Ramsey IoM flying sites
Note: This map should show the approximate location of HALL CAINE (RAMSEY) airport.
RAMSEY: ‘Mooring-out’ Airship Station
This was a 'mooring-out' Station for airships operating out of LUCE BAY near Stranraer
Military users: RNAS/RAF (some say RAF only)
Location: Nr Ballacrebbin, N of the A13, E of the B14, 2.5nm WNW of Ramsey
Period of operation: 1918 (Some say 1917 also?)
NOTES: Possibly the site for the later civil aerodrome listed below?
RAMSEY: Civil aerodrome/airport
(Also known as HALL CAINE AIRPORT and CLOSE LAKE)
Operated by: 1935 to 1937 (only?) Hall Caine Manx Airport
Note: I have to say that I never expected to find a picture I could use of RAMSEY/HALL CAINE for this 'Guide'. Indeed, I cannot recall ever seeing any picture of aircraft for this location.
This picture from a postcard was very kindly sent by Mike Charlton who has an amazing collection. See, www.aviationpostcard.co.uk
Seen on the left is the Spartan Cruiser MK2 G-ACZM. This was registered to Scottish Airways at RENFREW from the 17th June 1936 until being WFU (Withdrawn From Use) on the 9th January 1940. It appears it was scrapped in May 1942.
Sandwiched in between the two Spartan Cruisers is a de Havilland DH84 Dragon which I cannot identify. A very popular regional airliner in the 1930s, introduced in 1933.
However, what really dates this picture is the Spartan Cruiser MK3 G-ADEM. It appears it was orginally registered on the 13th December 1934, but didn't enter into service, (it seems), until it was registered with Northern & Scottish Airways based at RENFREW on the 3rd June 1935. It crashed at Blackpool, (presumably STANLEY PARK?), on the 20th November 1936.
Also of interest, to me at least, is how far advanced in design, aerodynamic streamlining and passenger layout, the Cruiser MK3 was to the Cruiser MK2.
British airline users: Midland & Scottish Air Ferries, Northern Airways*, Northern & Scottish Airways, Scottish Airways and United Airways
Location: Less than 3nm from Ramsey on the Jurby Road, roughly 12nm NNE of Douglas. From The Triple Alliance; “Approximately 2fi miles NW of Ramsey on the north side of the road to St. Jude’s (A13) and opposite Close Lake Farm…” Neville Doyle often uses the suffix ‘fi’ when giving distances, such as “2fi” miles quoted above. I have never come across this before so can anybody explain?
Period of operation: 1935 to 1937 for scheduled airline operations. It appears that a few private visitors used the site between 1937 and the outbreak of WW2 when it fell into disuse
Runway: 1097 grass (But what was the orientation?)
NOTES: When this was briefly the main airport for the ISLE of MAN it was officially known as RAMSEY (HALL CAINE) . It appears that the airport was named after Sir Hall Caine, the famous Manx novelist whose works then had a world-wide following. It was his two sons, (both of whom became Members of Parliament) who provided the fund to create this airport in memory of their father. A wooden ‘Swiss Chalet’ was built as the airport terminal.
Neville Doyle in his excellent book The Triple Alliance has this to say: “Lynch-Blosse and Thurgood, on behalf of the soon to be formed United Airways, flew over to the Isle of Man at the end of March 1935. The former was at a loss to understand why an aerodrome had not been made on the Strang, an area on the west side of Douglas and conveniently near. Instead United decided to use Hall Caine Manx airport, a company of that name being formed on March 27th 1935….”
“Sir Derwent’s agents for constructing the aerodrome were Aircraft Exchange & Mart Limited, and by the end of April 1935, they had about 20 men at work, with a traction engine, removing hedges, filling in ditches, and levelling, to make a runway of 1,200 yards. At 12 noon on May 2nd, there was no office, but by 9 pm, an office had been erected and the telephone connected. It was a large wooden, sectional hut later used both as a passenger terminal and office and remained there until regular services ceased in September, 1937. This wooden hut, or chalet as they called it, was to be followed in about six weeks, by a hangar, but this would be a permanent structure. In fact, it survived well into the post-war period when it was taken down for re-erection elsewhere.”
