Hockley Heath
HOCKLEY HEATH see also NUTHURST GRANGE HOTEL
HOCKLEY HEATH: Military aerodrome
Note: Both of these pictures were obtained from Google Earth ©
Military users: RAF Flying Training Command 51 Group
14 EFTS
2 Central Flying School (Airspeed Oxfords & Avro Tutors)
Note: Originally a RLG (Relief Landing Ground) for CHURCH LAWFORD and ELMDON. Later military glider training, No.5 Glider Training School, (Miles Master IIs and General Aircraft Hotspurs).
Later still a RLG for 20 FTS (North American T-6 Harvards) at CHURCH LAWFORD.
Location: NW of Hockley Heath & SW of Box Trees villages, 4nm SSW of Solihull, alongside and W of the A34 (now A3400) Birmingham to Stratford-upon-Avon road
Period of operation: 1941 to 1948 (Other reports say closed in 1945)
Runways: SE/NW 1143 grass E/W 732 grass
In March 2020 I was kindly sent this picture by Mrs Tess Walker. The person wearing the goggles was Pilot Officer Edgar Thomas (Tom) Abbott. (RAF No. 1385101).
The aircraft is, I am pretty certain, looking like a badly shot-up de Havilland DH98 Mosquito. Which it would appear either made a wheels-up landing or had the undercarriage collapse on landing.
As I have no record of Mosquitos flying from here, or CHURCH LAWTON or ELMDON, it would seem there is a story attached to its arrival. Can anybody kindly offer advice?
NOTES: For reasons unexplained, a very rare aeroplane apparently arrived here in 1944. The Dutch De Schelde Scheldmusch, a type which today would probably be classified as a microlight? Still sporting it’s civil PH-AMG registration marks.
A picture on page 57 in ‘Aviation in Birmingham’ by Geoffrey Negus and Tommy Staddon, (they give more details of it’s history in this area), clearly shows it was also wearing RAF roundels and training colours! This strikes me as being utterly bizarre, but when at war very odd things happen. Does anybody know how this aeroplane came to be used? Or was it just flown for fun?
It also appears the Burgoyne Stirling Dicer G-AECN made a few short hops here in March 1946 and eventually logged about four hours flying during April and May.
Tess Walker
This comment was written on: 2020-03-22 16:45:42I have a photo of air crew at Hockley Heath in 1944, includes training P.O. Edgar Thomas Abbott . How can I get it to you?
Dick Flute
This comment was written on: 2020-03-22 18:55:30Hi Tess, Would it be possible to send a scan, (j-peg format please), which can be e-mailed to me. My e-mail address is on the home page. Best regards, Dick
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