History Headlines

[flyboy]

On the 4th Tiger tanks were the target as they hid in Goulet Woods near Caen during the afternoon. Under cover of darkness they tried to move out and escape but the Boston squadrons struck again as the German troops made their getaway. In the Falaise area they were picked up by twenty-three searchlights and intense flak soon followed. A disaster followed as 88 Squadron lost two aircraft and 342 Squadron lost five.
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An ammunition dump at Lyons -la -Foret was attacked on the 9th where F/O Lang was lost as his 88 Squadron Boston was seen to crash in flames and P/O Holliday the pilot of another 88 Squadron Boston was injured. Doug Petch an air gunner on this aircraft recalled the flak being heavy and accurate and that F/O Lang was the box formation leader. 226 Squadron also had a bad day when one of their Mitchells was shot down.
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There was drama as Mitchell FL210 of 180 Squadron normally based at RAF Dunsfold and taking part in the same raid was badly damaged. The pilot Sgt E Burns and his Navigator P/O Kirk both received injuries. Sgt Burns turned the aircraft to return to base but couldn't make it and diverted into Hartford Bridge where he made an emergency landing. P/O Kirk was so badly injured that his leg had to be amputated on landing.
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The intensity of the attacks continued to the end of the month without let-up. Targets, including enemy strongholds and entrenched positions, fuel dumps, tank build-ups, troops being transported by road, rail and canal and even the Duclair ferry operated on the River Seine near Rouen, came under attack.
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Jack Chinell, a Canadian, recalled that on the 27th their 226 Squadron Mitchell was shot down. "Tom Harvey our pilot was forced to crash land the aircraft in a field used by the 6th airborne to land gliders. We were taken to their Headquarters to report in. I'll never forget the Staff Sgt who poured us a full glass of Scotch each. We downed them in two gulps and then polished off the rest of the bottle as well!
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He continued: "We slept on the ground that night but couldn't sleep much and woke up to the sound of a dog-fight between a Spitfire and a Focke Wolf 190 going on overhead and I remember the spent shell cases raining down with a couple hitting our tent. We returned to Hartford Bridge the next day by DC 3 transport."
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On the last day of the month 88 Squadron practiced formation flying over the Wash and carried out bomb dropping tests with 4000lb bombs. The W/Cdr Flying at this time was W/Cdr Spencer, who had a pet Bulldog named 'Butch', a very good natured animal that spent a great deal of time in front of the Mess fire. 'Butch' holding a bomb was painted on the nose of the W/Cdr's aircraft.
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September 1944 again saw operations in support of Allied troops continue but by now the advance had reached into Holland. On the 1st, 226 Squadron mounted an attack on marshalling yards at Givet on the Luxembourg border.
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On the 8th Enemy strong points at Boulogne were attacked, followed the following day by another attack on Boulogne, but this time on gun batteries there. On the 11th 88 and 226 Squadrons attacked ferries and landing stages in Holland. On the 12th all three squadrons attacked the Zuid-Beveland area in Holland, in addition to an earlier raid on a road and rail causeway on a dyke linking the Dutch Islands.
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On the 13th close support was given to the army at an enemy strong point. A telegram was later received thanking the squadrons for their support. The 14th saw a similar operation to that of the previous day. On the 15th docks were the target for 88 Squadron, and 226 Squadron who attacked another dock at Breskens, both attacks were in Holland.
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The 17th found another Dutch target under attack, this time it was Ede barracks which was attacked by Mitchells of both 137 and 139 Wings in difficult weather conditions. It was in support of the airborne landings at Arnhem and some aircraft returned with flak damage. On the 23rd a planned attack on gun positions just west of Calais was aborted as Allied troops moved in quicker than had been expected.
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On the same date W/Cdr Evans of 88 Squadron visited Vitry-en-Artois, a forward airbase in France using a station hack Airspeed Oxford II, (AB696). Significant, perhaps as 88 Squadron was to move there to be nearer the action as the advance through Europe continued.
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[flyboy]

