Which Airfields Are Celebrating Their 70th?

16 Sep 2008 15:31 #1 by mawganmad
With St Athan celebrating its 70th anniversary this week, it occurred to me that many expansion period airfields must have opened in 1938.
Which airfields do you know of are 70 years old this year, are there any events and are they still open?

James Thomas

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16 Sep 2008 19:26 #2 by daveg4otu
Replied by daveg4otu on topic Which Airfields Are Celebrating Their 70th?
Three in Hants - but really only T.I .actually qualifies IMO

Middle Wallop
Building at Middle Wallop started in mid 1938,but the airfield was not completed until early in 1940,opening officially on 16/4/40 as RAF Middle Wallop.

Thorney Island opened for businessl 3/2/38 ,as part of 16 Group, Coastal Command.(Construction of the airfield at Thorney Island started in 1935)

Chilbolton"In 1936 the Ministry of Works marked out the site of a prospective airfield.The airfield was listed as under construction by 1938,though little appears to have been done at that time.In fact when the first aircraft to arrive(Harvard I P5818) landed on 3rd May 1940,no actual runways were ready".

See my Hampshire,Dorset,Devon,IOW Airfields sites..
www.hampshireairfields.co.uk/

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16 Sep 2008 20:24 #3 by mawganmad
Replied by mawganmad on topic Which Airfields Are Celebrating Their 70th?
Yes only Thorney qualifies there.

I nearly mentioned St Eval, but that was started in '38 for a Feb '39 opening - no wonder it was so temporary in nature (huts, wooden watch office and austeity C Hangars)

James Thomas

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