Wansford
Note: This map only gives a rough estimate of the position of the Glew family farm within the UK. If anybody can kindly give advice regarding a more exact location, this will be much appreciated.
WANSFORD: Private Landing Ground (aka WITTERING)
Operated by: Mr Montague F Glew
Location: Presumably between Wansford and Wittering villages, both of which are to the E of the modern A.1 and roughly 3 to 4 nm S of Stamford.
Period of operation: 1913 to 1914
NOTES: The first mention of this site came from Airborne by Neil Wiilams, first published in 1977. This concerns part of the history of the 1912 Blackburn Monoplane, which resides today at the Shuttleworth Collection.
Ordered by Mr Cyril Foggin in 1912 it was delivered in early 1913 and Mr Foggin gave exhibition flights in and around Leeds. Shortly after it was purchased by Mr Glew who positioned it on the family farm in the Wansford/Wittering area. From here it appears he gave several exhibition flights in and around Lincolnshire, crashing at Market Rasen.
After being repaired, at some point in 1914 he seriously crashed it on the family farm, and it seems, the remains were stored under a haystack for twenty-five years before being recovered by the Shuttleworh Collection and restored to flying condition.
Montague Glew gained his pilots 'Brevet' at The Blackburn School at HENDON on the 4th February 1913, his RAeC (Royal Aero Club) certificate being No.410. It appears that, although being ostensibly a farmer, his declared professional was 'Aviator'.
I have decided to list this site as Wansford, (his address was Wansford, Wittering), simple to differentiate it from the famous RFC/RAF airfield that opened in 1916. And, as the remains survived, it seems likely they were not on the WITTERING military site?
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