Lympne in the 1920/30s

Thanks, Pondskater. I did spend some time trawling through the FlightGlobal archive searching against Lympne. Even confining the search to the period 1918-39, it was frightening how much material there is – especially when I am just looking for a high hedge or a line of low trees, the only useful identifying feature in the photographs!

Having failed to find anything that ties up with the collection of photographs that I was shown, I’m beginning to fear that I might be barking up the wrong tree in thinking that they were taken at Lympne. Originally the owners of the photographs thought that they might have been taken at the long gone Wilmington Aerodrome, but they don’t tally with the modern landscape of that site and someone with pre-war memories of that aerodrome doubts that they were taken there.

I assume that you’ve had a look at the Flight Archive?

There are lots of reports of competitions staged at Lympne, including photos of the machines and airfield. The detail you need may well be there.

Try these:
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1924/1924%20-%200634.html?search=lympne

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1923/1923%20-%200342.html

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1929/1929%20-%200687.html?search=lympne

You can specify the date range on the search page here:http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/index.html

Oh well, I’m still waiting to be directed!

…………………but I’ve now given up waiting!

Oh well, I’m still waiting to be directed!

The zoo was/is on the other side of the road a bit nearer Aldington.

Isn’t part of the airfield now the zoo?? or am I thinking of somwhere else?

Port Lympne Zoo (which was, I think, owned by John Aspinall) is adjacent to the airfield site but I’m not sure that it occupies part of it.

The “other” Blackpool airfield, Stanley Park, is now a zoo. Was that the one?

It may also be worth asking on the AiX forum too, there are a number of Kent locals on there that may be able to help as well.

I’d be very interested in seeing some of the photos as well.

Isn’t part of the airfield now the zoo?? or am I thinking of somwhere else?

I have a book “Lympne Airport in old photographs” by David G Collyer, published by Alan Sutton Publishing Stroud. ISBN 0-7509-0169-1. This may give some clues but the photos are generally poorly reproduced.
I spent many happy hours hanging over the fence in the period 1944-49, even worked there a few months in 1949. Had my first flight with Sqdn Ldr Hugh Kennard in his new Auster Autocrat 1946. Another super memory were the Air Races held 1946, 47 and 48. How about a Walrus winning an air race. The 1947 Lympne High Speed Handicap was run for the Hythe Aero Trophy and £100. Contestants were a Spit 24, Vampire F1, Hawker Fury F1, and Seafang F32. Worth a fortune to see such a race now if only insurance could be obtained, I’m ignoring elfin safety of course.

If those who are the owners of the collection of the photographs assent, I’d be delighted to do so. Until then, I can only hope for help. If I can assist in identifying the location of the photographs then, I suspect, the assent of the owners may be more readily forthcoming. So it’s over to you now!

Post some on here & we can all see!