A gun position opposing the 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem was attacked by 88 and 342 Squadrons. They encountered moderate flak and enemy fighters in the area but scored direct hits on the target. Some of the aircraft were very low on fuel as they made for home and elected to land at RAF Manston in Kent to pick up fuel before proceeding to Hartford Bridge.
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The first raid into Germany itself was on a rail/road bridge target at Kleve on the 26th when Allied troops moving ahead through occupied Europe called for support. The following day 342 Squadron made their first attack into Germany. W/Cdr Wood returned from Arnhem on the 28th with flak damage to his Mitchell (HD336) and was forced to belly-land. His starboard engine disintegrated on touchdown.
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W/Cdr Evans of 88 Squadron again visited Vitry-en-Artois, near Douai, which is south of Lille, this time in Boston BZ250 amid more speculation that the squadron could be moved to this forward airbase in the near future. The flight time was 55 minutes.
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226 Squadron Mitchells known to have been available on the 29th included :-
FW230(U), FW146(P), FW106(W), HD321(U), FV905(V), FW276(X), FW162(Z),
FW217(D), FW153(F), FW204(M), FW171(G), HD304(C) and FW205(L).
All were the MkII variant.
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On the 30th marshalling yards in Germany were attacked by 226 and 88 Squadrons. Dal Hines in one of the 226 Squadron Mitchells (HD304) recorded in his logbook "Good Prang - Suspense terrific." 226 Squadron lost Mitchell FW205(L) when it caught fire en route to Vitry-en-Artois. The fire started in the radio and the crew were forced to bail out. The pilot F/O Harvey survived but F/O Walters was unfortunately killed.
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The massive efforts throughout the month by all the squadrons, as illustrated by the abbreviated details of only some of the numerous missions carried out above, were mainly in supporting Allied troops as they made progress on the push through France and Holland and into Germany itself.
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[flyboy]

Heavy fighting was taking place on the Continent and unfortunately casualties were increasing also. Often being flown back to this country, the injured were arriving at Hartford Bridge from where they would be quickly moved to local hospitals for urgent treatment.
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Meanwhile operations to support the front line in Europe as troops advanced was becoming more difficult as distances to be flown increased. Allied aircraft were therefore progressively being moved to forward airstrips and overrun airfields to allow more flexibility. Squadrons at Hartford Bridge were expecting to be instructed to move to the Continent in the near future.
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In early October 1944 the attacks on targets continued:-
On the 2nd an attack on targets in Arnhem by 226 Squadron resulted in the sighting of two FW190 fighters and a jet fighter and an attack on Nijmegen troop concentrations, had to be abandoned due to total cloud cover on the 3rd.
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The 5th saw 88 Squadron again operating three miles north of Nijmegen while 342 Squadron on a different operation lost Boston BZ318 over Belgium. The following day on the 6th there was a ramrod on Amersfoort ammunition dump, in which both 226 and 88 Squadrons were involved.
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Also on the 6th the main party of 137 Wing left the airfield en route overseas to prepare for the three squadrons' departure to airfields on the Continent. The Station took on responsibility for the squadrons until their departure once the main party were ready for them at their new bases abroad.
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On the 7th 342 Squadron were in action again as they attacked a crossroads near Oostburg, Belgium and 88 Squadron attacked an enemy strong point at Aardenburg, where light flak was encountered. 416 Squadron Repair and Salvage Unit departed the airfield on the 11th, and 88 and 342 Squadrons attacked marshalling yards at Utrecht on the 13th.
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A rail bridge over the river Ijssel at Zutphen was attacked on the 14th by all three squadrons. Unfortunately the majority of the bombs overshot the target and landed in the town, killing and injuring many of the residents, and causing a lot of damage.
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35 Dakota transport aircraft arrived on the 15th to provide the airlift of 137 Wing, who were to move out to Vitry-en-Artois. However, only 15 of the aircraft were able to get away before the weather on the Continent closed in and the remainder of the aircraft were forced to await an improvement. They were, however, able to finally complete the task the following day the 16th.
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For 342 (Lorraine) Squadron the 16th was a special day as they were finally able to move back to their homeland. It was also a sad day as unfortunately tragedy struck when an Airspeed Consul, which was the Station hack, crashed in Camberley , killing all three crew on board. It is understood that the aircraft hit a flag pole at low level, while over-flying the French Forces main transit camp situated in the town.
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On the 17th it was the turn of 88 and 226 Squadrons to depart to Vitry with 120 personnel of their MT section following by road. A number of return trips were, however, made over the coming weeks as supplies for the bar were required until a supplier could be found in France. It wasn't long before this was accomplished and the need to 'test guns' over the Channel was dispensed with!
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[flyboy]

