Spring Grove
SPRING GROVE: Temporary Landing Ground
Location: Just S of the A4 Great West Road, roughly 5nm ENE of the centre of HEATHROW airport
Period of operation: 10th August 1918
NOTES: May I tell a story please? Over the years quite a surprising amount of work goes into delving around trying to get the history of so many of the flying sites listed correct. Well, at least as far as possible. This location is a very good example. After a conversation with my friend Ed Whitaker, we both volunteer at Osterley Park and House, I was feeling fairly sure that something aviation related had occured there. Ed took up the task and sure enough, came up trumps. A Sopwith Camel was flown in to be 'christened' on the 10th of August 1918. (See seperate listing for OSTERLEY PARK for more info)
Noticing this addition to the listings, Mike Holder, very much a long term friend of this 'Guide', decided to see if any else existed in various records. And yes, quite a lot did - except it didn't appear to make any sense. Some of the pictures clearly indicated that the 'christening' of the Sopwith Camel took place elsewhere - on the same day! To cut a long story short we finally got it sorted out, the main clue being that the Osterley Park Sopwith Camel was named Osterley No.1, and the other, (seen very briefly in a Pathe news film), was named Osterley MTTD No.1. The connection being that the money raised by a military unit, (£2,000), meant they could have an aircraft named after their unit, in this case the Mechanical Transport depôt who had their main base in OSTERLEY PARK.
So, two aircraft were 'christened' that day in two locations quite close by to each other.
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
Mike Holder has very kindly provided maps and pictures for this event at SPRING GROVE.
The 'christening' was performed, as at OSTERLEY PARK, by Princess Patricia of Connaught.
The first picture shows, without too much doubt, him being presented with a silver cigarette case. The synoptic chart showing that it was ideal for flying that day with light if any winds.
The Google Street view shows the old Techical Colledge now part of Brunel University. The local area view is from my Google Earth © derived database.
END NOTE
There is something I must mention here. Back in the height of the Cold War, Ed Whitaker and Mike Holder were both serving as aircrew in Avro Vulcans. Although in different squadrons, they were next door neighbours in the air base. Although living hundreds of miles apart today, this web-site has enabled them to share their regards etc.
On a rather pedantic theme, note that in the captions above, a reference is made to an aerodrome. Neither SPRING GROVE or OSTERLEY were "aerodromes", being simply temporary Landing Grounds, used, as far as we know, just for these two occassions on that same day. But still, even today, who can expect, mostly, media and press reporters to get the story details correct?
We'd love to hear from you, so please scroll down to leave a comment!
Leave a comment ...
Copyright (c) UK Airfield Guide
