Barnstaple Aerodrome
Barnstaple Aerodrome started in 1933 & also where the North Devon flying Club was formed. By 1934 it was opened as the North Devon Airport.
Barnstaple Aerodrome
Barnstaple Aerodrome
Plan.
Barnstaple Aerodrome
I have copied this picture from Chris Ashworth's Action Stations 5 SW. I hope they do not mind.
History : Flights to the Island of Lundy were started using Rapid's, then Cardiff and Plymouth were added as destinations. May 1939 Western Airways opened a service from Penzance to Manchester which called in here.
Barnstaple Aerodrome
Norman Edgar formed a new company, Norman Edgar (Western Airways) Ltd at Whitchurch. A De Havilland Dragon was bought. New routes were added, Cardiff and Bournemouth (Christchurch). Then further Dragons were added to the fleet and by 1939 Swansea – Barnstaple – Newquay (Trebelzue) – Penzance route once daily. Also trips to Lundy Island.
Route including Barnstaple.
Western Airways Ltd
Barnstaple Aerodrome
Original Hangar.
This does look as though it could be the original hangar?
Short Scion G-ACUW parked in front of the hangar.
DH Dragon Rapide.
Short Scion six-seat passenger aircraft first flown August 18, 1933.
Barnstaple Aerodrome
Map of Lundy Island and red, the grass strip of the airfield.
Lundy Sunday Fly-in 30th June 2023.
Other Lundy flying visitors.
Barnstaple Aerodrome
Another Original Hangar.
The left hand building looks like another original hangar and Inset from the 1930's picture with a DH 60X Moth G-AAIM in front..
DH89 Dragon Rapide cockpit.
A DH 60X Moth G-AAIM first flown on the 22 February 1925.
Barnstaple Aerodrome
Flying Control/Club House.
The bungalow behind the wartime SECO huts looks like the original flying control with all the bits removed and an extension added to the side. The chimney is a good guide as they look the same.
Barnstaple Aerodrome
Air Photo of the Buildings.
White squares : three of the original buildings.
Yellow squares : could have been built after the original photo was taken.
Red square : a Blister hangar of WW2.
Barnstaple Aerodrome
Blister Hangar.
The Blister hangar was placed here around 1940 when the RAF decided to use the whole of Barnstaple Aerodrome and all the land to the west to build RAF Chivenor.
They added:
1 x Blister hangar.
4 x Bellman hangars.
4 x Hinaidi hangars.
3 x hard runways.
Accommodation for 3000 RAF & WAAF personnel.
Barnstaple Aerodrome
Double Blister Hangar.
You can see along the ridge that it is a double and originally it looks as though it was open with fittings for a curtain rail to hold canvas curtains.
Curtain doors on a Blister hangar.
Curtain rail and rings for the canvas door.
Old canvas door fittings.
Barnstaple Aerodrome
Another old Building.
This blue building could also be an original building, its made of wood and sheeted with corrugated iron and is also longer than the Blister hangar.
Barnstaple Aerodrome
Interesting bits of the wood cutting business.
Barnstaple Aerodrome
SECO Huts.
Built by Uni-Seco Structures Ltd from 1942. These were th original IKEA flat packs, they came with standard parts and were interchangeable. Seco huts were designed also to be recovered after the war and turned into emergency housing as Prefabs.
Shaped in an E format, typical of wartime use of SECO hutting as anything from flight offices to accommodation.
Barnstaple Aerodrome
SECO Huts plan.
Barnstaple Aerodrome
Another view of the SECO Huts
The white square is the area we are looking at here.
The different types of aircraft dispersals on the air photo.
Barnstaple Aerodrome
War time brick buildings.
Barnstaple Aerodrome
AEC
The AEC factory in Southall, London 27th November 1946.
1958 AEC in better condition.
AEC Matador.
© 2013 Richard Drew