Following the departure of the squadrons the airfield was somewhat quieter until on the 23rd, 138 Wing arrived from RAF Lasham. It comprised three squadrons being: 107, 305 and 613, all flying Mosquito VIs. They arrived with Echelons for 'Backing Up', pending the move of the main party overseas. Their strength was approximately 200 officers, 100 NCOs and 400 other ranks.
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Having arrived on the 23rd the squadrons left again on the 25th due to a sudden change of plan much to everyone's surprise. However, probably following another change of plan they redeployed to Hartford Bridge on the 30th for a somewhat longer stay.
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Of the above, 305 was a Polish squadron, 107 Squadron was returning having previously flown Bostons from the airfield, and 613 Squadron was new to the airfield. The newly arrived squadron personnel were quite happy with the move as their new home had advantages over Lasham, not least being in the proximity of being near reasonably sized towns and easy travel up to London or to Reading by rail.
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As the month drew to a close a full scale test of the newly installed 'sunken' FIDO installation was carried out on the 27th, with 138 Wing aircraft and 34 Wing Support Unit involved in the test taking photographs. A special low-flying programme was undertaken to see if the convected air currents had any effect on the aircraft, but this proved not to be the case.
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On the 31st of October 305 Squadron carried out a night operation lasting 2hrs 15 minutes. Antwerp had been captured on the 4th September but enemy garrisons on Walcheren were stopping use of the deep water port by dominating the Scheld Estuary. First they dropped flares to help locate the target and were surrounded by light flak, but low cloud offered some cover as they ran in to drop short-fused bombs.
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At very low level it was 'Bombs Gone' and using their cannon to good effect they headed for home. An hour later back at base again they ate the full English breakfast. Their new home was sheer luxury according to the crews who had until very recently been living in tents at Lasham in the snow.
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The airfield had seen the arrival of 409 visiting aircraft during what had proved a very hectic month, most of these having been diversions. The month had certainly shown the Station role being put to the test as once the squadrons had left all the Boston and Mitchell equipment had to be packed up and dispersals cleaned ready for the Mosquitos arrival. The results had proved to be very successful however.
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It is perhaps the gallantry of the operational flying crews that is recalled in the majority of works recording the war time RAF and quite rightly so, but we should not forget the ground crews who worked extremely hard often in awful conditions. A super-human effort on their part was called upon to keep the aircraft repaired and readied for the next operation, often in a very limited period of time. Their fortitude should be remembered and recorded.
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November 1944 was to see 305 Squadron mount their first attack inside Germany on the 2nd of the month when they went into action against the railway system. This was followed on the 3rd when on a similar operation a train was located and an attack mounted. On the 6th it was West Ruhr, Krefeld and Dusseldorf in appalling weather conditions, with 60 mph winds and dealing with flak and searchlights, not a pleasant place to be!
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[flyboy]

