Port Meadow pilot training aerodrome nr Oxford

[WolvercoteWW1]

Hi everyone, I chair a local community group looking to establish a new memorial to 17 fatalities associated with this aerodrome during 1917-18. I'm keen to glean as much info and photos as possible on this aerodrome and the people (including COs) and squadrons based there. 

• 40 Reserve/Training Sqdn present Aug 16 to Jun 17
• 17 TS Jun 17 to Oct 17
• 1 TS Oct to Dec 17
• 35 TS Dec 17 to Aug 18 (merged into 44 TDS)
• 71 TS Apr 18 to Aug 18 (ditto)
• 44 TDS Aug 18 to 1st Oct 18
• No.2 School Wireless Telephony Sept 18 to Jun 19
• 93 Squadron Oct 18 to 21 Nov 18 (unclear if actually moved in with Dolphins)

I have Ray Sturtivants book. I have seen photos taken of and by Walter Hunt Longton entitled to be Port Meadow in Feb to April 1919, but am not sure which Squadron he was with. I am presuming No.2 School of Wireless Telephony. He appeared to have his own SE5 and Camel!

 

Any help gratefully received! Our Facebook page if anyone is interested is Facebook. Com/WolvercoteWW1memorial.  We have raised £5k of a £10k target, with £6,600 needed for the memorial itself. Info board, non intrusive archaeological survey and a community event with flypast are additional aspirations if we raise the full amount.

Regards

[quemerford]

RAF Museum hold log books, photos and much WW1 RFC militaria: I have used this resource a number of times and would recommend an email to them requesting a search of their archives: they usually email a reply with a PDF of related holdings.

[WolvercoteWW1]

thanks very much. Will do. I visited in 2014 when kicking off this project, got some photos but I think I had too narrow a search request then. Regards

[seaJane]

Also might be worth contacting the Oxfordshire History Centre https://m.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/public-site/oxfordshire-history-centre at Cowley , and the Museum of Oxford https://www.oxford.gov.uk/museumofoxford

[quemerford]

Also I recall a good article on the aerodrome in the Cross & Cockade journal maybe 18 months ago?

[WolvercoteWW1]

Many thanks Sea Jane and quemerford. The OHC has been useful and is still work in progress - they are very helpful. I have not asked the City Museum directly but will now do so! We have some panels up in the Town Hall now as part of their Oxfords Great War exhibition. I think the article in CCI was that by Peter Wright. He is on our project committee and has been very helpful. CCI also featured most Home Establishment aerodromes in a series spanning a few journals. Regards

[seaJane]

I expect you've already found this?

http://www.ox.ac.uk/world-war-1/places/port-meadow

 

sJ

[mickdavis]

10 hours ago, WolvercoteWW1 said:

Hi everyone, I chair a local community group looking to establish a new memorial to 17 fatalities associated with this aerodrome during 1917-18. I'm keen to glean as much info and photos as possible on this aerodrome and the people (including COs) and squadrons based there. 

• 40 Reserve/Training Sqdn present Aug 16 to Jun 17
• 17 TS Jun 17 to Oct 17
• 1 TS Oct to Dec 17
• 35 TS Dec 17 to Aug 18 (merged into 44 TDS)
• 71 TS Apr 18 to Aug 18 (ditto)
• 44 TDS Aug 18 to 1st Oct 18
• No.2 School Wireless Telephony Sept 18 to Jun 19
• 93 Squadron Oct 18 to 21 Nov 18 (unclear if actually moved in with Dolphins)

I have Ray Sturtivants book. I have seen photos taken of and by Walter Hunt Longton entitled to be Port Meadow in Feb to April 1919, but am not sure which Squadron he was with. I am presuming No.2 School of Wireless Telephony. He appeared to have his own SE5 and Camel!

 

Any help gratefully received! Our Facebook page if anyone is interested is Facebook. Com/WolvercoteWW1memorial.  We have raised £5k of a £10k target, with £6,600 needed for the memorial itself. Info board, non intrusive archaeological survey and a community event with flypast are additional aspirations if we raise the full amount.

Regards

Peter Wright, who hails from Witney, has written about Port Meadow (from its earliest pre-war days) to the end of WWI, both in his published history of WWI aviation in Oxfordshire and in more detailed CCI articles. I suspect that 'Scruffy' Longton was with 21st Wing as Wing Examiner or as Wing Fighting Instructor, the Wireless School had BE2es and Bristol F2Bs. The pics of his Bentley Camel and SE5a suggest that he had the clout to have them maintained in pristine condition. Phil Jarrett did an excellent piece about Longton in CCI a few years ago, regarding his role in the creation of the DC Camel's inception.

[WolvercoteWW1]

many thanks Mick. Your suggestion about Longton is very helpful. I like the Wing Fighting Officer role. Capt Geoffrey F Hughes MC was Wing Examining Officer from July 18 to early, possibly mid 1919 when he went home to Australia, so if Hughes left early 19 Longton might have taken his role. Interesting! I'm waiting for NSW library to digitise Hughes 1919 diary to establish when he left Port Meadow. Regards

[Moonraker]

Memorial unveiled.

 

Moonraker

[RobertBr]

Another report from the Oxford Mail.

 

Memory of 17 airmen 'lost in the mists of time' to live on in Port Meadow