In everyone’s(!) favourite aviation film, there is a scene where Michael Caine’s squadron has been bombed out of its home airfield and is sent to “that dump of a flying club”. The next shot shows the squadron waiting to take off from “South Downs Flying Club” (as evidenced by the name atop one of the airfield’s huts).
What I want to know is: did this ever happen? Were any RAF fighter squadrons ever shipped off to smaller airfields (NOT satellite airfields)?
I don’t recall seeing any similar events in any books, but that obviously doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, even if only briefly.
:confused:
By: bazv - 30th October 2018 at 20:36
To answer the original question,not always a complete Sqn or even a complete flight but sometimes just a couple of a/c,I believe a couple of Hurricanes were based at Parham (Storrington)W Sussex (now used by Southdowns Gliding Club) but the airfield then was almost twice the area it is nowadays.
By: bazv - 30th October 2018 at 20:25
The coastal take off scene was filmed at Hawkinge (near Folkestone) – sadly not too much of the airfield left these days.
By: QldSpitty - 29th October 2018 at 08:13
Manston was on the coast wasnt it?
By: KurtB - 28th October 2018 at 21:03
They were taking off over the coast in one scene though, or is that clever editing? Def Duxford in one scene though.
By: Seafuryfan - 28th October 2018 at 20:05
I think it may have been either Hawkinge, or a corner of Duxford.
By: KurtB - 28th October 2018 at 17:37
Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but what was the location of the South Downs Flying Club in the movie?
By: spitfireman - 24th June 2009 at 00:33
Roborough airfield Plymouth not taken over by military until 1942,
257 squadron operated Gladiators and later Hurricanes from 39 to 41.
236 squadron dispersed out of RAF St Eval during the BOB
Baz
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June 23, 2009 at 10:34 pm