The Way It Was

[flyboy]

October 1946

Plans for closure

The month started badly with a fatal accident on the 3rd when AC J Hageney was knocked down by a car as he was cycling to work prior to coming on duty. There was an inquest held on the 7th where a finding of accidental death was recorded. F/O Poland represented the Commanding Officer at the funeral held in Sheffield on the following day.
A fire occurred on the 12th in the Duty Flight Office at 13.45hrs. Unfortunately Cpl Dabin received first degree burns.
On the 14th Lincoln 'Excaliber' returned from a trip to New Zealand, having departed the previous month on the 9th.
S/Ldr EC Lenton assumed temporary control of the airfield on the 21st of the month.
On the 24th news was received that the airfield would cease as a Staging Post on the 15th of November 1946 and would be placed on a care and maintenance basis. No further flying would take place after that date.
A Vickers Viking aircraft departed for a tour of South Africa on the 28th.
Orders were received at the end of the month requiring that the airfield should be ready for handover to the Air Ministry by 31st December.
The total number of movements for the month was 866.

[flyboy]

November 1946

Care and Maintenance

A meeting was held on the 15th to discuss plans for the airfield closure. It was, however, announced by the acting Commanding Officer that closure plans had been temporarily postponed. Later in the day it was disclosed that in fact the Ministry of Civil Aviation would take over the airfield as a subsidiary to London Heathrow Airport.
Accordingly all personnel postings were frozen and all flying at the airfield ceased.
On the 20th it was proposed that a party of approximately 200 personnel would be retained at the airfield until the Ministry of Civil Aviation became established. The Senior Administration Officer sent a message on the 22nd that, contrary to expectations, the airfield was to be closed down and work was to proceed in that direction.
On the 25th the strength of personnel was being reduced to about 100.
W/Cdr Bennett reassumed command of the airfield on the 28th.
Movements up to the 15th when flying had ceased had totalled 268.
The airfield was officially closed at the end of the month and placed on a care and maintenance basis.

The airfield was strangely quiet.

[flyboy]

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