Duich Farm
DUICH FARM: Temporary landing strip (Isle of Islay) later regional airport
Location: Just W of the A846, 2nm N/NNW of RAF Port Ellen and 3nm S of RAF Bowmore
Airline users: British Air Services, Midland and Scottish Air Ferries, Northern and Scottish Airways
NOTES: Here again, for my initial listing of this location, I have Iain Hutchison to thank and I shall quote from his book Air Ambulance: “In his 93rd year, Alex Campbell recalled his time as general practitioner in the Parish of Kildonan and Oa on the Isle of Islay. ‘There was no proper landing strip on the island but, to begin with, a flat grassy field on Duich Farm was used, near the roadside, about half way between Port Ellen and Bowmore. Very occasionally the beach at Bridgend, at the head of Loch Indaal, was used for landing but this depended entirely on the state of the tide.”
Dr Alex Campbell had another story to tell: “I made a desperate request for an air ambulance, even though I knew it would probably be dark by the time a plane could arrive. We had no telephone in Islay until the late 1930s so all urgent messages had to be sent by telegraph. However Scottish Airways and their courageous pilot ‘turned up trumps’ and sent a plane which we helped to make a landing on the Duich field with the aid of car headlights.”
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
Much later in 2023, Mike Holder, a great friend of this 'Guide', took it upon himself to investigate this location to see what else might be available.
The short article was published in the Belfast Newsletter on the 11th August 1934.
Article One was published in The Scotsman on the 27th November 1934. Article Two was published in the Surrey Mirror on the 22nd May 1936:
The local area and area views are both from my Google Earth © derived database.
A FEW MORE NOTES
The development of regional airlines in the UK did not really get underway until the 1930s. Without much if any doubt, heavily influenced by the courageous Tour conducted by Sir Alan Cobham in 1929 with his Municipal Aerodrome Campaign. But, he only flew into the central part of Scotland, to for example, Ayr, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Lanark, Perth and Stirling.
Much further north other pioneers were establishing air services. Not mostly year round airline regular services as such, but more focused on air taxi and especially air ambulance missions. I will maintain that Scotland, certainly up north, is one of the most demanding regions to fly in - anywhere in the world. Simply because year round operations are possible. Not so much of an issue today of course with so many well equipped airports, but back in the 1930s, with no navigation aids, etc, and often landing on unprepared fields and beaches, with pretty basic aircraft types, they managed to achieve a remarkable safety record.
AND ANOTHER PIECE OF THE JIG-SAW
In 2024, Mr Mike Charlton, a great friend of this 'Guide', came across this postcard. It shows a de Havilland DH83 Fox Moth and a de Havilland DH84 Dragon, both being operated by Midland and Scottish Air Ferries.
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