Monument record 0851400000 - Halton airfield
Summary
Protected Status/Designation
- SHINE: Halton Hall medieval to post medieval manor and designed park earthworks
Map
Type and Period (1)
- MILITARY AIRFIELD (Modern - 1917 AD to 1999 AD)
Description
Halton has been associated with military flying since 1912 when 3 aeroplanes and an airship made use of the ground of Halton House then owned by Alfred Rothschild. On 10 September 1917 the Halton School of Technical Training was established to train men and boys in aircraft fitting and rigging. After the First World War the school was renamed and in 1920 became No 1 School of Technical Training (Boys) Halton. An RAF hospital was established in 1919 and a larger hospital was opened in 1927 with the opening ceremony performed by HRH Princess Mary after whom the hospital was named. In 1940 a burns unit was established and by the middle of the war Princess Mary's Hospital held over 700 equipped beds. Here in 1957 the first artificial kidney unit in Britain was set up. Alongside the camp is a grass airfield and was the last landing ground for countless old aircraft brought here for technicians to be trained upon (B1).
As part of the forces involved in the 1913 army manoeuvres, 3 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps deployed to Halton to support the operations of the Household Division. They set up a temporary airfield on what was later to become the Maitland Parade Square, which was at the time pasture. Old Worksops was built in 1917, using German PoW labour, and the current airfield was established. Alfred Rothschild died in 1918. The Royal Flying Corps had been established as the Royal Air Force and it needed permanent bases. They had already invested a considerable amount in the workshops and accommodation they had built at Halton and so eventually bought the whole property to house the new No 1 School of Technical Training. After the Cold War there was a brief fear of closure and technical training was moved to RAF Cosford but Halton is now for non-technical ground training (B2).
The earliest record of the use of Halton by military aircraft dates to 1912, when three aeroplanes and an airship taking part in military manoeuvres in the area used Halton park as a base. The first hangars on the site were two reused sea-plane hangars, augmented by tented Bessoneau hangars (B3).
Sources (7)
- ---SBC22346 Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1945. 1945 RAF vertical APs.
- ---SBC22347 Aerial Photograph: Fairey Air Survey. 1969. 1969 FSL vertical APs.
- ---SBC22348 Aerial Photograph: Cambridge Committee for Aerial Photography. 1985. 1985 Bucks County Survey vertical APs.
- <1>SBC22307 Bibliographic reference: Michael J F Bowyer. 1983. Action Stations: 6. Military airfields of the Cotswolds and the Cental Midlands. No. 6.
- <2>SBC22821 Digital archive: RAF Cultural and organizational heritage. p328-35.
- <3>SBC22266 Unpublished document: Wessex Archaeology. 2005. RAF Halton: Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment. p32.
- <4>SBC23872 Bibliographic reference: Andrew E Adam. 1983. Beechwoods and Bayonets: The Book of Halton.
Location
Grid reference | Centred SP 87287 11054 (1378m by 1599m) |
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Civil Parish | HALTON, Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (4)
Related Events/Activities (0)
Record last edited
Sep 8 2020 3:52PM