Lichfield flying sites
Note: This map only shows the location of the WW2 aerodrome.
LICHFIELD see also CHASETOWN
LICHFIELD see also SITTLES FARM
LICHFIELD: Temporary aerodrome(s)?
NOTES: Used by the Berkshire Aviation Company on the 11th November 1922. They probably stayed here longer as the next venue was SUTTON COLDFIELD around the 26th November. See seperate listing - QUARRY LODGE FIELD
It appears that Sir Alan Cobham’s No.1 Tour in 1933 also used a site in or near Lichfield on the 2nd June. Without much if any doubt, the same site used as the QUARRY LODGE FIELD.
LICHFIELD: Military aerodrome later private airfield
Notes: These two pictures (2018) were obtained from Google Earth ©
Perhaps a tad unusual is that the outline of the WW2 airfield has been lost. It was south of the Coventry canal, just E of Gorse Lane, mostly W of Turnball Road, and it extended SW across Wood End Lane.
Military users: WW2: RAF Bomber Command 93 Group
27 OTU (Vickers Wellingtons)
Communications Flight
51 MU (41 Group) Aircraft Storage & Packing Unit
Location: W of A.38, SW of Fradley village, 3nm NE of Lichfield
Period of operation: Military: 1940 to 1958 Civil: 1980s to -
Runways: WW2: 17/35 1006x46 hard 03/21 1006x46 hard
08/26 1463x46 hard
2004: 03/21 grass
NOTES: Possibly only a few people today have heard of this WW2 aerodrome, (including me), until making this entry? It was obviously a major RAF OTU base in its day with 3244 RAF personnel plus 617 WAAFs stationed here in late 1944.
During WW2 it appears that RAF LICHFIELD was a pretty important place, not least because of it’s rail connections. In this respect it seems RAF LICHFIELD became a major ‘hub’ for ferry pilots. According to one report , it appears that for a period of time in WW2, RAF LICHFIELD became one the busiest RAF stations in the UK! It was by discovering so much of this ‘hidden history’ that my resolve to produce this ‘Guide’ never waivered year after year.
A GHOST STORY
No 'Guide' to aviation history in the UK would be complate without a few ghost stories, and LICHFIELD has one too. To quote from Military Ghosts by Alan C. Wood; “There is the story of the rear-turret air gunner of a Wellington bomber who, while the engines were running up, prior to moving off the hardstanding, opened his turret, stepped out onto the ground, and walked forward into the fast-revolving three-bladed propeller, driven by the powerful 1,550 hp Bristol engine. He was instantly decapitated."
"His headless ghost, dressed in Irvin flying gear, haunts RAF Lichfield, Staffordshire, and has been seen by many.”
A QUERY?
The Druine Condor G-ATOH flew into the 2004 PFA Rally, (and in 2005), from LICHFIELD. But, was it from here or another private airstrip in the vicinity of Lichfield such as SITTLES FARM? The Jodel D117 G-AYKJ also booked in from LICHFIELD as did Jodel 1050 G-AYZK.
Michael T Holder
This comment was written on: 2020-05-24 17:30:11From the Lichfield Mercury – Friday 03 November 1922 – Advert for Berkshire Aviation Co Ltd – Thrilling Aerial Display on Quarry Lodge Field, Lichfield by kind permission of Mr Baxter, from Friday 3 November to Sunday 12 November 1030 till dark. Flights from 10 shillings Admission 6d. Quarry Lodge on the SE side of Lichfield – 52 40 22”N 001 48 52”W – on the Tamworth Road. But which field?
Tim Foster
This comment was written on: 2020-10-09 15:43:08I remember this site from the 1950s as RAF Fradley. In 1956 the RAF staged an air display and I was roped in with a number of other ATC cadets to sell programmes at the site. My pitch was a bit back from the crowd line but I still had a good view of the North end of the active runway. I was lucky enough to see Gloster Meteor WA 638, owned by Martin Baker, demonstrate a live ejection (using a dummy of course) as it barrelled down the runway. I believe this aircraft still lives. I suspect such a demonstration would not be permitted now.
Janet King
This comment was written on: 2021-06-21 18:39:23My grandad worked on security at the aerodrome and my Mum was in the WRAF and was stationed here. She met my Dad via his Dad. When I visit Lichfield I always pay the site a visit though you wouldn’t know there had been a major RAF presence.
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