Narborough
Note: A bit tricky to pin down, but I now think this position is pretty much correct? Confirmation will be very welcome.
NARBOROUGH: Military aerodrome
Note: This picture (2017) was obtained from Google Earth ©
Military users: Royal Naval Air Service/ Royal Flying Corps
RNAS Home Defence landing ground 1915 to 1916
RFC [Royal Flying Corps] NLG (Night Landing Ground)
50 Sqdn (Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2, B.E.12, Armstrong-Whitworth F.K.8 and lastly Sopwith Camels)
Note: I have no idea which types 50 Squadron flew here. Advice will be most welcome.
51 Sqdn in 1919 (April to September)
Note: 51 Squadron were initially equipped with Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2 and BE.12 types. However, given the dates listed it might well be that they only flew the Avro 504K here for Night Fighter training duties.
59 Sqdn (Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8)
RNAS/RFC Training Squadron Station and Training Depot Station 1916 to 1920
Location: 4nm NW of Swaffham
Period of operation: 1915 to 1920
Site area: Original RNAS site: 205 acres
Later: 908 acres 2679 x 1710
NOTES: This site certainly proves just how fickle even recent history is. Who today regards NARBOROUGH as being a major and significant aerodrome in British military aviation history.
This account was found in A Time To Fly, a biography of sorts, mostly edited autobiographical accounts by Sir Alan Cobham published in 1978 - after his death by natural causes. Up to this point in 1918 he had been instructing at MANSTON (KENT), when the RAF had just been established.
"Early in September we were told that our flying school was going to move to Narborough, near King's Lynn in Norfolk. Our baggage was to go by road, but each of us instructors was to lead a formation of pupils by air. This was quite a challenge: it was going to be my first real cross-country flight, for my training had never taken outside Kent. I had no experience at all of flying by compass and, in any case, the aircraft compasses we had were all by useless, their needles spinning round endlessly instead of sticking to the north."
The types Cobham was instructing on at MANSTON appear to be the Airco DH.4, DH.6 and DH.9. And the Avro 504K, a formation of which comprised this flight.
"So I got hold of some maps and studied them carefully, and planned my route so as to include a refuelling stop at Marks Tey in Essex. Off we went in seven Avro 504K's, myself and six pupils. I had pinned a white flag to one of my flying wires to make myself conspicuous, and had told them to follow me closely. After a worrying flight - their notion of formation-keeping was rudimentary - we did indeed arrive at Marks Tey, a fighter station. The officers there seemed to regard our epic journey as a huge joke."
After lunch we proceeded on our way. Just after Sudbury, my engine cut and I had to make a forced landing. I had a mechanic with me, and the trouble was soon put right. But my pupils had been told to follow me at all costs, and they took this order too literally. I wanted them to keep circling until I could get up again and join them but, despite my frantic waving, they insisted on following me down into the field, giving me the problem of getting them off again. The direction of the wind meant that they had to take off over a line of tall trees. All their aircraft were lightly loaded and they all managed successfully. I was carrying a hundredweight of tools, (My note: 51kg), as well as a mechanic, and I was the one with problems. But after staggering over the tree-tops in a semi-stalled condition and holding down to gather speed, I joined them unde low cloud with mist and rain around us. So we proceeded to Narborough, navigating our way by following the railway lines. I was extremely relieved when the hangars eventually came into view."
My old joke was that I often flew IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) on a VFR (Visual Flight Rules) flight - "IFR = I Follow Roads, Railways and Rivers". But since then of course people have kindly built dual carriageways and motorways - making navigation so much easier. If you are familiar with them of course!
"We were the first group to arrive - in fact, it turned out that we were the only group to arrive complete. Holly had crashed at Yarmouth and the others were scattered all over the countryside. It took a week to re-assemble the school, but I didn't wait; I started work at once on my own new pupils."
There are dozens and dozens of even better stories in A Time To Fly - get a copy as soon as you can.
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