Drem
*DREM: Military aerodrome
Note: See seperate entry - GULLANE - for WW1 history.
Note: This picture was obtained from Google Earth ©
The outline of the WW2 airfield, even in 2018, can still be clearly seen.
Military users: WW2: RAF Fighter Command 13 Group
*Battle of Britain RAF Station 13 Group
(10th July 1940) 602 Sqdn (Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires)
605 Sqdn (Hawker Hurricanes)
(1st August 1940) Both 602 and 605 Sqdns still based here
(1st September 1940) Only 605 Sqdn remained. Later 111 Sqdn arrived from CROYDON (SURREY) with their Hurricanes
AT OTHER TIMES
29 Sqdn (Bristol Blenheims later Mosquitos)
43, 145, 309 (Polish) & 605 Sqdns (Hawker Hurricanes)
141* & 488 (RNZAF) Sqdns (Bristol Beaufighters)
169 & 307 (Polish) Sqdns (DH Mosquitos)
263 Sqdn (Westland Whirlwinds)
309 (Polish) Sqdn (North American P-51 Mustangs)
222, 602 & 611 (West Lancashire) Sqdns (Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires)
453 (Royal Australian Air Force) Sqdn (Spitfires)
770 Sqdn (Martin Martinets) Target towing duties for the Navy
Forward Airfield, Night Fighter: 340 (Free French) & 453 (RAAF) Sqdns (Vickers-Supermarine Spitfires)
1692 Bomber Support Training Flight (Boulton Paul Defiants & Bristol Beaufighters)
Leigh light trials (Douglas A-20 Havocs)
Location: S to SW of Fonton Barnes village, 4nm NNW of Haddington
Period of operation: 1917 to 1946
Runways: WW1: Presumably ‘all over’ grass airfield?
WW2: E/W 1692 grass NW/SE 1280 grass NE/SW 1280 grass
Note: This picture, from a postcard, was kindly sent to me by Mike Charlton who has an amazing collection of British aviation postcards - see: www.aviationpostcard.co.uk
The caption is: ' "THE HERD AND HANGARS" FENTON BARNS, DREM'. What exercises my little mind, is why exactly anybody would decide to produce this postcard. It is not exactly 'Wish you were here' material, so who was the potential customer keen to purchase such an image?
NOTES: *141 Squadron was a night-fighter operation.
THE FIRST RAF ACTION IN WW2?
It appears that 602 Squadron based here, together with 603 (City of Edinburgh) squadron at TURNHOUSE, were involved in the first action by the RAF when German bombers flow over the North Sea to attack naval vessels moored near the Forth Bridge.
THE 'DREM' SYSTEM
The ‘Drem’ runway lighting system was pioneered here in 1940 by the then C/O ‘Batch’ Atcherly and was adopted as the standard method of lighting runways, (to help those pilots flying single engine fighters especially), to make safer night landings.
OF IMPORTANCE?
This aerodrome might now easily be thought of as well out of the sphere of action in WW2 but RAF Fighter Command obviously must have considered it to be of considerable strategic importance as in 1944 1884 RAF personnel were based here,.including 422 WAAFs. I trust those WAAF girls had a good time!
It appears that construction of the ‘WW.2’ airfield mainly occurred during 1936.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT?
There is one very interesting issue that involves this airfield. And this is that when the Battle of Britain started on the 10th July 1940, DREM had just one Flight of Westland Whirlwinds based here, and this Flight wasn’t at operational readiness. But, here is the BIG POINT: - with the distinct possibility of a German invasion of the UK being on the cards for at least two years, the powers in charge had done nothing to advance the Whirlwind – the ONLY type the RAF had available of performing effective ground attack duties! And, if the German invasion had taken place, they would most certainly not have sent their barges to invade Edinburgh and its surrounds. Which begs the question, as to why on earth these most useful aircraft were placed here of all places?
SOME MAPS AND PICTURES
In August 2021 Mr Michael T Holder kindly sent these.
THE SPOOKY SIDE
No ‘Guide’ of British flying sites would be complete without a few accounts which defy explanation and here is one found in Military Ghosts by Alan C. Wood: “In 1935, some years before the Second World War erupted, a regular Royal Air Force pilot was flying in heavy stratus cloud over East Lothian. Trying to find his bearings, he flew lower to get beneath the cloud. The pilot knew the East Lothian area, as he had been there before. Looking out of his cockpit, he saw an airfield ahead, which he identified as Drem, which he had visited the day before. He knew Drem was disused and in need of repair, and given to agriculture – farm animals were used to keep the grass short.
“Suddenly, his aircraft was out of cloud and in brilliant sunshine over Drem airfield. But it was not the Drem airfield he had seen the day before! This one was immaculate, with three bright yellow (yellow is the standard RAF flying training aircraft colour, adopted in about 1938) Avro 504N fighters, and one Miles Magister training aircraft lined up in front of open hangar doors. As the pilot flew his aircraft over Drem, he saw RAF flight mechanics dressed in blue overalls pushing out another aircraft. By this time, the pilot had to pull back hard on the stick, and open the throttle to pull up over the hangars. He knew that the airmen below would look up because of the noise of his aircraft’s e ngine – none did! In seconds, the aircraft was pulling away from Drem, but not before the pilot saw the whole grass airfield had neatly cut grass, with no farm animals grazing.”