Also on the 6th, possibly a pointer to the future as a visit was paid to the airfield by
G/Capt Carpenter, Transport Command, who came with the view of the possible transfer of the airfield to this Command. His visit was followed by another on the 9th by Wing Officer Pearson of 11 Group HQ, who came to discuss Customs arrangements for visiting aircraft from overseas.
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The 16th saw many visiting aircraft divert into the airfield due to bad weather at their home bases. This time it wasn't the odd one arriving but 40 USAAF Liberator bombers which arrived between 16.10hrs and 17.10hrs. With 400 crew on board catering and sleeping arrangements were somewhat strained. These aircraft were not able to depart until the 18th when the weather finally improved at their bases.
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It was also on the 18th that 136 Wing, 2nd TAF, formed at the airfield under the command of G/Capt Horgan and consisting of 418 and 605 Squadrons flying Mosquito V1s. 418(Canadian)Squadron had previously been based at RAF Hunsdon, Hertfordshire and were known as the 'City of Edmonton Squadron', while 605 Squadron had been at RAF Manston prior to this move and were an Auxillary Air Force Squadron.
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418 Squadron was crewed by all Canadian pilots , many holding the rank of F/Lt. They were all
ex-instructors, while their navigators were in the main British. This squadron held a highly successful record of intruder operations over Europe and their aircraft were all equipped with VHF radios and Gee radar sets. The Gee, however, was not very reliable and would often jam before reaching the enemy coast.
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The following day on the 19th of November 1944, 138 Wing departed to their new base at Epinoy, near Cambrai in France. They flew out in style as a formation of 57 Mosquitos. It was a tribute to the service crews that 100% serviceability was achieved to enable 57 aircraft to depart en masse to their new base. Once they had departed 136 Wing were able to fly in their aircraft on the 20th.
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At the same time the aircraft repair flight of 417 R&SU began to arrive from RAF Lasham to support them. The main party of 417 ARF was to arrive two days later on the 22nd. On the 24th the two newly arrived squadrons started training for low-level bombing operations in addition to air-to-ground firing. Bombing was something new to most of the crews who were more used to their previous long-range intruder role.
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On the 26th Field Marshal Montgomery landed from the Western Front in the Dakota set aside for his personal use. He arrived at 10.35hrs and departed at 12.30hrs for the return journey, having met with Field Marshal Viscount Alanbrooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, at his home in Hartley Wintney to discuss policy regarding General Eisenhower with whom Montgomery had frequent disagreements.
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Air Marshal Sir Roderick Hill KCB,MC,AFC Commander-in-Chief Fighter Command, arrived to visit 605 and 418 Squadrons to bid them farewell on their transfer from Fighter Command to 2 Group TAF. Thus ended another busy and interesting month.
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[flyboy]

