office duties, that they were not even aware of this. And indeed, probably on the whole, nothing much has changed since?
1946 to 1958
Once again from Biggin on the Bump I think this is well worth including: "On the last day of July 1946 the Auxiliary Air Force was reformed and two Squadrons, 600 (City of London) and 615 (County of Surrey) flew in to enjoy post-war peace at Biggin Hill. With them came a mix of Spitfires, FR14s, F.14s and F.21s. The "Weekend Air Force" soon reached peak efficiency and in 1949 reverted to Fighter Command, although not as front-line units."
"In 1950 the Auxiliares were re-equipped with Meteor F4s followed by F8s the following year. In March 1951 they were joined by 41 Squadron with Meteor 8s , and Biggin Hill became a fighter station for the last few years of its RAF flying life. The sleek Hawker Hunter, direct descendent of the immortal Hawker Hurricane, was introduced and the station brought up to full operational strength."
"The decision in March 1957 to reconstitute the Auxiliary Air Force meant the end of 600 and 615 Squadrons. For a year 41 flew on alone, but in a world of rapid advances in aviation technology, of rockets and guided missiles, its days were numbered. There was no need to locate manned fighters in the crowded airspace."
That last comment had me thinking. Then I remembered that, together with HEATHROW by then having a steady stream of airliners arriving from the east, GATWICK to the south was reopened in 1958.
A FORGOTTEN BEGINING?
I had almost forgotten that the BBMF had its beginnings here and I would like to quote from Jarrod Cotter’s excellent and informative book, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. “Nowadays the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is a household name and a national institution, and whether the spectator is an avid aviation enthusiast or not, just about all of them will stop in their tracks as the familiar three-ship formation arrives at any venue providing an emotive and inspirational sight and sound.” But it wasn’t always so….
“The modern BBMF has been built from somewhat more humble beginnings, which paid exactly the same noble tribute though under fairly considerable constraints. From being tucked away in the corner of the Station Flight hangar at Biggin Hill, who at the time would have thought that fifty years later the BBMF would have become renowned as the custodians of so many priceless assets of British aviation heritage and a major link between the RAF and the great British public – seen by in the region of six million people each year.”
Typically the RAF top brass during the 1950s showed absolutely no interest and were not at all inclined to support a ‘Memorial Flight’. Indeed, you could say the exact opposite was the case as they certainly displayed an almost wanton desire to, quite literally, scrap all evidence of their history. This attitude was not confined to the RAF of course, it applied equally to our other armed services and planners and developers in civilian life, the latter seeming to take great glee and satisfaction in wrecking so many of our old town centres. I suppose it is far too easy to heap blame and scorn today? To make just one singular point, is it really fair to blame these people when the Cold war was reaching its height and the threat of nuclear war and the virtual destruction of humanity, which countless boffins and senior military people sought eagerly to achieve, was a very real threat? Small wonder that ‘heritage’ came very low on the list of priorities, and, just like rationed foodstuffs, intelligence was also in short supply!
THE DETERRENT CONCEPT
Perhaps the real wonder is - that so much did survive? I would like to think that in the strata of society just below the apparently manic politicians, the utterly mad boffins, and the crazed military top brass, many realised that the “stand-off” not only would prevail….it had to! This was popularly known as the “Deterrent” and countless billions of pounds, dollars and roubles were wasted on this utterly futile exercise which lasted for decades. History now seems to show, quite convincingly, that the USA were the primary aggressors, and the UK – still by and large a lap-dog nation to the USA, bent over backwards to assist. Incredible if you think about it, the UK was still intent on performing this role as the ‘British Empire’, and therefore our source of wealth and influence crumbled and dissolved.
ONE MAN'S VISION
But, that is the bigger picture. At Biggin Hill one man had another idea. To quote from Jarrod Cotter again: “One man in particular was the driving force behind forming the Flight – Wing Commander Peter Thompson DFC, a Hurricane pilot during the Battle of Britain itself and who was by then Station Commander of the former Sector airfield…” By this time, in 1956, BIGGIN HILL had become pretty much a secondary airfield; KENT was no longer in the ‘front line’. It seems quite astonishing today, but in the UK in 1956 the RAF had just one Hurricane, a Mark IIc LF363 still flying, which he managed to procure. Only three Spitfires were operating and these were actually the civilian operated THUM (Temperature and Humidity Flight) from WOODVALE in LANCASHIRE. Although being the XIX type, he managed to procure them on retirement, (and pretty muck knackered), to form the basis of the ‘Memorial Flight’. In fact even the Hurricane LF363, (still flying today), had gone to Hawker at LANGLEY (BERKSHIRE), to be refurbished as an ‘Exhibition Aircraft’ in 1955.
It is all a quite extraordinary tale, told very well by Jarrod Cotter. When Wing Commander Thompson was intent on forming a ‘Memorial Flight’ Jarrod has this to tell: “While Wing Commander Thompson had gained the necessary authority to form the Flight, it was pointed out to him that no public funding for maintenance of fuel would be forthcoming. It was also made clear that all the manpower required to establish and maintain the Flight would have to be purely on a voluntary basis.” In other words the RAF and the Air Ministry were dead-set against such an idea, as they were mostly, for any British attempt to set World Records. For example the amount of hinderance in officialdom to prevent the Fairey Delta 2 totally smashing the World Speed Record (then held by the USA) is quite astonishing.
