Joyce Green
JOYCE GREEN: Civil private company aerodrome later joint military aerodrome, much later model flying
Note: These three pictures were obtained from my Google Earth © derived database.
Military users: WW1: RNAS HD Night Landing Ground in October 1914 soon to become a H D (Home Defence) Advanced Base during 1914 to 1915.
Used by RFC/RAF 39, 50 & 112 Home Defence Sqdns, plus. No.10 & No.63 Reserve Sqdns. RFC/RAF No.63 Training Squadron Base 1915 to 1918
Note: Please excuse me for not affording the time to try and establish the variety of types this lot were flying.
RFC Wireless Testing Park 1916 to 1917
RAF Pilots’ Pool 1918 to 1919
Assembly & test flying: Vickers Ltd 1911 to 1919
Pleasure flights: 1919 Vickers Ltd
Location: Near Erith & Dartford bounded by the Thames and Darent rivers.
Note: In his book British Built Aircraft Vol.3 Ron Smith says, “Vickers Ltd set up a private airfield at Joyce Green, the facilities being described as a large shed next to the Long Reach Tavern, with the River Darent forming the Western boundary.”
Period of operation: 1911 to 1930
Site area: WW1: 121 acres 1097 x 914 grass
NOTES: The following information was sourced from the Dartford Town Archive on the web and abridged, “Messrs Vickers Ltd purchased land at Dartford Salt Marsh in 1911”. The aim was “constructing a rudimentary airfield suitable for the testing of prototype aeroplanes”.
“The site they chose comprised a number of small fields, separated by drainage ditches”. “Bounded on the west by the River Darent, and on the east by Joyce Green Lane which led to the embankment of the River Thames and Long Reach Tavern”.
“Drainage ditches….were boarded over, opening up a large expanse of grassland for take-off and landing”.
According to Ron Smith, “Joyce Green was used for all experimental testing of early Vickers aircraft.”
FIRST FLIGHT
The first flight for Vickers Ltd appears to have been on the 21st July 1911 by Capt Herbert F Wood flying a French designed aircraft known simply as Aeroplane No.1 or No.1 Monoplane according to other experts. This was a monoplane designed by Robert Esnault-Pelterie and built at the Vickers Erith factory. Of very advanced design almost no wood was incorporated into the airframe, ‘Duralumin’ being used instead.
This approach to aircraft manufacture, and perhaps not at all surprising, failed to impress the powers in charge, but to their credit Vickers persevered. It is also claimed that Esnault-Pelterie invented the aileron and ‘joy-stick’ control column and lectured on space travel in 1912!
Although in those days a singular and imaginative approach to designing aircraft , the method stayed with this company and paid off time and time again with some of the best ever British “crusading” aircraft designs being produced. In later years I am thinking the Wellington, Viscount and VC.10 being prime examples.
THE EARLY DAYS
Getting back to the early days Ron Smith states, “Vickers Ltd adopted the procedure of carrying out first flights and initial tests at Joyce Green, before moving the aircraft to Brooklands for further development flying. The earliest designs were the series of Vickers No. 1- 8 monoplanes, which were initially derived from the French REP design and proved both popular and successful. The Vickers No. 2 – 5 monoplanes were used at the Vickers Flying School at Brooklands.”
INTO ACTION
It is said that the Vickers Gunbus first saw action on Christmas Day 1914 from JOYCE GREEN when it took-off to intercept a German Taube monoplane and it is believed the mission was successful? I find this rather far-fetched on several counts - did the Taube have the range to reach the ooutskirts of London and fly back? Perhaps it did. Indeed, it appears that in December 1911, in Germany, Gino Linnekogel and Suvelick Johannithal established an endurance record of four hours and thirty-five minutes.
In producing a 'Guide' such as this it is quite common to find that myth and legend have conspired to defeat an attempt at an accurate account of history. The big problem being that every so often the least likely story turns out to be true!
For example, I still cannot quite believe a Taube had the range to reach London, (presumably the 'target' area), and return to the German lines? But, if you look up Vickers Gunbus on the web, the story is confirmed!
The first flight of the Vickers FB.5 Gunbus is reckoned to have taken place here on the 17th July 1914. Not a day too soon it might be said, as war was declared on the 28th July.
A TWIN-ENGINE BOMBER
In 1917 Vickers were approached to produce a twin-engined bomber. This was achieved by utilising designs produced in 1915 by Rex Pierson, who worked in the Drawing Office. The outcome was the Vickers FB.27 which first flew on the 30th November 1917 flown here by Gordon Bell.