Also on the 6th, possibly a pointer to the future as a visit was paid to the airfield by
G/Capt Carpenter, Transport Command, who came with the view of the possible transfer of the airfield to this Command. His visit was followed by another on the 9th by Wing Officer Pearson of 11 Group HQ, who came to discuss Customs arrangements for visiting aircraft from overseas.
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The 16th saw many visiting aircraft divert into the airfield due to bad weather at their home bases. This time it wasn't the odd one arriving but 40 USAAF Liberator bombers which arrived between 16.10hrs and 17.10hrs. With 400 crew on board catering and sleeping arrangements were somewhat strained. These aircraft were not able to depart until the 18th when the weather finally improved at their bases.
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It was also on the 18th that 136 Wing, 2nd TAF, formed at the airfield under the command of G/Capt Horgan and consisting of 418 and 605 Squadrons flying Mosquito V1s. 418(Canadian)Squadron had previously been based at RAF Hunsdon, Hertfordshire and were known as the 'City of Edmonton Squadron', while 605 Squadron had been at RAF Manston prior to this move and were an Auxillary Air Force Squadron.
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418 Squadron was crewed by all Canadian pilots , many holding the rank of F/Lt. They were all
ex-instructors, while their navigators were in the main British. This squadron held a highly successful record of intruder operations over Europe and their aircraft were all equipped with VHF radios and Gee radar sets. The Gee, however, was not very reliable and would often jam before reaching the enemy coast.
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The following day on the 19th of November 1944, 138 Wing departed to their new base at Epinoy, near Cambrai in France. They flew out in style as a formation of 57 Mosquitos. It was a tribute to the service crews that 100% serviceability was achieved to enable 57 aircraft to depart en masse to their new base. Once they had departed 136 Wing were able to fly in their aircraft on the 20th.
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At the same time the aircraft repair flight of 417 R&SU began to arrive from RAF Lasham to support them. The main party of 417 ARF was to arrive two days later on the 22nd. On the 24th the two newly arrived squadrons started training for low-level bombing operations in addition to air-to-ground firing. Bombing was something new to most of the crews who were more used to their previous long-range intruder role.
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On the 26th Field Marshal Montgomery landed from the Western Front in the Dakota set aside for his personal use. He arrived at 10.35hrs and departed at 12.30hrs for the return journey, having met with Field Marshal Viscount Alanbrooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, at his home in Hartley Wintney to discuss policy regarding General Eisenhower with whom Montgomery had frequent disagreements.
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Air Marshal Sir Roderick Hill KCB,MC,AFC Commander-in-Chief Fighter Command, arrived to visit 605 and 418 Squadrons to bid them farewell on their transfer from Fighter Command to 2 Group TAF. Thus ended another busy and interesting month.
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[flyboy]

In early Decamber 1944 the newly arrived squadrons continued to work up to operational status. Carrying 4x Hispanio Suiza 50mm cannon under the nose and 4x Browning .303 machine guns located in the nose this was a very formidable fighting machine. Add to this the capacity to carry an additional 2x 500lb bombs under the wings and these potent machines were indeed firm favourites with those lucky enough to fly them.
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On the second of the month it was announced that the name of the station was to be changed to RAF Blackbushe in the near future as there was another Hartford Bridge in Suffolk (?-Ed) to which the Post Office were continually directing mail for the station. To overcome this confusion it was decided that the easy solution was to change the name. It was to be on the 9th that the name change took place.
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The 9th Troop Carrier Command was the first USAAF unit to be based and operate from the airfield when they arrived on the 9th. Consisting of 17 officers and 44 ranks they operated seven C-47s (military Dakotas) and the Commanding Officers personal hack Lockheed Lightning. They flew supplies to the battle fronts and returned with wounded troops. They had previously been at RAF Northolt.
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Air Vice Marshal JB Cole-Hamilton CB,CBE, Air Officer Commanding 11 Group, paid a visit to the Station on the 15th when he took over command of the Group.
On the 22nd one hundred and sixteen Air Training Corps cadets arrived to spend Christmas at the Station.
418 Squadron was declared fully operational on the 24th.
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On Christmas Eve a telephone call was received from AOC Basil Embry ordering all aircraft to be bombed up and ready for an operation at first light on Christmas Day. This caused a real flap as crews had already departed on Christmas leave and contacting them was difficult. The Germans had broken through in the Ardennes and it was vital that they were repelled at all costs.
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There was fog all day on Christmas Day. An attempt was made to get the Mosquitos away using FIDO but following two accidents the operation was abandoned for the day. The crews were therefore able to join in the festivities which were attended by 1200 airmen and airwomen. Judged to be a great success this was followed in the evening by an enjoyable all ranks dance.
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RAF Blackbushe was the only airfield open on the 27th in the whole of the United Kingdom and five Dakotas were able to land, bringing back injured soldiers. The aircraft contained seventy seriously wounded and a further thirty walking cases. A fleet of 23 waiting ambulances transferred them to No.12 Royal Canadian Hospital.
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On New Years Eve, 605 and 418 Squadrons undertook their first operations from the airfield when they were despatched to strafe targets in the Ardennes. They were briefed to disrupt communications, to bomb troop build-ups and generally cause as much disruption as possible to the enemy. The intention was to support our own and Allied troops as they took part in the Battle of the Bulge.
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The total number of visiting aircraft during the month had been 625, of which 292 had been serviced by the Station Handling Party. Of the total, 352 had arrived from abroad, ensuring that the recently arrived Customs Officer was kept busy.
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>>>>>>>>>>>> 1945 <<<<<<<<<<<<<

