Anyone Remember West Malling Airfield?(Old Thread 2004)

Blimey Peter.. i’m surprised any of the other RAF stations had any recruits with rumours like that abounding.!:eek:

Only landed there once, March ’56, don’t remember why, possibly a weather diversion. What I really remember was that it was the premier night fighter aerodrome and I pleaded to be posted there when we were offered a choice of what we wanted to do when I came home from Egypt.
There was a story went round when I was learning that new people posted to WM were queried as to whether they were virgins ( this was the ’50s remember !). If they admitted to this they were fixed up one Saturday with a suitable lady and escorted and supervised to ensure the necessary experience was gained.

A couple of pics of the old control tower and the memorial up the road.
All taken in October 2008.

‘Swords into Ploughshares’ – I well remember Great Warbirds 1987 . A truely
cracking line up and many aircraft and people which are sadly no longer with us.
Much as I hate to see it gone I sometimes wonder if this is something we can really influence. Certainly the unusual and particularily historic deserves to survive but the reality is that we live in a small country with an increasing population. Sadly in many cases we will only be left with ‘Hart Drive’ and ‘Stirling Way’ as the bland housing estates and industrial units take over.

hi I was there 1987 great flyin i flew in with my cub GBDOL saw Bear cat landing and had a lovely time . Had to leave the aircraft next day due to bad weather.
ms. una allman

I don’t I’m afraid, but remember that it was rebuilt there and had special permission to take off and depart when the restoration was completed. Looking back through my own logbooks (I didnt get my first ride in it until August 1993), I would have presumed it was late 1992 as it was registered to its first owners and rebuilders (Peter Monk and Andrew Savage) in July 1992.

Martin

IIRC the Harvard was assembled and then flown a number of times from the airfield, but moved away prior to METAIR shutting it’s facility. Gliding continued with 618VGS until August 1994, but seem to recall that my cousin landed an AAC Lynx late on in the Summer of 1993 during METAIR’s last few days, making it the last powered flight under West Malling Air Traffic Control and possibly the last powered flight.

Learn’t to fly Sedburgs and Cadet MkIIIs early 70s here via 40F squadron Maidstone. Saw many of the Airshows here also.

This was the one with a commemoration teddy bear was stuck on all the participants, I believe after a fellow pilot had been killed in a Harvard earlier in the year??

Ted White was killed in Harvard Mk.III G-ELLY which crashed in Malta on 22 June 1982. The starboard inner engine of Sally B is painted in a yellow and black chequer pattern (same as the Harvard’s cowling) as a memorial to Mr White.

Martin

The last a/c movement I was aware of was an AAC lynx. Do you know when the Harvard flew out?

I don’t I’m afraid, but remember that it was rebuilt there and had special permission to take off and depart when the restoration was completed. Looking back through my own logbooks (I didnt get my first ride in it until August 1993), I would have presumed it was late 1992 as it was registered to its first owners and rebuilders (Peter Monk and Andrew Savage) in July 1992.

Martin

Learnt to fly Sedburgs and Cadet MkIIIs early 70s here via 40F squadron Maidstone. Saw many of the Airshows here also.

This was the one with a commemoration teddy bear was stuck on all the participants, I believe after a fellow pilot had been killed in a Harvard earlier in the year??

The last a/c movement I was aware of was an AAC lynx. Do you know when the Harvard flew out?

Harvard Mk.4 G-BUKY was the last aeroplane to fly out of the airfield.

Martin

Simple economics dictate whether airfields will survive or not. Property developers can afford to spend vast sums to enable projects to go ahead. Reality is that the vast majority of airfields in the U.K were developed to meet a need i.e the 1939-45 war . They wern’t designed as long term developments – they served a need. Now we are faced with a public perception of development where it’s far more desirable to build on brown field sites i.e airfields rather than unspoilt countryside.
The difficult balancing act is to ensure that the important buildings survive and the lesser items are seen as ‘expendable’ to some degree.
It’s also worth pointing out that the airfields that survive to this day have in many cases been developed far from their wartime layout. Is the preservation about the very land itself or the buildings that exist on it? North Weald for example does have a number of buildings which are new to the site – in some ways it’s actually preferable to have later buildings which are maybe larger or more usable if it adds economic prosperity to the site. As the size of the population increases and the demands we make of the land also changes
we are going to have to target key buildings of aeronautical importance
in the hope that we can preserve them. Maybe some effort should be made to examine airfields and find undeveloped examples of both ‘Fighter’ and ‘Bomber’ airfields which could be sympathetically restored and used.

