Castle Lane
CASTLE LANE: Temporary aerodrome and later Landing Ground (Used twice only in 1932?)
I have to thank Mike Holder, a great friend of this 'Guide', for doing most of the 'leg-work' for this listing. Which was, earlier on, listed as IFORD BRIDGE, but now deleted. Have to say that in producing this 'Guide', especially for pre-WW2 locations, as more evidence is found, it very often requires some serious amending, or, as in this case, an entirely new listing required.
We cannot be completely certain exactly which field was used, but, seem to have narrowed it down to a fairly small area. Also, as far as we can determine the site was only used twice, in 1932, but - can anybody kindly offer more advice and information?
Location: S of Castle Lane, just E of the A338 Wessex Way, about 3nm NE of Bournemouth town centre
Note: The A338 Wessex Way did not exist in 1932
Period of operation: 12th & 13th August and the 19th October 1932
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
Note: The newspaper advert was published in the Swanage Times Directory on the 5th August 1932, and the article on the 19th August.
The newspaper article was published in the Bournemouth Graphic on the 14th October 1932. The last item, an area view, is from my Google Earth © derived database.
NOTES: This venue, for Sir Alan Cobham's National Aviation Day tour was the 111th venue out of 174 planned for that year. We do not know if all of the 174 venues were visited, British weather must have made it difficult at times. 'Flying Circus' events had been taking place since shortly after WW2, but the hey-day period didn't kick off until 1931.
Despite his Municipal Aerodrome Campaign in 1929, Cobham didn't at first get involved, his 1932 tour being the first. But, when he siezed the nettle, he blew the opposition away, with tours of a truly grand scale until 1935. Ironically, now known as the 'Grand Master' of the 'Flying Circus' era, he hated the term!
The second visit listed is when HRH Prince George flew in a couple of months later. A very keen pilot, possibly he departed from his own aerodrome on SMITHS LAWN in Windsor Great Park?
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