By the beginning of the new year 418 Squadron had 22 Mosquito V1s on strength and 605 Squadron had a further 18 of the same mark available. The two squadrons often operated together in the same area and flew many 'Bulge' patrols. The average flight times being flown per mission was about 3hrs 30 minutes. These 'Bulge' missions continued for the rest of the month as support continued in the Ardennes.
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A typical example might have been an attack mounted by 418 Squadron on the 13th when they sent 12 aircraft to the Bastogne area in the Ardennes to mount an offensive against a pocket of ground resistance. A barracks and lights seen coming out of a wood, known as a hiding place for troops, were also attacked. The next day a similar attack was mounted with 16 aircraft but unfortunately one was lost.
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[flyboy]

As the end of the month approached , bad weather again closed in on the airfield but despite heavy snow the airfield was kept open by the hard working base personnel. Many pilots and crew had good reason to appreciate their efforts as they were forced to divert into the airfield when unable to use their own bases due to the weather or lack of fuel.
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Targets in the Cologne area were attacked on the 29th as 418 Squadron were able to get airborne again after snow and severe icing had made movements dangerous. They continued to attack enemy strong points which were impeding the advance of the US 9th Army as they fought their way, with difficulty and against strong opposition, into Cologne itself.
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February started with continuous support still being given to Allied troops although now they were no longer named 'Bulge Patrols' but renamed 'Ops Patrols' from the 9th of the month. Average flight times were in the region of 3hrs.
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An important meeting on the 1st was called as W/Cdr Collins and three other officers visited to discuss the possibility of the airfield being transferred to Transport Command at a future date. On the 6th a G/Cpt Hartley of the India Office, visited to see the layout of the fuel installations.
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Attacks were continuing almost daily, with crews getting whatever rest they could, as opportunity presented itself. The object of these persistent raids continued to be to harass the Germans as they continued their retreat towards the Rhine.
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As the month progressed there followed a number of visits by high-ranking officers in connection with the proposed change of use of the airfield from its current Fighter Command to 110 Wing, Transport Command, which was due to take place in mid-March.
On the 13th and 14th 418 Squadron were busy supporting the Canadian advance as they entered Kleve.
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Operation Clarion had taken place on the 22nd with dire results for the local squadrons (See full report in 'The Way it Was' page 2 -Ed) but operations continued seeing targets between the Maas and the Rhine attacked on the 24th and troop concentrations in woods near Xanten receiving attention, and being hit on the 26th.
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To end another busy month enemy targets at Meppel, Essen and within Western Germany received the attention of the squadrons who by now were well settled in but would be moved out later in the following month to be nearer the action on the Continent.
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[flyboy]

March commenced as February had ended with continual attacks by the squadrons to support the troop advance across Europe. As the troops made ground further into Germany flight times were longer with an attack requiring a flight of between 3hrs 30 minutes and 4hrs 50 minutes. Any form of transport came under attack as they were spotted by the patrolling aircraft.
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Between the 10th and 15th there was a cross-Channel shuttle of aircraft as the squadrons prepared to move to be nearer the action as the front moved further and further back into Germany. Both squadrons of 136 Wing moved out to Coxyde in Belgium on the 15th. Forty of their aircraft departed, with personnel and equipment being moved by sixteen Dakotas which arrived from RAF Bradwell Bay.
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At the same time the 9th TCC(Flight Section)USAAF, which had been running a continuous service with their Dakotas to and from the battle zone with equipment and passengers also moved out, leaving the airfield with few aircraft remaining. The airfield was handed over itself to 46 Group, Transport Command on the 20th of the month.
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Suitable facilities were soon installed to cater for the new transport role . A Section of the Casualty Air Evacuation Unit(Canadian) arrived to deal with inbound casualties and the first transport aircraft were not long to arrive being Anson twin engine light aircraft. These were quickly followed by 25 Warwicks and also Dakotas of 167 Squadron, part of 110 Wing, that arrived on the 27th from RAF Holmsley South in the New Forest, Hampshire.

