Derelict airframes at Gatwick

Ah Hamsey Green

Hangar (Boulton Paul) base and door runners still there amongst the stabling.
Also some wartime structures A R Shelters.
Now sports fields but apart from growth of hedges/trees and some fencing still intact i think.
At least one aircraft still around from then “used for nipping down to Shorts Rochester apparently”.
The hangar (no aircraft) burnt down in the 60’s, i think it was being used for hay /machinery storage by then.

Thank you, Dave. The reference to the derelict aeroplanes at the long gone Hamsey Green aerodrome is also interesting.

I have it on good authority that they are buried under the perfume display in Terminal One Duty Free. Barring a miracle, they are unlikely to appear at Legends …

And there was I thinking that I was being inexplicably drawn to the perfume display by the glamorous sales assistants…..:D

I have scaned the letter.

Dave

I have it on good authority that they are buried under the perfume display in Terminal One Duty Free. Barring a miracle, they are unlikely to appear at Legends …

ohh i dont know, they had loads of stuff for sale at Legends last year, nothing to stop some enterprising person bringing along some Brut , Old Spice or Kung Fu to sell to the grateful public….

Ok. New Year resolution, no more daft jokes.

I used to live just down the road during my childhood. But back to the subject in question. Dave, thanks for the photo and did the letter say any more than farnboroughrob has related in his post?

You obviously know Gatters better than I do!

Well they moved them a b****y long way as the current airport terminals are on the site of the former Gatwick NH horse racing course. I can just hear the commentator: “…..and the leader’s just cleared the Avro 504 and is approaching the open fence made from the remains of a DH Moth…….”. No, somehow I don’t think so!

I have it on good authority that they are buried under the perfume display in Terminal One Duty Free. Barring a miracle, they are unlikely to appear at Legends …

Here’s the photo that was with the letter in the Aeroplane Spotter.

Dave

Gatwick

Monocoupe 70 G-AADG was also broken up at Gatwick in 1947

dh83

I too have that Aeroplane spotter mag, from December 1947 it mentioned an unknown Avro 504N and a DH60 G-EBMF.The 504 was a ex Air Publicity machine but the c/n plate had been removed and the wings burnt. EBMF was not impressed so I guess it was allready WFU in 1939. Not mentioned in the report but others may be G-ABTR Spartan 3 seater burnt Gatwick 1947, G-AEOK Portfield 35 burnt 1947, G-AFWX DH60 scraped Gatwick 1946
I believe Southern Aircraft brought a number of impressed aircraft post ww2 so I guess those that had been wfu and not impressed were used for spares?

Thank you, Dave & Farnboroughrob, I’m very grateful to you.

The only airframes that I know were there were Porterfield 35-70 G-AEOK; Spartan Three Seater G-ABTR; a DH.60 Moth; and a DH.87 Hornet Moth. These are mentioned briefly in Arthur Ord-Hume’s book.

I too have that Aeroplane spotter mag, from memory it mentioned an Avro 504 and a DH60, will try and track it down.

Ther was something in the Aeroplane Spotter magazine at that time, I beleive.
I’ll have to go through them and have a look.

Dave