In April 1918 the type went into production as the ‘Vimy’and although never flown on operational duties with the military, it soon became one of the most famous types in aviation history.
FIRST CHOICE OF AIRCRAFT TYPE FOR SOME
For example on the 14th/15th June 1919 Captain Jack Alcock with Lieutentant Arthur Whitten-Brown made the first non-stop west to east trans-Atlantic flight ending up somewhat crash-landed on the west coast of Ireland.
At the end of 1919 two Australian pilots, Captain Ross Macpherson Smith and his co-pilot brother Keith Macpherson Smith, along with their mechanics W H shiers and J M Bennett, flew the Vimy G-EAOU to Australia. Although it now seems nigh on incredible, in 1919 the Vickers Vimy was therefore the first aeroplane type to circumnavigate roughly two thirds of the world!
THE LAST OF THE LINE HERE
Ron Smith in his British Built Aircraft Vol.3 states, “The last aircraft to make a first flight at Joyce Green was the prototype Vickers Vimy Commercial K-107 (later G-EAAV) on the 13 April 1919.”
Then something rather odd happened, Vickers appears to have kept the factory but dismissed use of the aerodrome? It would appear Vickers lost interest in the aerodrome after WW1 closing it in December 1919. This said it appears the aerodrome was actually taken over by the military in WW1 and they closed it in 1919. For some reason, presumably because the airfield was now too small and couldn’t be easily expanded, Vickers were also happy to see the aerodrome closed. To quote Ron Smith again, “The last aircraft to be built at Joyce Green was the Vickers Vellore G-AASW which was flown at Brooklands in 1930.” (See note below)
ANOTHER ASPECT
There has been a huge amount of propaganda spread about regarding how the British always pull together in a time of war, especially during the First and Second World Wars.
As Ron Smith points out in Vol.5 British Built Aircraft, “Significant production difficulties were encountered (and were to be re-encountered in the Second World War) due to the difficulty of building up production among a large number of dispersed and sometimes inexperienced sub-contractors.
The requirement to accelerate production was hampered by the steady depletion of the workforce as more and more were called up for service in France. Near continuous unrest resulted due to the heavy demands on the individual, and the Defence of the Realm Act was much used to maintain stability in the munitions industries.” I wonder if this applied here?
PLEASURE FLIGHTS
It seems that Vickers operated Avro 504Ks for their pleasure flights from here in 1919.
THE LAST 'FIRST FLIGHT'
It would also seem that the last aircraft type built by Vickers to be test-flown from JOYCE GREEN, (13th April 1919), was the ‘Vimy Commercial’ which had accommodation for ten passengers. It appears that the flight test crew had strong objections to the original design which had an enclosed cockpit as this would impair their vision and deprive them of fresh air!
It is also a fact of life that imbibing a 100mph gulp of fresh air does wonders for a hangover and many pilots in those days certainly ‘lived it up’ generally speaking. Perhaps more so in WW2 where it is recorded that aircrews often took to their oxygen masks before a mission to “clear their heads”
CIVIL AVIATION AFTER WW1
The state of civil aviation after WW1 was fragile indeed. Almost non-existent it seems because by June 1922 only 97 British civil aircraft had Certificates of Airworthiness and the standards applied could hardly be described as demanding. This number was down from 240 in 1920. I suppose we tend to forget nowadays that even some well known airlines in the inter-war years operated just a handful of aircraft.
SOMETHING TO SORT OUT
Some years ago I made the note, ‘It appears that the last new aircraft type to fly from JOYCE GREEN was the Vickers Vellore G-AASW in 1930. Presumably the airfield was closed shortly after? On the other hand some records seem to indicate the airfield closed in 1919!”
As told above it now seems the airfield did definitely close in 1919 but aircraft production continued. Presumably on a fairly small scale?
As also mentioned above, and according to Ron Smith, the Vellore G-AASW first flew from BROOKLANDS in SURREY in 1930 but it was built here. There is a another problem because if you Google this Type the information revealed states the Vellore first flew on the 17th May 1928, but doesn’t say where this occurred. Not an argument I want to get involved in - but I would like to know the winning opinion.
MODEL FLYING
The North Kent Nomads model club can trace their beginnings back to the 1930s.
Note: All six of these pictures were obtained from Google Earth ©
We'd love to hear from you, so please scroll down to leave a comment!
Leave a comment ...
Copyright (c) UK Airfield Guide
