Yew Tree Farm
YEW TREE FARM: Private airfield (Also known and listed as EAST HANNEY)
Operated by: Berkshire Aviation Co
Note: The first two lovely pictures from postcards were kindly sent by Mike Charlton who has an amazing collection. See: www.aviationpostcard.co.uk
The equally fine third picture, also from a postcard, was kindly sent by Colin Taylor who has the 'Culham Ticket Office' website, and which features detailed histories of nearby airfields.
First picture: The Avro 504K, (ex-E2969 in RAF service) was first registered on the 13th September 1924. On the 18th April 1929 it was registered to Northern Air Transport, The Airport, Manchester and crashed in the sea off Scarborough on the 13th September 1931.
Second picture: This Avro 504K, (ex-E3386 in RAF service) was built by Parnall in Yate near Bristol and first registered on the 9th March 1925. After serving with Berkshire Aviation it then appears to have been sold to private owners based at HOOTON PARK (CHESHIRE) in July 1933 and crashed at Crosby on the 21st July 1934.
Third picture: This Avro 504K, (ex-D5858 in RAF service), was first registered 09.04.20. Almost certainly to Berkshire Aviation. Of interest it was last registered to L J Rimmer and W Mackay of HOOTON PARK aerodrome in CHESHIRE from 26.07.33 to 08.12.36 - registration cancelled. L J Rimmer was, back in the 1920s a pilot with Berkshire Aviation, so presumably was well acquainted with the aeroplane.
Location: Just E of East Hannay village on the A338, 3nm NNE of Wantage town centre and about 5nm SW of Abingdon town centre
Period of operation: 1919 to 1925?
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
Note: The photo shows, L to R, Alan Cobham, John and Fred Holmes.
This picture is from, A History of East Hanney's Berkshire Aviation Company Ltd, by the Wantage Historian, Trevor Hancock. Published in the Herald Series - see also - www.heraldseries.co.uk
Note: The fourth picture of G-EAKX, the Avro 504K, apparently taken at EAST HANNEY, was given the serial number H2600 when in service during WW1. Nothing much more seems known about its civilian career.
It appears it was dismantled at HOOTON PARK in 1934, but the registration was cancelled on the 8th December 1936. The picture is from Trevor Hancock.
The local area and area views are from my Google Earth © derived database.
Note: The eighth item, the photo of Oscar Philip Jones with schoolchildren is attributed to having been taken here by Trevor Hancock. But, both Mike Holder and I disagree. Mainly because that stand of mature trees did not exist around this flying site. But of course, given the task of this 'Guide', we might as well include it here, (and where else?), to pose the question - where was it taken? Can anybody kindly offer advice?
NOTES: Maintenance base, (primarily), for the Berkshire Aviation Co, a partnership formed for providing pleasure flights comprising Alan Cobham, Fred and Jack Holmes. The aircraft were maintained in a barn on YEW TREE FARM. It is reckoned that in the first three years of operation, the Berkshire Aviation Co carried nearly 34,000 passengers - mostly two at a time.
They moved away, (having been renamed Berkshire Aviation Tours), to Witney in November 1925 although Alan Cobham had left the company long before in May 1920. Some say 1921 when he went to de Havilland at STAG LANE. Initially it appears, the Berkshire Aviation Co started with just one Avro 504K G-EACL, (previously D9298).
For a much better understanding of how the early ‘Joy-riding’ companies operated I really can recommend reading “Those Fabulous Flying Years” by Colin Cruddas. It is a fascinating tale with often hard to believe stories, (in todays terms), of how those early post-WW1 pioneering companies existed, fought to survive against all odds at every level, but eventually succeeded.
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