“Leaving Drem, the aircraft was immediately back in stratus cloud, and the pilot climbed to above cloud level. Setting course for his base in southern England, the pilot realised that the Drem airfield he had just seen was not the Drem airfield he had seen the day before – that was derelict, with animals grazing on the grass. Also RAF aircraft in 1935 were not painted training yellow, and RAF mechanics wore brown overalls, not blue.”
“The pilot landed at his base, and related his experience to his fellow Wing Commanders – none believed him! It would appear that the pilot had time-slipped from the derelict Drem airfield into the future Drem airfield.”
Gosh, that’s really spooky…or is it? It seems a shame that to ‘pad out’ his book Alan C. Wood should include such a story, which is so obviously utter bollocks. This author makes quite a deal of the fact that he served in the RAF, which I wouldn’t refute, but his judgement was clearly blinded here. This story obviously barely deserves looking into but let’s take a few items. Avro 504N fighters eh? The Avro 504 type ceased to be a fighter at the close of WW1. The 504N was built as a trainer, 592 being built between 1925 and 1932 to serve five RAF training schools. Notice the fact that, despite this highly detailed account the name of the pilot is not given. And, the pilot related the “experience to his fellow Wing Commanders”.
This is a shame really, because although very sceptical indeed, I would certainly not refute the existence of ‘ghosts’ simply because the sheer volume of quite convincing evidence indicates that something is going on. Without too much doubt a ‘para-normal’ dimension exists.
Indeed, many years ago when living in North Kensington as a student, I suddenly awoke hearing a Vickers Vanguard flying nearby, (as an ex-spotter the Vanguard had a very distict sound), and knowing, without any doubt it was about to crash. Once I came to my senses I dismissed it as a bad dream - and went back to sleep. The next day I saw the newspaper headlines - a BEA Vanguard had indeed crashed at London Airport in the early hours - killing everybody on board.
AN EXPLANATION?
Note: This map was kindly provided by Mr Michael T Holder
Regarding the 'Spooky' story above, Mike Holder has kindly looked into this, and has come up with an entirely plausable explanation. Without much if any doubt, the airfield he thought was DREM was actually MACMERRY. Six miles away to the SW and both airfields are about two miles south of the coast in the Firth of Forth. With only very primitive means of navigation, an error of just six miles, after flying above and in cloud, is next to nothing.
Also in 1935 MACMERRY had just been reopened and home to the Edinburgh Flying Club and the Scottish Motor Traction Company. Something this pilot was probably not aware of.
Also, I might add, RAF DREM did not exist in 1935. It was still known as RAF GULLANE, being renamed as RAF DREM in 1939. Nevertheless it does seem worth while to keep this account listed as it really does prove the point that so much very poorly researched information, myth and legend pervades the so-called history of our aviation heritage.
PICTURES OF DREM
These pictures of DREM in the early 2000s were given to me by my good friend James 'Jim' Munro.
Bill Crawford
This comment was written on: 2017-03-11 13:28:49Great article, My late Father trained in RDF (Radar ) at Drem before being sent to Malta during the siege as a Radar Operator on Chain Overseas Low Radar RAF No 504 Ames. Hope to go and see the Airfield area for myself one day. I believe they have a model of the area in an arts & crafts shop at the Compton Barnes village.
rod ferguson
This comment was written on: 2019-01-05 03:39:57I am sure the C/O 'Batch' Atcherly had little personal contribution to the development of a night lighting system at Drem. My late father, who was a radio engineer with TV experience, was conscripted at the outbreak and was posted to Drem from Turnhouse. He may well have been concerned in the training of RDF conscripts there. He was with the 141 squadron working on Blenheimes, Boulton Paul Defiants and Beaufighters. He ended up in West Raynham Norfolk with a De Haviland Mosquito night fighter group. Seek and destroy enemy fighters in the air. Gave ' Cats Eye ' Cunningham a distinct advantage!
Scott McIntosh
This comment was written on: 2021-02-14 14:33:22Just a little update for Rod Ferguson above. The Drem CO Wing Commander "Batchy" Atcherly was directly involved with the planning and creation of the Drem Lighting System. He recognised the need for such a system while trying to land his Spitfire at Drem. At one point in the last 20 years I was in touch with John Durie who was the son of John Durie Chief Electrical Engineer fro RAF Drem. Both Durie Senior and Atcherly designed and built the system first by using small oil lamps gradually improving and making what became the Drem Lighting System. I can remember John Durie Junior telling me that his Fathers pet hate was to climb up on top of the nearby Garleton Monument and change the lamps that had failed there. This happened quite often. I was glad to have shared the company of John junior during a visit at the Hilton Edinburgh Airport where he told many stories of his father and the men he had encountered at Drem and through out his life,
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