Hounslow Heath
HOUNSLOW HEATH: Military aerodrome later civil airport (Aka HOUNSLOW after WW1)
(This was the first international airport for London immediately after WW1)
Military users: WW1: Initially RFC Home Defence Station (October to November 1914)
1915 to 1919 RFC/RAF Training Squadron Station
24 Sqdn (DH.2s)*
27 Sqdn (Martinsyde Elephants)
42 Training Sqdn (Avro 504s & Sopwith Camels)
RFC Home Defence Flight Station (February to July) 1916
RFC/RAF Home Defence Night Landing Ground for 78 Sqdn (1917 to 1919)
85 Sqdn (Sopwith Dolphin later Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5.A)
Note: In his excellent book For Valour - The Air VCs, Chaz Bowyer tells us this about 85 Squadron.and the involvement of the Canadian William Avery Bishop VC. "On his return to England Bishop expected to be appointed to the proposed school of aerial fighting at Loch Doon, Scotland, but was instead promoted to Major on the 13 March 1918 and given command of a freshly forming fighter squadron, No.85, at Hounslow, Middlesex."
"Given a reasonably free hand in selecting his own pilots, Bishop gathered together a hybrid collection of British, Canadian, New Zealand and American individuals; the latter including the now legendary trio of 'Warbirds', Elliott Springs, Larry Callaghan and John McGavock Grider. Equipped initially with Sopwith Dolphin scouts, 85 Squadron was re-equipped with the latest versions of the SE5A, and eventually left Hounslow for France led by Biship on 22 May 1918."
British airline users: Post 1918: Aircraft Transport & Travel, Handley Page Transport, North Sea Aerial Navigation Co.
Foreign airline users: Post 1918: Cie des Messsageries Aériennes (CMA), Cie Gle Transaérienne
Pleasure flights: Post 1918: Avro Transport Co
Location: 2nm W of Hounslow
Period of operation: Military: 1914 to 1919 Civil LONDON airport from 1919 to 1920 (?). Possibly closed 1928?
NOTES: WW1
*It appears that when 24 Squadron was formed here it was, “…the RFC’s first single-seat scout unit to be created,” and this was on the 1st Sepember 1915. In his excellent book For Valour, The Air VCs Chas Bowyer tells us this about Lanoe George Hawker who was posted here to command 24 Squadron. Hawker was the third pilot to be awarded the Victoria Cross for aerial operations: “Hawker’s value as a commander was suitably recognised by an appointment to command the RFC’s first single-seat scout unit to be created, 24 Squadron.” It took just one year after WW1 started for the top brass to realise that the aeroplane could be used as an offensive weapon of war. And then, so typically, they arrived at a solution to try and screw it up completely.
“Originally formed at Hounslow on 1 September 1915 from a nucleas supplied by No 17 Training Squadron, 24 Squadron came under the aegis of 5th Wing RFC, and on 28 September Hawker’s appointment was made effective. Desperately fatigued from a full year of almost constant active service in France, Hawker found himself faced with a prodigious work task on his arrival at Hounslow. With no experienced officers to share the burden, he had to start literally from scratch to build a squadron fit for ‘Fighting Duties’ – terms of reference without precedent in the RFC. All proposed equipment, training, tactics were empirical, and very much matters of sheer trial and error. With his usual tremendous energy and meticulous attention to details, Hawker set about his task immediately.”
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
Note: In the second picture, in the foreground is the Airco DH.16 G-EAQS. Just beyond is the Airco DH.9B G-EAQL.
Note: These pictures were published in Flight magazine on the 22nd May 1919.
NOTES: The first picture show Avro 504s, (probably 504Ks?), being loaded with passengers. These aircraft still wearing their RAF serial numbers. Regarding the second picture, what are those large white marks in the ground? The third picture shows a visitor arriving with his wife, for a flight to Folkestone. "Right then sir, lets get the 'baggage' loaded first."
THE BIRTH OF CIVILIAN AIRLINE FLYING IN BRITAIN
There was, just after the end of WW1 a military operation carried out which closely resembled ‘an airline’ operation. See KENLY (SURREY) and LYMPNE (KENT) for more information.
May (?) 1919 saw the inauguration of civilian flying services after WW1. The first flight was to BOURNEMOUTH by an AT&T (Aircraft Transport & Travel) using a DH.9 G-EAAA, which crashed in fog near Portsmouth. A more successful flight that day took off from FILTON and landed at HOUNSLOW using a Bristol Coupé. It should also be recognised that G-EAAA was the very first aircraft to appear on the then newly introduced civil aircraft register.
