Baders Crash

Mike informs me not to call it a quarry but a gravel pit,gravel and sand was taken out,initially by hand.The airfield after it was sold was dug out to a depth of 12 feet before housing commenced.The site where the stuff was buried was indicated by some missing trees.It was besides the Miles Canteen at the beginning of Perimeter Road.I hope this makes some sense to someone as I`ve never been there,just relaying a story that I thought might be of interest from a really nice,i would say honest,and knowledgable chap.There might be many people that have studied Woodley in minute detail and know a lot more about it..just retelling a story from someone who owned the site so don`t shoot the miles messenger !! The family of William May still own the house in Sooning too.

They were small hand dug holes really rather than Quarries.The chap that tipped the engines from his horse and cart was the same chap that dug out the quarry for a shilling a tonne.He took Mike out (William Mike Brockway) out and pointed out the spot where the stuff was buried,I don`t know which paper covered the story but I can try and find out.Mike cleared out the shed which was mainly chairs and drawing boards,(he still has the a drawing board from there at home.He also,besides the cans of film,got numerous engine spares all new including Merlin stuff .pistons and con rods (which I`ve seen) He has his main interst in collecting tractors and just keeps the bits as ornaments.

It is about 3 miles, by road, from Sonning to Woodley. One has to ‘dog-leg’ via the bridge over the railway line at Shepherd’s Hill.

No need to go via. Shepherds Hill, the direct route would be by Butts Hill Rd or Duffield Rd.& Pound Ln. Only 2 miles.

Great, does that mean I can get to log some time on the Gemini?

Moggy

Small quarry or big newspaper?

Nothing about a small quarry, but I once went to a medium that told me all about the hidden drawings (that still exist) of the M-52 and all the engines burried.

She also told me everything about Mr. Baders at the Stork Hotel in Liverpool. Apparently he staied there for some time, and me and Moggy are the same person

Not being hard.. it just read funny. 🙂

Oh don’t be hard on hindenburg. I have no doubt that he’s going to expand upon the story that is, I am sure, a revelation to all of those of us who thought that they were knowledgeable on this subject. In the meantime I’ll go back to Don Brown’s book and the biography of Blossom Miles to see what, if anything, they have to say about the post-war Miles Aircraft drawing office and a quarry being used as a dump for their aircraft engines.

Small quarry or big newspaper?

:D:D:D

The other thing he told me was he located the quarry where Miles tipped all their engines, this was covered by the local newspaper

Small quarry or big newspaper?

further to my post regarding Baders crash, I mentioned that I knew a guy in the village that used to own Woodley airfield I caught up with William Brockway yesterday and over a beer he told me some interesting stories, one was that he bought the hut that was the old Miles aircraft drawing office for use as a building on his farm, the deal was he had to dispose of the contents himself he found lots of cans of 16mm development films some of which he still has, he loaned 3 of the best to a well known curator of a museum and never got them back, 1 of them was entitled ‘Aero van on skis’ shot in colour and sound at a snow covered Shoreham in 1947.
The other thing he told me was he located the quarry where Miles tipped all their engines, this was covered by the local newspaper but it was very quickly built on with housing.

Ignorance is bliss :p

Someone put the poor boy out of his misery, please!

Everyone knows Storks deliver Baders…

Ignorance is bliss :p

Oooh nooo, you haven’t watched ‘Reach for the Sky’ recently! I suspect that Philips & Powis Ltd. (aka Miles Aircraft) owned Woodley at the time of the accident. Oh and by the way, is there any truth in the rumour that Bader spent part of his post-hospitalisation convalescence at the Stork Rest Home in Liverpool (I must wash my mouth out with soap!)?

Oooh nooo, you haven’t watched ‘Reach for the Sky’ recently! I suspect that Philips & Powis Ltd. (aka Miles Aircraft) owned Woodley at the time of the accident. Oh and by the way, is there any truth in the rumour that Bader spent part of his post-hospitalisation convalescence at the Stork Rest Home in Liverpool (I must wash my mouth out with soap!)?

Aaaaargh!

Oooh nooo, you haven’t watched ‘Reach for the Sky’ recently! I suspect that Philips & Powis Ltd. (aka Miles Aircraft) owned Woodley at the time of the accident. Oh and by the way, is there any truth in the rumour that Bader spent part of his post-hospitalisation convalescence at the Stork Rest Home in Liverpool (I must wash my mouth out with soap!)?

Noooooo…..not the Stork Hotel again! This must be longest time in the history of the forum that the dreaded Stork Hotel has not cropped up!!

I`ve just been mailed by William Mays Grandaughter and told he was the doctor for the whole of wolkingham area.

Woodley was a Phillips and Powis aerodrome and flying club and as such would not have had any medical staff. In all probability the nearest ambulance would come from the RBH in my opinion.

John

I don’t know much about Woodley but if it was an RAF station wouldn’t there have been a medic there anyway?

Oooh nooo, you haven’t watched ‘Reach for the Sky’ recently! I suspect that Philips & Powis Ltd. (aka Miles Aircraft) owned Woodley at the time of the accident. Oh and by the way, is there any truth in the rumour that Bader spent part of his post-hospitalisation convalescence at the Stork Rest Home in Liverpool (I must wash my mouth out with soap!)?

I don’t know much about Woodley but if it was an RAF station wouldn’t there have been a medic there anyway?

Thanks for the gen. I`ve forwarded the details to his grandaughter who I was at college with.Another interesting connection is a chap who now lives in our small village used to apparently own Woodley aerodrome (sold for development now?)He had one of the largest collection of tractors in the country.