THE BIGGIN HILL AIR SHOW
Since 1960(?) venue for one of the biggest and best air-shows in SE England. In the 1960s famous veteran airliners like Douglas DC-4s and Lockheed Constellations underwent maintenance or storage here, and as spotters we loved seeing these types.
I suppose it has to recognised that today BIGGIN HILL is perhaps the most famous WW2 aerodrome (?) and has hosted events boasting the very best pilots in the world. So what better venue to describe my incredibly insignificant claim to fame? Isn’t it great being the author of a Guide? I can chuck this in whether or not anybody is interested. Anyway, this “claim to fame” was being a passenger on a Hunting Clan Bristol Britannia that flew from HEATHROW to BIGGIN HILL to land and take part in one of these block-buster airshows including a low fly-past after departing. Very heady stuff for a besotted ‘anorak’ aircraft spotter. This would have been in about 1960/61. In those days my mum worked as a secretary for Hunting Clan and won in a raffle, ‘tickets’ to allow our family to fly to the airshow.
A REMARKABLE FLIGHT
On the 26th April 1985 Eve Jackson took-off in the CFM Shadow Gertie to fly to Australia. She made it, taking 15 months. Having no backing she sold her house to fund the trip, and displayed a remarkable degree of sensible, safe airmanship throughout. A thoroughly noteworthy achievement in every respect. Sadly though, not much applauded these days.
By comparison my other claim to fame was one of my shortest flights. In January 1992, just for fun really whilst delivering an aviation product, (it would have been ten times cheaper at least to send it by a carrier), and along with an instructor from Wycombe Air Centre, we took off from REDHILL in G-LIGG a Cessna 182. We took off from runway 01 at REDHILL and got a straight in approach approved for runway 03 at BIGGIN HILL. I logged fifteen minutes for that flight, and that’s from engine start to engine stop! The flight time was barely five minutes which I think is my shortest flight time between two airfields.
Note: Picture from Pilot magazine, December 2001.
THE LONDON to SYDNEY AIR RACE
The London to Sydney Air Race commenced from BIGGIN HILL on the 11th March 2001 and thirty-six aircraft were entered. The largest being a Grumman Albatross amphibian from the USA and the smallest a Piper Cub piloted by the infamous, (or famous depending on your point of view), Maurice Kirk. Who, it is said, as often as not sought en route advice and navigation info scribbled onto napkins. Not too far removed of course from the techniques employed by Amy Johnson during her epic flight to Australia in 1930. The race was won by the Aerostar 700CR N888KT.
STATISTICS & INFORMATION
Statistics are always of interest, but I did wonder where to place these. In this context perhaps BIGGIN HILL is the best location? I’m inclined to think that in 2007 BIGGIN HILL probably had the largest amount of GA aircraft based at any UK airfield?
In 2007 the CAA logged the 50,000th aircraft onto the UK register, (a Robinson R44 Raven II G-MITC), which was first established in July 1919. G-EAAA being a de Havilland DH.9. In 2007 there were 19,281 aircraft in the UK fleet. (10,342 fixed wing, 4,360 microlights, 1,868 balloons, 1,467 helicopters, 551 gliders and 273 gyroplanes).
The six most popular aircraft types were PA-28s (1048), Cessna 172 (400), Robinson R44 (330), Cessna 152 (291), Cessna 150 (276) and Robinson R22 (235). Despite all the gloom and doom prophesies the UK register increased by 72% from 1987, including a massive 150% increase in the helicopter fleet.
PERSONAL MEMORIES
These started a long time ago, the first visit being to an air show with my very good friend Mike Parker as a teenager, by bus from where we lived alongside the south side of HEATHROW, then LAP or LONDON AIRPORT.
Apart from the couple of episodes mentioned above, and flying in a couple more times, I also delivered and collected a few aircraft in my truck. Some pictures will follow when I find them.
*Note: In January 2003 I was given the job of collecting a Sukhoi Su-26 from Gold Air, for delivery to WHITE WALTHAM. Needless to say it is imperative to exercise great caution when manouevering airside, but on this occassion reversing so close to a Lear Jet worth in the region of $12 million or more, does tend to focus the mind.
**The job of collecting the Socata TB20 Trinidad G-BNXX from COVENTRY airport sticks in my memory. It should have been a one day job, just about feasible given the drivers working hours regulations. As it turned out there had been a massive crash roughly near the M1 and M6 junction and, typically the very nasty, malicious and utter pillocks in charge, decided to close everything up on the M1 in both directions, resulting in one of the biggest disasters afflicting people in this area since WW2. And many ten thousands of others of course.
Listening to news on the radio it was difficult to understand the 'fall-out' from this decision, but it seemed to be something around 50 to 100 square miles utterly gridlocked all day. And that is why I eventually collected G-BNXX on the 12th of July, and delivered it on the 13th.