In either July or August 1919 HOUNSLOW was designated as being a Customs Approved Air Port for international flights, as was CRICKLEWOOD (LONDON), LYMPNE & DOVER (KENT) and HADLEIGH (SUFFOLK).
It seems the first ad-hoc charter flight, to Paris, left on the 15th July 1919. But, on the 25th of August that year an AT&T Airco DH.4A, G-EAJC, (ex F2702), (some say it was a DH.16 and this is incorrect), made the first scheduled flight, also to Paris with four passengers. (That first proving flight almost certainly departed from HENDON? Calling here to clear Customs).
It now appears, see photo and caption below, that on that same day on the 25th August, a DH.16 of AT&T did depart here for Paris, along with a Handley Page Transport 0/400 which called in en route to Paris from CRICKLEWOOD with ten or eleven journalists to clear Customs.
In July 2023 Mike Holder found this photo and caption, published in the Illustrated London News on the 30th August 1919. This certainly disproving accounts I have found stating that just one aircraft was involved that day. All helps to fill in the gaps in the jig-saw of our aviation heritage.
Also in August the Avro 504K G-EAKV left here for Switzerland arriving in Lausanne three days later.
I have discovered an account in Women with Wings by Mary Cadogan which makes me ask a few questions. Ms Cadogan refers to a Handley Page ‘biplane’, (presumably an 0/400?), making a record breaking flight to Brussels in 1919 from HOUNSLOW HEATH. Of particular interest, Ms Cadogan says that included in the passenger list was Mary Tourtel who created Rupert Bear for the Daily Express in 1920. She was accompanying her husband Herbert Tourtel who was the night editor with the same newspaper. Mary at least was very keen on flying because it enabled, “ Seeing the land as the birds saw it”.
Please excuse me for being very pedantic about this….but I do like to discover ‘new’ facts regarding aviation history and the existence of a second record breaking flight to Brussels with journalists on board hasn’t cropped up elsewhere. I suppose my first question is - was this actually the Paris flight referred to above? If not and it was indeed another seperate flight, could this flight also have called in here after departing from CRICKLEWOOD?
NORTH SEA AERIAL NAVIGATION COMPANY
The North Sea Aerial Navigation Co, (owned by Blackburn), flew their two converted Blackburn RT.1 Kangaroo bombers to HOUNSLOW from Leeds, (ROUNDHAY PARK perhaps?), carrying a maximum of seven passengers. These two Kangaroo types, G-EAIT & G-EAIU, were converted bombers and the passenger accommodation was, without much doubt, pretty sparse. No heating, no sound insulation, seats without seat belts and quite likely no toilet? Both were registered on the 1st August 1919.
The company operated from Hull, (BROUGH presumably?), Leeds and HOUNSLOW and the fare was 15 guineas one way, £30 return. (Using an inflation table, £30 would be £1,560 in 2020.) In 1920 the service was extended to Amsterdam, presumably from HOUNSLOW as this was a Customs airport.
THE FIRST FLIGHT TO AUSTRALIA
In 1919 the Australian government, in what was most surely a most adventurous venture, offered a £A 10,000 prize for the first Australians flying a British built aircraft, to fly from the UK to Australia. The operation was overseen by the Royal Aero Club and the departure points were HOUNSLOW HEATH for land-planes and CALSHOT for seaplanes or flying boats. It appears only two reporting points were required, Alexandria in Egypt and Singapore before arrival in Darwin.
It is said that six aircraft competed but I would contest that one most certainly did not. This being the Alliance P.2 G-EAOX that departed here to fly across the Atlantic. Given that this departure occurred during the period aircraft were also leaving for Australia I suppose it is easy enough for even hardy experts to get confused? To my reckoning five aircraft took part, these being: Airco DH.10 G-AAQM, Blackburn Kangaroo G-EAOW, Martinsyde Type A G-EAMR, Sopwith Wallaby G-EAKS and theVickers Vimy G-EAOU - which won. Some people, including perhaps the crew of G-EAOU as well (?) reckoned the registration stood for ‘God ‘elp all of us’.
The first away on the 21st October 1919 was the Sopwith Wallaby G-EAKS but it crashed in Bali. It was shipped to Australia and apparently rebuilt in November 1919.
THE WINNERS
Note: I never cease to be surprised, even though I don't get around these days as much as I once did, just how often I still find items of great interest in the most unexpected places. I took this snap of a photo on display in the museum at Gunnersbury Park in west London in November 2023.
