Local Aviation
 

Hollydog suggested that a "local aviation" section might be a good idea, so I'll kick it off for everyone.

A couple of snippets from the Morpeth Herald newspaper in 1912:

http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/...ps734c677d.jpg

http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6d091789.jpg

Wherever this hangar was located, the landing field appears to have been vacated by the outset of WW1 in August 1914 as it does not appear in the list of landing grounds used by either 36 (HD) or 77 (HD) Sqdns which had responsibility for the aerial defence of the North East (such as it was).

Excellent start.
I have found this link tonight which has a number of references to the area - the forum it is from does not seem to have been updated for a number of years- interesting RAF pics of the northside.

http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=77988

It hasn't - I know a couple of the people that posted bits on there.

If you are interested in the WW2 history of Druridge Bay, then this link might be of interest - this is the air-firing range page:

http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main...3#.UN9lxndZOAZ

Plenty there to get stuck into!

Thanks for sharing - that will keep me occupied for a few days!!
Hopefully the bits of concrete I see walking the dog will mean a little more after reading these posts.

It must have been exciting to be there, but do we know where the hangars were?

Can't believe that the Druridge Bay "hangar" was anything more than temporary, so possibly just heavy-duty canvas around a wooden frame (such as the transportable "Bessonneau" type). They were designed to be erected by a couple of dozen skilled men in two days. If it was designed to be more permanent, it would have been a simple timber shed which featured side-opening doors - these were eventually replaced by more sophisticated designs on aerodromes in 1916.

Wooden hangars were known as "sheds" before WW1 - but to confuse matters, the canvas "sheds" were known as "hangars"!

(As an aside - flying has taken place from a field next to the coastal lane at Druridge Bay on two separate occasions during the last two years. "Northern Aviators" have held charity fly-ins for light aircraft and microlights, and no doubt there will be another one in 2013. I do the photography for these and the Great North Fly-In charity events at Eshott aerodrome.)

I posted a history of Boulmer airfield in the Alnmouth section earlier on this afternoon.

I didn't know there was any connection to the Royal Flying Corps around here. Always surprises with this local history thingy!

I wonder if the intrepid Captain Sanders survived the war? (There is one Capt Sanders RFC recorded with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission)

It's not the only one. According to Northumberland Aviation Diary, on 11th May 1914, BE.2a No.228 belonging to 2 Sqdn, RFC landed at Hauxley en-route Montrose, Angus to Netheravon, Wiltshire. The CO of the unit, a Major Burke, was flying the aircraft. I know there are errors in that book and I am not entirely sure that the date is accurate, although it would have probably happened a couple of days later.

My records state that 2 Sqdn departed Montrose on the 11th, arrived at Edinburgh that evening, spent the night of the 12th at Berwick and the 13th at Blyth before arriving at Seaton Carew on the 14th, where Burke was the last to arrive on that date. The ten aircraft had left Montrose for the annual "Concentration Camp" exercise - the term clearly having a different connotation back then. It is unlikely that Burke could have flown from Montrose to Hauxley in a single day in 1914 although not impossible, whilst such feats were probably beyond the capabilities of the junior pilots. Burke would have wished the squadron's aircraft to fly short journeys each day to allow for wear and tear, maintenance and refuelling, and the fatigue of the pilots. The 11th was a Monday and the squadron would in all likelihood not have flown on weekends in peacetime. The ground element - in six trucks - waited at Blyth on the morning of the 14th until all ten aircraft had left for Seaton Carew before departing for that destination themselves, and chances are this had happened wherever the landing fields near Berwick or Blyth were.

Whilst at Hauxley, the aircraft was guarded by a local policeman, according to a photo published in Northumberland Aviation Diary. I am unsure as to whether Burke was visiting friends, had stopped for refreshment (this sort of thing happened on long-distance flights in those days) or was forced to land due to lack of fuel or a mechanical problem.

As a postscript to this story, one of the other aircraft flying down to Wiltshire was destroyed in a forced landing near Northallerton on the 15th, killing both airmen on board.

Graeme

According to the Newcastle Journal of 13 May, the squadron landed at Scremerston on the morning of the 12th, having flown from Edinburgh. Major Burke was named as one of those landing. There is mention of a Lieutenant Rodwell, the last to arrive, having flown too far inland, he missed his points and overshot by 20 miles to the south. Nothing about a Hauxley landing on 11th.

That tallies with my records - I suspect the landing at Hauxley took place on the 13th as Burke was on his way from Scremerston to Blyth. That would explain the lack of a mention in the Journal.

The photo is credited to "R Arkless" and shows a policeman standing in front of a BE.2a marked "228". I will try and scan it and post it if that doesn't contravene any forum rules. There are some buildings on the skyline which may confirm the location.

Hauxley landing.
 

My mother, born 1908, spoke of seeing an aircraft on the ground in a field near Hauxley and lots of people there sightseeing, if it was this one she would have been about 6 years old.

Thanks for the information, Alan - aeroplanes were still novelties to most of the population and any landing inevitably attracted a crowd. The landing at Seaton Carew I mentioned above drew several thousand people to watch the aircraft take off from the beach.

The details of the landing site are vague - a field at the rear of Hauxley. A BE.2a would have been able to land in any large grass field, providing it was not too bumpy or muddy.

Just been browsing Woodhorn's catalogue and I've come across a photograph of a biplane. The photograph has a handwritten caption "biplane mishap at Hauxley on October 15th 1913". Looks like it was the one seen by Alan J's mother? Spotted another one of the same plane surrounded by "local children enjoying the excitement".

Woodhorn aircraft photo

I have a feeling there is a photo in one of the 'Amble' books (Morrison/Wilkinson) as well but it will likely be a reproduction of one these pictures from the Woodhorn Archives.

It looks like a BE.2a: a "mishap" could have been a forced landing due to lack of fuel, bad weather or mechanical failure - the aircraft (what you can see of it) looks undamaged.

Druridge Bay Firing Range
 

It was very interesting reading these articles about Druridge Bay, as a youngster in the early 50s, the meteors from RAF Acklington used floating targets in the water off shore, flying low over the dunes. There was also three old tanks, one yellow coloured, land side of the dunes, also used as target practice. There was also two large huts, also on the land side of the dunes used by the RAF staff. The planes also dragged targets behind them, and other planes used these as targets in mid-flight over the sea. Sometimes they split the rope pulling the targets, which were made out of parachute material. Some of these targets sometimes dropped into local fields. There was then an almighty rush from locals to recover these targets as they were worth money if returned to the RAF. We were not allowed to be near the beach when the red flag was flying, however I was on the shore and fell asleep one day, and woke up to see that target practice had started. I laid low and watched the planes flying low before firing at the floating targets. It was more dangerous if I had moved. The tanks were used by us kids as Toys, and we tried our best to dislodge the turret to get at the huge ball bearings which were used to move the turret gun. We called the concrete building gun pits, and played hide and seek in them, we found one which was hidden well down below the dunes. Happy Times

Firing ranges.
 

This brings back memories of biking from Amble to the tanks, a lot rougher track then than now, and collecting the shells that had been fired at the targets. Why I do not know as they were just lumps of metal and of no use but kids do strange things, I suppose it was all inocent and we were getting fresh air and exercise.

i have an original photo of this plane with pc guarding it

an iteresting link I found
 

http://www.ronaldv.nl/abandoned/airf...umberland.html

I learned quite a bit, it started on an Acklington prison/airfield quest and I learned about loads of other things, hope you all find it as good as I did