Sunninghill Park
SUNNINGHILL PARK: Military Landing Ground?
Note: This map and the three pictures have been kindly provided by Mr Michael T Holder. Mike tells us that the caption for the ceremony pics is:
"TRANSFER OF RAF AIRFIELD TO US ARMY AIR FORCE. 22-6-43, A formal ceremony was held today when Air Vice Marshall J H D'Albiac CB. DSO. of RAF Fighter Command, handed over an RAF Airfield to Brigadier General Robert Candee, Commanding General VIII Air Support Command."
You cannot argue with the pictures of the ceremony - but what airfield? There was no airfield exactly here as such. Quite probably the reporter, who almost certainly wasn't there, these being publicity photographs, simple assumed there must have been an airfield? Not realising, that most HQ facilities for military use in WW2, both for the RAF and USAAF were in requisitioned stately homes. The military top brass, both in WW1 and WW2, could see no reason whatsover, due to the minor inconvenience of a war to be managed, to relinquish any of the highest standards of living they were accustomed to.
BUT, the SMITHS LAWN aerodrome was just to the west. This said, it seems exceedingly unlikely the British Royal Family would have handed this over to the Americans, and certainly no record exists.
Military users: RAF then USAAF 9th Air Force
Location: Just E of SMITHS LAWN aerodrome
NOTES: After declaring war on Germany on the 7th December 1941, it seems that the ‘9th’ had none of their own aircraft based here, in the U.K. initially. In early1942, instead they given a few RAF Ansons, Dominies and Oxfords operated by the 2008th Transport Group. Without any doubt, types such as these used nearby SMITHS LAWN in Windsor Great Park, situated just to the west.
However, both Mike Charlton and I think, although unlikely, there is a small degree of possibility that light communications types - RAF Austers - and later USAAF Piper J-4 Grasshoppers for example, might well have used this site? We need to remember that the road system at that time was woefully indequate, and things deteriorated considerably in the lead up to D-Day, which took at least a year to organise.
Also, as SMITHS LAWN was a very busy aerodrome at that time, being able to land adjacent to the house, would have had several advantages.
Indeed, it is well recorded that if urgent documents, charts and high level personnel needed to get from one place to another over reasonably long distances in the U.K., pretty much the only option was to fly them.
SILWOOD PARK
Mike Charlton also sent me this picture. Although principally used as a Convalescence Hospital for aircrew, here again, for urgent intelligence purposes for example, light communications types, might well have landed here.
If anybody can kindly offer advice, this will be much appreciated.
Michael T Holder
This comment was written on: 2020-05-18 14:54:16Couldn't find any trace of an airfield in the area. However on Britain from Above - EAW030055 ENGLAND (1950). The Imperial College Field Station at Silwood Park, Sunninghill, 1950 - this photo shows a lot of military nissen huts in the grounds. Some of them are the exact design we had at RAF Waddington to house the Vulcan QRA Crews close to the A/C pans. And www.americanairmuseum.com/place/138535 shows photo of handover to USAF by RAF in 1942 of Sunninghill Park facility.
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