Westcott
WESTCOTT: Military aerodrome
Note: Pictures by the author unless specified.
Military users: WW2: RAF Bomber Command 92 Group
11 OTU (Vickers Wellingtons)
Engine Control Demonstration Unit (Wellingtons)
1942: 2 Sqdn (North American P.51 Mustangs Mk.1 - on detachment - but why?)
Location: S of A41, W of Westcott, 6nm WNW of Aylesbury
Period of operation: 1942 to 1975? (in 1975 listed as being open to communications aircraft)
Runways: WW2: 07/25 1554x46 hard 13/31 1280x46 hard
18/36 1280x46 hard
NOTES:
Just after WW2 ended PoWs were ferried back here, also to other airfields such as DUNSFOLD, ODIHAM and WING. 38 Group Stirlings certainly landed here.
From 1946 (perhaps even earlier?) WESCOTT was home to a Guided Weapons Research Establishment. Much criticiscm has been piled on the way the British aviation industry was mostly mis-managed after WW2 – to the extent it eventually self-destructed – mostly to the benefit of the USA of course. And indeed much can be made of political interference, ‘moles-in-holes’ within the British ‘establishment’ etc, etc.
However, against this, (why is history so damned complicated!), I would like to quote Andrew Nahum in his excellent book Frank Whittle – invention of the jet: “Early in 1946 moves began to end the existence of Power Jets (R&D) Ltd, (My note; See LUTTERWORTH (LEICESTERSHIRE) for a bit more info), and to put gas turbine research under the same kind of government establishment structure as that used for research into aerodynamics, radar, guided weapons and so on. The pattern was that these establishments, like RAE Farnborough, or the new guided weapons research establishment at Wescott in Buckinghamshire, developed advanced concepts which they passed to industry, and then analysed and helped refine the projects as the firms developed them. Each establishment had a dedicated site or sites, and was staffed by full-time government scientists, technicians and administrators on carefully defined scales of responsibility and pay.”
A BIT OF A RANT PLEASE
Given that by halfway through WW2 (more especially WW1, or even before) mankind really should have been getting the hang of the idea that warfare benefits absolutely nobody but unscrupulous industrialists and arms dealers (and politicians of course) – if warfare is deemed necessary this appears a very good way of going about it? By developing superior weaponry, tactics, logistics etc, etc. .
Needless to say we have, in the 21st century, a never ending queue of people determined to undermine the concept of the European Union, first started under the Treaty of Rome in March 1957 to establish the EEC (European Economic Community) – the Treaty being signed by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany. A principal aim being to eliminate forever the possibility of war being declared between these nations. These nations were of course those that had suffered most during both WW1 and WW2 in mainland western Europe, so how quaint that the UK didn’t sign up? I’d have thought the British population had also suffered their fair share too? But not so according to our politicians – who had many more wars planned further afield. Almost none of which, except for the Falklands War and possibly Malaysia, have succeeded.
THE ROCKET PROPULSION ESTABLISHMENT
In 1985 this site was home to the Rocket Propulsion Establishment and later on it was developed as an industrial estate, also partly used by the Royal Ordnance.
A PERSONAL NOTE
In 1996 we, (my wife and I), had a customer based here, and I decided to treat them for flights in the local area, mostly to see their homes from the air. I requested permission from the Royal Ordnance, to operate some flights which was granted, entirely at my own risk needless to say. After thirty years of neglect the runways were in a terrible state but by driving one of our trucks up and down along runway 07/25 I eventually found a strip about four hundred metres long and roughly five metres wide which was free of debris. Making some notes to enable me to find this area on very short finals, (nothing was visible on the approach), on the 10th of October 1996 I undertook these flights in the Cessna 172 G-WACL. For me, using a light aircraft in this way is just about as good as it gets. A variation of farm strip flying which I love, no ATC - in fact nothing at all, not even a windsock.
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