“Financial arrangements at Ramsey were £25 per annum for the office, £100 per annum for thehangar and engineers quarters, if erected, and a charge of 1/- for each passenger or 150 lbs of freight up to £250, and 6d or 3d thereafter with a minimum of £250 per annum.”
BEFORE DECIMALISATION
It now occurs to me when typing this out that ‘younger’ readers, those born after 1971 (when the UK currency became decimal), might not have a clue what 1/- and 6d refers to? So, at considerable peril to myself, invoking the wrath of numismatists (those who study coins) across the globe, here goes: The Pound Sterling had previously consisted of twenty shillings and a shilling consisted of twelve pence or pennys. It might interest you to now know it was once common for public toilets to charge a one penny entrance fee; hence the expression – “I’m going to spend a penny.” A penny was then further subdivided by two giving a half-penny or ‘h’pence’ coins and also subdivided by four, these ‘quarter-penny’ coins were known as farthings. By 1971 the farthing and possibly even the ‘h’penny’ were discontinued.
Working back up the scale there were three-pence coins (thru’penny bits), six-pence coins (tanners), one shilling coins (a ‘bob’), two shilling coins (florins) and two shillings and sixpence coins (half crowns). Simple enough so far I’m sure you will agree. One point, the shilling unit was commonly known as a ‘bob’ so three shillings was three bob, ten shillings – you’ve got it – ten bob. There was a ten shilling paper note – the ‘ten bob note’ of course. Also many prices were given in guineas and a guinea was worth one pound and one shilling. Anyway, this was how it was around London and I have little doubt that, in the provinces of the UK, the locals might well have had totally different terms for these coins?
The way of depicting pounds, shillings and pence was: £.s.d. So it follows that six pence was 6d. Equally obviously a shilling would be 1s – but it wasn’t - it was 1/- . Something priced seven shillings and sixpence would be - 7/6d. Something priced nine shillings and five pence farthing would be 9/5¼d. So now you know.
UNITED AIRLINES
Getting back to The Triple Alliance Neville Doyle has this to add: “United’s reasons for using Hall Caine instead of the existing Ronaldway (which was nearer to Douglas, and the port of call for Blackpool & West Coast and the newly formed Manx Airways), were never given but since Ronaldsway was owned and controlled by the Olley Group, who owned Blackpool and West Coast, it is likely that WSC, one again, preferred not to be beholden to a rival concern.” Mr Doyle doesn’t make clear who “WSC” were, but I’d guess they were owned by Whitehall Securities?
* It now appears Northern Airways used RONALDSWAY
Whichever way you look at it the RAMSEY – HALL CAINE airport project must have been a huge loss-making enterprise? An airfield guide published in 1939 by the Reading Aero Club cites RAMSEY as being the aerodrome of choice for the Isle of Man. Perhaps oddly no mention is made of RONALDSWAY presumably because by then it had become a busy regional airport? Did the Derwent family keep it going for GA in the hope of getting some revenue?
ANOTHER DEVELOPMENT
I suspect their hopes were dashed in early WW2 when the Air Ministry decided to build an entirely new airfield, not far away, at ANDREAS. A single runway airfield presumably being unacceptable. It must certainly be pointed out that a single-runway airfield, so common today, was far from the ‘norm’ in the 1930s. Indeed, could it be that RAMSEY – HALL CAINE was the first example in the UK?
It should be noted that the history of British airline operators in the 1930s is an utter minefield with so many closures, mergers and takeovers. Quite often they flew aircraft with pre-existing airline names on some aircraft, before being re-painted, which adds yet more confusion of course.
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