Sadly that will never happen the individual planning comittees of different boroughs have their own ideas and agendas little of it with any logic.
The back handers that no doubt take place are also a problem.
Also nothing of any historic worth especially in Kent is safe,what the real problem is, is the decision process of what is saved.
I personally dont agree with not building on countryside, a lot of it is in reality boring farmland. In the Medway towns they have packed in so much development on so called brown field, that this has resulted in Napoleonic forts being destroyed or converted beyond recognition.
So airfields stand no chance.

anyone remember west malling

hello Melwick and Zimmer man – I was also there too – (before I was famous & before Melwick got a weariin and before Zimmer retired) and caught Chris Bevan in a spitting mood – luckily Zimmer had shuffled off into the distance before the enclosed was taken otherwise he’d have been in the hot seat
lots of love
Jim Dobbs

Well thanks to all those who posted the pics although it’s sad to see it’s gradual distruction. 🙁

I had seen some pics before of it after the developers moved in but that first one Eric posted bought home just how much of a mess the airfield looks today. 😡

As for the other airfields, well I guess we’ve got a big fight on our hands. :diablo:

I can see the point of some that they have served their purpose and that some have more of a history and importance than others. But I really hate the idea of seeing them turned into massive and tastless housing, shopping and industrial estates by some cash hungry overseas developer. 😡

Of course, I’d much prefer it if they remained, but if they are going to be made use of, I’d rather see them returned to farmers fields. At least then they still bare some sort of resemblence to how the were.

Going back to some of the sites listed, it seems Dunsfold’s future seems reasonable at present. Apart from BBC filming Top Gear there, I believe it is a popular place for business’s to hold corporate events and other functions and there was rumour in the local press a while back of turning it into a civil airport although many locals started to kick up a fuss as you’d expect. :rolleyes:

I’m alarmed to hear about Cambridge’s days being numbered. I’ll look out for your thread Mike.

Btw, with all this talk of West Malling, it’s reminded me that I have some video footage of the 1984 show (pics in earlier posts) which I’ve been meaning to transfer on to DV and then the PC.

When I get some space freed up on my Hard Drive, I’ll have a crack at doing it and see about uplaoding it.

Cheers

Paul

Are you sure. Some people appear to be born old.

It is nice to see pics of West Malling before the builders moved in. Especially the blast walls. They were the first things to be broken up as the builders were able to use them for hardcore on the early construction phases on the accommodation side of the airfield.

Now, I may be wrong (it almost happened once but I got away with it) but since I was born old I can remember Magical Mystery Tour.

I always thought Malling was used for the I am the Walrus segment, complete with the glider that flies about the group as they are playing.

No sorry, I’d been drinking.

How unlike you

I wonder if Mark12’s Zimmer is made from old Hawker fuselage tubing?

We could probably have a flyable Typhoon if we broke it apart and reassembled it as an airframe.
Cheers
Andy

Yes but the poor dear would be so heartbroken.

And immobile.

and in what continent?

…1959.

Here the Gate Guardian then, a well known Spitfire Mk XIX, PS915.

(Melwick was still in his pram)

Mark

Just about out of my pram then.
Not by much though.

…

(Melwick was still in his pram)

Mark

Are you sure. Some people appear to be born old.

It is nice to see pics of West Malling before the builders moved in. Especially the blast walls. They were the first things to be broken up as the builders were able to use them for hardcore on the early construction phases on the accommodation side of the airfield.

Moral obligation?
From me?
Are you sure?
M

No sorry, I’d been drinking.

I wonder if Mark12’s Zimmer is made from old Hawker fuselage tubing?

We could probably have a flyable Typhoon if we broke it apart and reassembled it as an airframe.
Cheers
Andy

…and my first trip to West Malling…

…1959.

Here the Gate Guardian then, a well known Spitfire Mk XIX, PS915.

(Melwick was still in his pram)

Mark

Melwick,

No no no. 1984 was pre zimmer frame.

only just.

Uncle Doug said – “Just rest your weary hip on the trailing edge old boy”.

Mark

Or we could say look at that ar5e on the Spitfire!

M