Old Wartime Airfields in Cumbria.

[topper]

Is anyone interested in the History of the Old Wartime Airfiels in Cumbria ,and the types of aircraft that flew from them.

[Chris Gurney]

There was a fair bit mentionedat the Walney Airshow in 2005, hence why they had the Avro Anson and Miles Magister there as they flew from the field during the second world war. Any more info would be most welcome, i know of RAF Millom and of course Kirkbride which was a major store after the war but as for any more info, it would be most useful.

[topper]

I can only say what I saw at Kingstown Airfield during the war and a short time before the war I was only about five when my Dad who was the Groundsman on the airfield used to take me with him to cut the Grass it was an all grass field. The Border Flying Club was there at the time Mr Potter was the Head man he used to allow me to sit in the aircraft when they were parked outside the Clubhouse I remember Taylor Cubs and Austers .During the war they had Miles Magisters and the Tiger Moths One morning I recall several of them crashed because of frost and ice on the wings one actually crashed through the roof of my uncles house the Toll Bar at the North end of the village..

In front of our house across the road from us was a Petrol Station run by a Gentleman called Mr Hogg and before the war I can remember aircraft taxiing up the rear of the Petrol station to refuel from a pump with a long arm that swung the pipe over the fence to the aircraft I wish I could find a photograph of that scene.

After the war it reverted back to a civil Airport The Air Navigation and Trading Company from Blackpool used to run Flights to the Isle of Man I can remember the serial Numbers of two of the De Havilland Rapides (1) GAKNW and(2) GAKZT in the old phoetic alphabet that would be George Able King Nan Willie and George Able King Zebra Tare.

["YellowBelly"]

I am always interested to hear about old airfields and wrecks in cumbria, thanks for the great read keep it coming...

[topper]

I wonder if anyone remembers the Stirling Bomber that landed at Kingstown and when trying to take off again it got stuck in the mud it was there for days and the American Fighter a twin engined twin fuselage Lightning that crashed when it came into land I saw that happen it spun round and round and finished up on top of the airfield hedge when the rescue team went to assist the pilot the first thing he handed to them out of the cockpit was his small Terrier Dog.

Another interesting Aircraft was an Auto Gyro which visited the airfield it was fortunate that it was playtime at school otherwise we would not have seen it.

[topper]

Other Airfields in Cumbria during the WW2 were RAF Silloth, RNAS Anthorn, and RAF Crosby Crosby I think is now the Carlisle Airport

[topper]

Reading through these messages brought back another childhood memory at the start of WW2 i was 5 years old and I can remember my Dad taking me to look at an old Bomber even by the standards in 1939 it was in the Hanger and I can remember standing beside the Main Wheels of the aircraft and they seemed huge then looking up at the nose there was a machine gun turret like a dustbin attached to the nose I cannot for the life of me remember the name of that aircraft could it have been a Heyford or something like that.

[Chris Gurney]

was trying to find a decent piccy of a heyford and this is all i could find...

And yes Crosby did become Carlisle as far as i know.

["YellowBelly"]

["YellowBelly"]

I would be interested to know about any WW2 crashes and wrecks in the West Cumbria area.

[topper]

Many thanks Yellowbelly Those oictures ring a bell in my memory especially the size of the Main Undercarriage wheels.