Yate
YATE: Military aerodrome later private company airfield
Note: This picture (2018) was obtained from Google Earth ©
Military user: WW1 RFC No.3 (Western) Aircraft Repair Depot and Engine Repair Depot
Note: In October 2017 Mark Bird kindly sent me this old and battered picture. Being no expert, is it possible that many of these men are wearing a flying uniform? If anybody can kindly offer advice, and indeed additional information, this will be much appreciated.
Operated by: Pre 1940: George Parnell & Co
Manufacturing: George Parnell & Co later Parnall Aircraft Co under new management
Location: 9nm NE of Bristol.
Note: I add this just to illustrate how frustating it can often be to pin down the location for what was quite a well known and long established airfield - with a famous manufacturing facility on site! Many years ago I made these notes: "One report gives the address being on the Yate to Westerleigh Road at Westerliegh Common which surely places it S to SW of Yate. Another report, (in the same book!), says it is N of Yate and east of the Bristol to Gloucester railway. I reckon this makes the site WNW of Yate town centre rather than N. Later info makes it just NE of Yate railway Station and today an industrial estate.
I think you will find, after recent research (in 2015) that the map gives the accurate location.
Period of operation: 1917 to 1950?
Site area: WW1: 193 acres 1006 x 731
Runways: N/S 640 grass NE/SW 548 grass
E/W 548 grass SE/NW 685 grass
NOTES: The No.3 (Western) Aircraft Repair Depot appears to rank third in the UK, after FARNBOROUGH (HAMPSHIRE) and COAL ASTON (YORKSHIRE) having some 200 aircraft to ‘re-cycle’ including Sopwith Camel, RE8, SE5A, Avro 504, BE2E and Bristol F.2B types to deal with.
THE PARNELL ERA
The George Parnell company brought Yate aerodrome from the MoD in about 1922 and completed their long move here in 1925. Their shop-fitting business was probably more important than their aircraft designing and building business in those days.
Notes to pilots issued in the 20s & 30s were generally discouraging to visitors but some did arrive. It was a pretty rough and small site, (if any pilots are reading this - does it sound familiar?), surrounded by various obstacles and at one point in time at least a one hour warning was needed to clear the area of animals.
Parnell license built a Cierva C.II Gyroplane in 1927, (G-EBQG), but it turned over on it’s first take-off attempt in 1928.
Lord Apsley based a succession of two Parnell Elf biplanes here for his own use.
A NEW BEGINNING
George Parnall sold his aviation business to Nash & Thompson Ltd in about 1934/35 who renamed it as Parnall Aircraft Ltd. Nash & Thompson were pioneers in the field of aircraft powered gun turrets and despite it’s small size YATE saw visits by Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and Handley Page Harrow bombers in the mid to late 1930s.
Later, during WW2, Parnall Aircraft at YATE become one of the largest Spitfire airframe sub-contractors.
A LUFTWAFFE TARGET
YATE was certainly identified by the Germans as a target, aerial photographs taken by them in August 1939 have been found. On the 27th February 1941 a lone Heinkel He.III carried out a devastating low level attack by lowering his undercarriage so anti-aircraft gunners thought it was a friendly aircraft about to land! Another serious second attack, again by a lone He.III was struck on the 7th March 1941.
Dave Allen
This comment was written on: 2018-08-24 20:30:39I have no knowledge . But looking at the indesit factory at Yate some of the buildings look typical of aircraft hangars. I was a apprentice at the Westland factory Weston super mare. So know the typical buildings that may have been .
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