Hainault and Fairlop airfields

[danbetis]

Hi all,

I am researching First World War airfields and have found references to Hainault Farm WW1 airfield as well as Fairlop WW2 airfields which are very close together - what im not sure is wherther they are just one airfield used in both wars or was one in the first and the other a separate airfield in the second world war. different sources say different things and im confused - if anyone has any info on Hainault Farm that would be great!

Cheers

dan

[dfaulder]

Hi all,

I am researching First World War airfields and have found references to Hainault Farm WW1 airfield as well as Fairlop WW2 airfields which are very close together - what im not sure is wherther they are just one airfield used in both wars or was one in the first and the other a separate airfield in the second world war. different sources say different things and im confused - if anyone has any info on Hainault Farm that would be great!

Cheers

dan

I presume that you have found http://www.prcraig.com/hainaultfarmAerodrome.htm?

David

[danbetis]

I presume that you have found http://www.prcraig.com/hainaultfarmAerodrome.htm?

David

hi david,

Yes i have and a great site with lots of information - but still confused over whether fairlop is/was hairnault or not? any ideas?

[per ardua per mare per terram]

Welcome to the forum Dan

These airfields were complicated!

Hainault Farm in WW1 was an RFC airfield.

There was an RNAS Landing Ground at Fairlop in WW1; a sub station of RNAS Chingford.

Fairlop's WW2 airfield was on a different site again!

Btw the WW1 Sutton Farm airfield became RAF Hornchurch.

John Barfoot, Over Here and Over There - Ilford aerodromes and airmen in the Great War, (Ian Henry Publications Ltd, Romford, 1998) has some details of these grounds.

[dfaulder]

hi david,

Yes i have and a great site with lots of information - but still confused over whether fairlop is/was hairnault or not? any ideas?

I don't know the area - just looking at photographs on Google Maps (I have added Hainault Farm to the Google Map of Great War Sites in the UK that we are developing (see separate thread). I hope I have identified the right side of the road). Usually you can see in photographs evidence of WW2 runways, the lack of them tend to point towards postwar disturbance - in this case gravel extraction - so the "new" lake may be the site. The local council website indicates that Fairlop was an extension of Hainault Farm.

However the last two links on this website indicate that Fairlop and Hainault Farm were separate sites in WW1 - with photos showing the boundaries.

David

[per ardua per mare per terram]

David I read the council link, but could not find a reference to Hainault Farm; it is only talking about Fairlop.

As I mentioned in my previous post, there were seperate sites in WWI each operated under different authorities. I know that the deeds for for Fairlop are held at Kew. On 30th March 1918 there was a survey of RNAS aircraft and stations, extracts from which were printed in Capt S W Roskill RN,Documents Relating to the Naval Air Service 1908-1918, (Navy Records Society, London, 1969)

[danbetis]

David I read the council link, but could not find a reference to Hainault Farm; it is only talking about Fairlop.

As I mentioned in my previous post, there were seperate sites in WWI each operated under different authorities. I know that the deeds for for Fairlop are held at Kew. On 30th March 1918 there was a survey of RNAS aircraft and stations, extracts from which were printed in Capt S W Roskill RN,Documents Relating to the Naval Air Service 1908-1918, (Navy Records Society, London, 1969)

HI Per ardua per mare per terram

thanks for the info - you can see why i was confused with the different sites - so now there are 3 sites - i know where hainault farm is and the ww2 fairlop site but what about the RNAS site at Fairlop

another good site to find info on the essex ww1 airfields is the Essex historic environment record - it lists a whole load of ww1 airfields although the majority were just emergency landing grounds - part of the home defence network protecting london from zeppellin and later gotha attacks - unfortunately fairlop and hainault are in teh greater london area (although i thought at first it was essex).

i will google rnas fairlop and see what i can find and try to look for the roskill document

thanks everyone and il look at the google map thread - oh david in the link you gave me there is a plan of the site on top of a photo - its lined up the wrong way round but you can match it up to google easily enough - good luck

[per ardua per mare per terram]

1) i know where hainault farm is and the ww2 fairlop site but what about the RNAS site at Fairlop

2) unfortunately fairlop and hainault are in teh greater london area (although i thought at first it was essex).

1) If you contact the local studies department they should be able to provide details of its location. local.studies@redbridge.gov.uk I met the researcher who had found the deeds for WWI Fairlop coming back from Kew after her gold strike. The WWI site was sold in 1919; the WW2 site was built to accomodate potentially much larger aircraft.

2) Both Fairlop & Hainalt were nabbed by Greater London on it's creation in 1965, before that they were Essex and the modern county seems to have disowned them! Whereas the Post Office still regards them as in Essex.

[danbetis]

1) If you contact the local studies department they should be able to provide details of its location. local.studies@redbridge.gov.uk I met the researcher who had found the deeds for WWI Fairlop coming back from Kew after her gold strike. The WWI site was sold in 1919; the WW2 site was built to accomodate potentially much larger aircraft.

2) Both Fairlop & Hainalt were nabbed by Greater London on it's creation in 1965, before that they were Essex and the modern county seems to have disowned them! Whereas the Post Office still regards them as in Essex.

Hi per ardua per mare per terram

Thanks for the info - il get in contact with redbridge.

Its been very confusing with greater london and essex - there is very little or no info on the greater london her site but essex has extensively recorded WW1 airfields and has good records!

I am doing a research project for the NMR (English Heritage) on First World War airfields and am trying really hard to produce an accurate list and description of all the airfields - but for some its very difficult. - i have become very interested and am planning trips to visit some near to me - old sarum, yatesbury etc.... there are still some great WW1 buildings still out there!

thanks again

dan

[per ardua per mare per terram]

Its been very confusing with greater london and essex - there is very little or no info on the greater london her site but essex has extensively recorded WW1 airfields and has good records!