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During the month the airfield had remained open and operational despite all the upheaval as 136 Wing departed and 167 Squadron arrived flying Ansons, Warwick C1 & C111s and Dakotas. All flying units had been busy with 635 visiting aircraft having been serviced by the Station Flight. 416 and 417 Aircraft Repair Flights, which were lodger units, had also contributed to this impressive total.
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The second Warwick Squadron formed at the airfield on the 4th, this was 301 (Polish) Squadron, flying similar C1 and CIII models.
There was a large fire in the forest on the south side of the airfield which burnt an area of approximately two acres. But for the prompt action of airfield personnel this could have been a lot worse.
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The last day of the month saw the departure of 417 Repair and Service Unit which moved out to Fersfield and became

417 ARF, they had previously been responsible for the repair of the 138 Wing Mosquitos.
The change from Fighter Command to Transport Command had gone smoothly with a new Passenger and Freight section plus alterations to many other sections including Briefing and Operations.
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[flyboy]

Former prisoners-of-war from South Africa arrived at the airfield from Brighton to be repatriated to their homeland on the 5th of May 1945. In all, 63 boarded South African Air Force Dakotas for the long flight home. It was decided that future flights would be made from Croydon.
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VE-Day, Victory in Europe, was celebrated in fine style on the 8th of the month as the news was received with both relief and delight by all ranks. At short notice a victory dance was organised where everyone was able to let their hair down and relax in the knowledge that they had played their part in what was an outstanding achievement.
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As the cessation of hostilities in Europe was celebrated there was a marked increase in traffic handled by the airfield. However, repeated engine failures affecting the Warwicks caused some of them to be withdrawn from service until a solution could be found and the serious problem solved. Warwick C3s continued to fly on the longer routes.
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On the 27th, 301 (Polish) Squadron were preparing to move out following their brief stay. They had only arrived on the 4th of the month but were now ordered to relocate to RAF North Weald in Essex. Already well liked and respected by the station personnel, they and local residents would be sorry to see them move out so soon.
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167 Squadron were flying on a regular basis to wide-spread destinations such as Prague, Paris ,Vienna, Brussels and Naples. They went to Malta three times weekly and also Gibraltar twice a week. They mainly used Warwick C3s on these flights having them fitted with 10 passenger seats and they also carried mail destined for Allied troops.
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The first notable event of June 1945 was the arrival of a Short Stirling which flew in from Brussels on the 2nd with 24 former prisoners-of-war on board. On the following day a further flight arrived with more ex prisoners but on landing the Stirling, a bomber and large four engine aircraft, swung off the runway and ended up on the grass beside the runway. No injuries were reported to those on board.
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On the 7th S/Ldr (later G/Capt) Peter McDermott DFC,DFM arrived from RAF Bourn in Cambridgeshire with eight 162 Squadron Mosquitos. Known as 'B' Flight they were temporarily parked in the south east corner of the airfield which meant crossing the A30 to reach the main runway. If the short runways were being used the A30 gates were kept closed and traffic diverted via the Fleet road.
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The 162 'B' Flight billet was in front of the Cricketers pub in Cricket Hill Lane. The badly insulated Nissen hut accommodation, situated in churned up grass common land, was a far cry from the brick-built, heated buildings they had recently occupied at their former base. It was a large airfield and getting about was a problem, they quickly visited the bicycle store to arrange transport for themselves.
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