The Vickers F.B.27A Vimy IV G-EAOU departed for Australia on the 12th November reaching Fanny Bay near Darwin on the 10th December 1919. The pilot was Capt Ross Macpherson Smith, the co-pilot/navigator was his brother Lt Keith Macpherson Smith and Sgts J M Bennett and W H Shiers were the mechanics, or flight engineers as I suppose they’d be called today? The trip took 135hrs 55mins and the distance logged was 11,294 miles. Which, if the distance is accurate for the course they flew (?) gives an average ground speed of 83mph. Since 1959 G-EAOU has been on display in an Adelaide museum.
CROSSING THE ATLANTIC
13th November 1919. The Alliance P.2 G-EAOX ‘Endeavour’ took off to cross the Atlantic but spun in out of cloud ten minutes after taking off, into Surbiton, Surrey. The proving flight from ACTON aerodrome to Madrid, (in G-EAGL the first Alliance P.2 built), had gone very well, but that flight had been conducted by the designer J A Peters. Some reports say the Madrid flight was part of an aborted Atlantic crossing attempt but this makes little sense considering the route involved. One report says it was taking part in an “Acton to Madrid Air Race!” If any truth can now be determined (?) it does appear that J A Peters did make the record-breaking flight to Madrid in order to prove the aircraft was capable to partake in both the trans-Atlantic and/or Australia competition.
At least one aviation history expert believes this flight was one of the Australian contingent. “Not so” I once stated – quite convinced ‘by evidence’ it was a trans-Atlantic flight taking part in the Daily Mail £10,000 competition. Today, in 2013, I now think the Australian crew; Lt Roger Douglas (pilot) and Lt J S L Ross (navigator) may well have been amongst the first ‘starters’ in the first flight to Australia. Does anybody now know the full history of this period?
THE FLIGHTS TO AUSTRALIA
On the 12th December 1919 the Blackburn R.T.1 Kangaroo G-EAOW departed from HOUNSLOW HEATH for Australia to land at Suda Bay aerodrome on the 8th of December where it was abandoned. Also on the 12th December 1919 the Martinsyde Type ‘A’ Mk1 G-EAMR departed for Australia but force landed in the sea off Corfu five days later.
On 8th January 1920 R J Parer & J C MacIntosh set out in the Airco DH.9 G-EAQM for Australia. They eventually arrived in Darwin on the 2nd of August - over seven months later! This aircraft is currently in the Australian War Museum?
SOMETHING TO REFLECT ON?
Without any doubt I would strongly recommend anybody to look into the history of the five flights that embarked on this challenge. They really are, each one, extraordinary accounts made by very brave even if foolhardy people. Another aspect is trying to put this ‘challenge’ into perspective. As far as I can see, before this, aircraft had only travelled a few hundred miles?
Indeed, could it now be claimed that the foresight of the Australians gave rise to the concept of making epic flights? Without any doubt the idea soon caught on, and the 1920s and 1930s especially were perhaps the heyday of epic flights.
HOUNSLOW HEATH CLOSED
In March 1920 CROYDON was designated as the London Customs Air Port, and HOUNSLOW HEATH was closed for this purpose. (CRICKLEWOOD kept operating as a Customs airport until May 1921). However, as mentioned, whilst still being an airfield several significant flights departed from here.
A PERSONAL NOTE
In 1954 my parents moved to Bedfont village just S of HEATHROW then known as LONDON AIRPORT. So as a lad we often drove past, or I caught a bus past the site of HOUNSLOW HEATH aerodrome, later airport. I was just about aware that a airfield existed on the site but accorded no particular significance to this information. Today I find this lack of interest and lack of knowledge really quite appalling. What goes on at HEATHROW today was largely born about by what happened on HOUNSLOW HEATH in 1919/20! So why isn’t this site accorded National Heritage status? Surely it must be the case that in terms of our national history sites like this are every bit as important as castles and stately homes?
Ron Hobbs
This comment was written on: 2019-08-24 09:17:23See you at the Hounslow heath car park Sunday. I will be bringing my secateurs as when I drove past on Saturday the plinth ( which is cracked ) was overgrown with bushes. Shameful
ian law
This comment was written on: 2020-10-28 08:09:57I live 5 minutes from the heath and use it most days for walking the dog. And I agree, it ought to have more recognition. Wonderful history and great article. I would love to seem more images of the old aerodrome and airport to get a better idea of the old lay-out compared to today
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