The problem is not confined to Essex or to WWI, it occurs around London with the areas supposedly intigrated in 1965. I had great trouble researching around Heathrow.

Those counties affected by the 1974 administrative changes seem to have reacted better.

[Brian Curragh]

I am doing a research project for the NMR (English Heritage) on First World War airfields and am trying really hard to produce an accurate list and description of all the airfields - but for some its very difficult. - i have become very interested and am planning trips to visit some near to me - old sarum, yatesbury etc.... there are still some great WW1 buildings still out there!

thanks again

dan

Dan

As David has mentioned in post 5 above, we are trying to pull together a collection of extant WW1 sites in the UK - so if it is possible to get a list off you at some point of the airfields, we can add them to the project.

Regards

Brian

[danbetis]

Dan

As David has mentioned in post 5 above, we are trying to pull together a collection of extant WW1 sites in the UK - so if it is possible to get a list off you at some point of the airfields, we can add them to the project.

Regards

Brian

hi Brian,

no problem - i think its a great idea....all the sites i research will be on the PastScape website (the WW2 sites are already there) and i will let everyone know when ive finished - im researching the WW1 airfields that didnt continue and were used again in WW2 so its even more difficult. However i am very surprised at the number of extant buildings there are from WW1!

Let me know if there are any particular sites that need clarifying - however i have only covered the south so far!

Regards

Dan

[Brian Curragh]

Dan

Thanks for the pointer to the PastScape site (here) - there are some relevant sites already in there (search for either "Great War" or WW1) which I will have a look at.

But if you can update us when your airfields go in - that would be great.

Regards

Brian

[per ardua per mare per terram]

Whilst looking for something completely different, I have found that Frederick Handley Page rented some land at Fairlop c.1911 to provide better a landing ground than his then works near Barking (CH Barnes, revised by DN James Handley Page Since 1907, Putnam, London, 1987 page 10). It was also close to AV Roe's works in the Lea Valley.

[danbetis]

Whilst looking for something completely different, I have found that Frederick Handley Page rented some land at Fairlop c.1911 to provide better a landing ground than his then works near Barking (CH Barnes, revised by DN James Handley Page Since 1907, Putnam, London, 1987 page 10). It was also close to AV Roe's works in the Lea Valley.

Thanks for the info Il check it out....

I got in contact with Redbridge and they have given me info on the site - an RNAC site at Fairlop but the other side of the road from the WW2 site

Thanks for your help

Dan

[Guest]

Hi 

 

I used to live one mile from Raf Fairlop and Hainault farm in Barkingside during the 1950s and 60s and I remember the runways and some buildings of raf Fairlop airfield .  Raf Fairlop was about one mile up from Fairlop underground station on the right hand side evading towards Hainault.  this area has since been converted into a sand reclaim action area and then Into a boating lake and golf course. As far as I know nothing remains of raf Fairlop. 

 

My my father was at RAF Fairlop during the war but he us no longer with us and he used to take me for walks across the old airfield and explain to me what buildings were there etc but my memory has faded with accuracy. 

 

Hainault farm is about a mile further on up Fairlop / forest road to the first major road on your right - turn right and travel about a mile and the old airfield is on your left. .  Back in the early 60s I worked on some electrical systems in some buildings at the side if the road that were alledgidly left over from WW1 but I doubt if that's true, maybe on the site of older buildings. According to Google Map there are still buildings at the site where I worked but they may be new structures. 

 

I hope this helps 

 

Dave

 

 

[GROBBY]

RAF Hainault was the othe side of the underground railway from Barkingside and streched to the road running to the right from Forest Road .There is a small hanger still on site and is now a childrens play area .The lake is now  where the runways were .The road onto the lake area is whats left of the taxiways .RFC Hainault was on the other side of the road where up to a coulple of years ago they still had the original hangers and MT buildings ( now since replaced with moden copys ) Fairlop was on the  opposite side of the road to  RAF Hainault  . The cottages which were used by the sqdns are still there

[alex revell]

Like Guest 3 years ago, I grew up in Barkingside from 1935 until the early 50s. My memory of the airfields is that in WW2 the RAF aerodrome was as Guest described. Leaving Fairlop, the long  field on the right, until the turning to the right to the old site of  RFC Hainault. My memory is that  at that junction, the road carried on up the hill to crossroads at the top. The field on the left, going up the hill, was the site of a private flying club.  I often went pre war to see the flying there. One day a service machine - I think a Hawker Hart  or Demon -  landed there, coming to a stop just before a large pond or small lake  at the bottom. I distinctly remember the pilot climbing out, taking off, throwing his flying helmet on the ground in disgust and shouting: what blankedly... blankedly... blank idiot thought this would be suitable for service aerodrome?. He had obviously been detailed to find out. I believe a badly damaged Flying Fortress later crash landed there and ended up in the lake/pond.

Returning from sweeps, the Spits in WW2 flew low over our house and I would wave to the pilots from the roof of our  garden shed.  Always got some waves  back. Playing in the garden one day, I heard an aircraft and casually looking up saw it was  Heinkel  - in those days I was an avid spotter and could probably have told the mark at a glance. Needless to say I dived for the house. When it was followed by a Thunderbolt, and then a Spit, I realised something was not as it seemed. It turned out that various aeroplanes were at the base for evaluation or some such thing, and I saw many different types from then on.  After the war, as a member of a youthful jazzband, we used to rehearse in one of the disused bunkers on the old airfield. We could make as much noise there as we liked, plus the acoustics were excellent, making us sound far better than we were!  I have a dim memory that just pre war the private flying club had disbanded, but the old club house was still there and two aeroplanes - Moths-  left in sheds at the top of the field. I've no idea why they should have been left but remember sitting in them and being Biggles :-)