Wombwell flying sites
WOMBWELL: Military landing Ground (also known as BROOM HILL, later spelt as one word)
Military user: RFC (Royal Flying Corps)
33 [Home Defence] Sqdn (Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2s & FE.2s, later Bristol F2B Fighters)
Note: Towards the end of WW1 33 Squadron were equipped with Avro 504N night fighters. However, I do not know if they were flying them here?
Location: Roughly 4nm ESE of Barnsley, Broom Hill is just E of Wombwell
Period of operation: 1916 to 1918
In April 2020 Mr Neville Stack kindly sent me these pictures of an Ordnance Survey 'trig' point. Could it be that this is the only remaining physical evidence of this airfield site?
WOMBWELL: Temporary aerodromes (Almost certainly using the WW1 location)
Note: We have Mr Michael T Holder to thank for providing these four maps and the two Google images.
NOTES: It appears that three 'flying circus' operators used this location between 1931 and 1934. Much assisted by Mike Holder, a great friend of this 'Guide' who has unearthed the newspaper articles below, we think we have traced them.
The C D Barnard Air Tours display took place on the 2nd and 3rd May 1931. The Sir Alan Cobham's National Aviation Day display was on the 17th September 1933.
The Sky Devils display was on the 12th May 1934.
Note: The 'No.1' article was published in the South Yorkshire Times, Mexborough & Swinton Times on the 8th May 1931. The 'No.2' article was published in the Penistone, Stockbridge and Hoyland Express on the 12th May 1934. The No.3 article was published in the Eckington, Woodhouse and Staverley Express on the 19th May 1934.
Note: The 'No.4' article was published in the South Yorkshire Times, Mexborough & Swinton Times on the 17th September 1933.
The 'No.5' article was published in the Leeds Mercury on the 22nd September 1933. Note that no mention is made of who operated this venue. Without much if any doubt it was Sir Alan Cobham's National Aviaton Day, No.2 display tour. The venue being given as Barnsley.
Neville Knowles
This comment was written on: 2020-04-12 14:26:48I have spotted on this site what I believe to be a ww2 airfield fire hydrant I have taken photos of this unit lump of concrete.
Michael T Holder
This comment was written on: 2020-06-01 15:00:12The Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust show Broomhill(Wombwell) just to the east of the centre of Broomhill vicinity – 51 31 10”N 001 22 04”W – Quote – “Royal Aircraft Factory BE2c and fighters of No 33 Squadron initially had Broomhill available to them as a Home Defence landing ground during World War One, being replaced in the autumn of 1916 by Royal Aircraft Factory FE2b and d variants. Avro 504Ks subsequently succeeded them in the summer of 1918 towards the end of the life of this airfield.”
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