SOME PICTURES OF INTEREST
Note: These pictures were kindly provided by Mr Peter Miller in November 2022.
NOTES: The first picture of the Beagle B121 Pup Srs.1, G-AVZO was taken on the 20th October 1968. It was registered to the Flairavia Flying Club, based here, from 07.06.68 until 11.02.72.
The second picture of the Beech D.95A Travelair, G-ATLX, was also taken on the 20th October 1968. That was registered to High Sky Transport Ltd, and based here it seems, from 28.03.68 until 07.11.69. On the 7th November 1969 it was destroyed, killing both occupants, on a seriously mishandled instrument approach into Zurich airport, Switzerland.
The third picture of the Bölkow BO208C Junior, G-ATTR, was taken on the 18th May 1969. This was registered to the Flair Aviation Sales Company Ltd, based here, from 29.04.66 until 01.12.70. Presumably associated with the Flairavia Flying Club, (see above), it appears it was entered for some air races.
The fourth picture of the home-built Kittiwake 1, G-ATXN, was also taken on the 18th May 1969. It was registered to Proctor Aircraft Associates from 13.12.68 to 15.05.70. Mr R G Proctor being, it appears, one of the constructors along with Mr C G B Mitchell, to whom it was previously registered.
SECOND SET OF PICTURES
NOTES: All four of these pictures were taken on the 20th October 1968.
First picture: Originally a Morane Saulnier design, this version, G-AWKT, was built by SOCATA in France. It was registered to Air Touring Services, based here, from 17.06.68 to 24.03.69.
Second picture: This Wassmer WA41 Baladou Super IV, G-AVHJ, was built in Issoire, in the Auvernge region of France. It had been privately registered to Mr David J H Porter from 28.04.67 to 08.08.69.
Third picture: Another SOCATA built Rally Club, this example G-AWKS, was also registered to Air Touring Services, but this time from 17.06.68 until 05.05.69.
Fourth picture: So, what exactly is this? Without any doubt a Canadian built version of the North American F-28 Sabre. Often described as a Canadair CL-13 Sabre 4, this ex-Italian Air Force example, (Serial MM19607), was registered in the UK as G-ATBF, a Canadair F-86E Sabre 4. Privately owned by three people, and registered in the UK from 24.03.66 until 16.02.79, it appears that the project was intended to restore it to flying condition. A daunting prospect except when undertaken by seriously wealthy people, or person. In February 1979 it was declared PWFU (Permanently Withdrawn From Use). Seems it was exported but then scrapped.
Finn Jensen
This comment was written on: 2019-03-13 15:02:19Interesting read, but it seems to be very much a personal opinion paper rather than a historical description. Nothing wrong with that, but should be presented as such.
Reply from Dick Flute:
Hi Finn, I was interested to read your remarks, the first seriously negative remarks of this kind since the web-site was first launched. I think the homepage sets out my position very clearly - it is a 'Guide'. Nothing more, nothing less, compiled by myself with a huge amount of help and encouragement. Having now had some 280,000 hits, nobody else has accused me of trying to present this 'Guide' as being an historical document in its own right. Best regards, Dick
Peter Gambardella
This comment was written on: 2020-03-29 14:44:26I left school in 1961 and worked at Air Couriers at Biggin Hill, they did maintenance on Constellations, DC3,4,6 and others such as the AA Dragon Rapide. Do you have any information on this company?
Dick Flute
This comment was written on: 2020-03-29 19:49:11Hi Peter, I know very little about this company. They were also operating at Croydon and Gatwick around this period. I have a picture of their facility in my listing for Gatwick. Best regards, Dick
John Matthews
This comment was written on: 2020-07-21 18:51:05I was stationed at Biggin Hill between 1954 - 1956 attached to the Air Servicing Flight,carrying out major servicing on Meteors & Hunters. At the beginning of 1955 the Station Commander W/Cmdr. Smallwood & W/Cmdr. Peter Thompson landed a Spitfire & Hurricain to form the Historical Flight, I was one of the team chosen to maintain these great aircraft up to the end of my National Service
Sandy Cotterman
This comment was written on: 2020-08-02 23:36:24I would like to get in touch with Peter Gambardlla who posted on 2020-03-29 that he was looking for more information on Air Couriers. Please contact me at 2jaggirl@gmail.com. I am doing research on the original co-director of Air Couriers, Charles Godsal (1907-1965) and the sports car he designed and built in 1935. Charles sold the car to a 'pilot' working for Air Couriers. We are not sure at which location the pilot was working. If descendants of a pilot who bought a 1935 two seater blue sports car somewhere between the '40's and mid 50's sees this post, please contact me. We are also looking for descendants of Fred Griffith, the other co-director of Air Couriers.
Liz Rogers
This comment was written on: 2021-06-16 10:47:53I’m really taki f a deep dive down a virtual rabbit hole again searching for all the bases we were posted to. I have nothing but happy memories. Biggin Hill was a dream. The school I initially attended was in the control tower, watching the red arrows practise for the air show and my memories of our home opposite the runway. Such good memories
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