Thanks to those that have PM’d me with information, if I have not got back to you please be patient (working away from home at this time) I will get back to you all asap.

local search turned this up….

BEDFORD SCHOOL OF FLYING, BARTON.The contents of the above, including:
Workbenches, trestles, quantity of mild steel and aluminium,
large quantity of various scrap metals.

De Havilland Moth, Avro Avion, Aeronca and Marenz special air frames,
Gipsy I, VI, Cirrus III and Hermes II aero engines,
air screws and numerous other Effects.

To be Sold by Auction by QWAFFIELD & QON
(Henry Swaflield, N. B. Foster, Leslie J. Swaffield),
at BARTON AIRPORT, BEDS, on THURSDAY, 19th DECEMBER, 1940, at 11 a.m. punctually.
May be viewed Wednesday, the 18th instant, between
10 a.m. and 3.30 p.m., and on morning of
sale, and catalogues with Conditions of Sale obtained
from the Auctioneers, 35, New Bedford Road,
Luton (Telephone: 2016), and Market Place, Ampthill
(Telephone: 11).

OK another twist…

taken from the USAF air crash records..
441212 P-51D 44-13769 BARTON-IN-THE CLAY, HITCHIN 361
from this do I correctly read:
date: 12/12/44
P-51D: a mustang!
44-13769 the aircraft registration number?
HITCHIN 361… no idea!

the 375th Fighter squadron (the Yellow Jackets) lists:
44-13769 P-51D 375 E2-N Snyder Capt. Alton B Jr
stationed at Little Walden escorting B-17s

also:

Type: Miles Magister Mk.I
Operator: RAF ATA
Registration: L8223
C/n / msn: 690
Fatalities: Fatalities: / Occupants:
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Barton-in-the-Clay, Bedfordshire – United Kingdom
Phase: Landing
Nature: Military
Departure airport:
Destination airport: Barton-in-the-Clay
Narrative:
DBR in heavy landing.

can anyone shed light on …”Air Britain RAF Aircraft L1000 – N99999″ quoted as the source?

this source states this as 16th August 1944, but the ATA had moved from Barton(Beds) to Thame just a few weeks previously?

Jenna

Thread drift within aviation topics can be fascinating.

What we all hate is thread drift from aviation into politics and religion. Thankfully very rare here in Historic.

Give yourselves all a slap on the back.

Moggy
Moderator

This has been, and still is, a fascinating thread.

I have to agree a bit of deviation is good for you 🙂
I am a member of a lot of forums through my work/business and I have to say this is without doubt one of the most civilized, and well behaved… quite like here!

I have the Ken Ellis title ‘British Homebuilt Aircraft’.
What do you need to know?

oooo, I have been told that he did a volume covering this area and that it has information about Barton(Beds) airfield in it.

The person was unable to remember what it was but he remembers it was there!

nutha question guys…. 🙂

Surely there must be some sort of ‘register’ of who currently owns what… the CCA files are great to get dates of build/reg but woefully lacking of what and where an aircraft did after that?

also ..’Cancellation date’ what’s the criterion for cancellation? It’s defiantly not being destroyed!

Image from Flight.

Image again from Flight, this one shows the ‘concrete garages’ I remember as kid and guess Dave has mentioned being removed.. these were used by the Bedford Flying School as clubhouse etc..

Image from Flight, this is the rebuilt Buzzard not sure as to were the picture was taken but it does not match up with any other picture of Bartons apron… any one recognise it? (Denham??)

CAA registration for G-ADYX

Image from Fligh, its listed as the ‘Marendaz Mono’ but doesnt tie up with other info according to the CAA the Marendaz MKIII was G_AFGG? Flight also says this aircraft was never finished but it looks finished in this pic? and thats not Barton(Beds)… CAA regfile has Marendaz as the sole owner?

any information on this company would be much appreciated too…

MARENDAZ-BOWMAN TRANSMISSIONS, LTD.
Private company. Registered August 14 Capital £200 in 1,000 5 per cent cumulative preference
and 1,000 ordinary shares of 2s. each. Objects: To carry on the business of manufacturers, letters
on hire, purchasers and repairers of motor cars, motor and aeroplane engines, motor cycles, motor
bodies, sidecars, airships, etc. The directors are Donald M. K. Marendaz (permanent governing director),
The Manor House, Little Tring. Herts (director of Bedford School of Flying, Ltd.. and General Airports Corporation, Ltd.);
Hugh Bowman,5, Beaconsfield Road, St. Albans, Herts, instrument maker and engineer. Secretary: Dorothy O. Summers.
Registered office: The Manor House, Little Tring. Herts.

Great! You’ll have event dates – you can therefore get related news item copies from The Aeroplane with CG Grey’s more loony pronouncements if you are lucky. A decent large library should have complete Aeroplane bound – or an aviation museum. Errr – maybe Old Warden?..
HTH.

sorry to sound so ‘blonde’..but The Airoplane?.. a magazine? who is CG Grey?

my background is in automotive engineering (over 20 years in motorsport) so all this airplane stuff is a bit confusing :eek::eek:

I posted to the Luton Minor thread too and noticed that there was few comments towards Old Warden, I asume that this was from SVAS members on this forum, if so any guys from there can you help as to whats in your library!.. I may be tempted to join and even lend a hand (extreamly well qualified technician!) 😉

never realised the CC sponsored this sort of research.. lol as an impoverished self-(un)employed person thats the sort of info I like… phone book, phone…. and crow bar at the ready. 🙂

Having had a happy couple of hours playing in the online Flight archive, I popped the good Captain’s name in; quite a few hits.

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/index.html

I’d also talk to Beds CC. Having worked for (another) UK county museum, they may well have resources not obvious, beyond what’s in the local libraries.

If you can put together an exhibition…

the Fight Archive has been an invaluable source… I currently have over 100 PDFs to go finish going through that list info on the site… so much so I had to stop as it was giving me headaches reading it all :confused:

The village library has asked for a copy of everything to keep as a record, I also have been posting it in a few places to make sure it survives on the net as much as possible and gets up dated (many thanks to everyone thats helped). I have also set out a ‘geocache’ that will again get both older villagers and the kids a bit more interested and save what little is left.

In time if I can nail down enough info about the site and its later war years then maybe a plaque on the hanger wall (in the car park that was the control tower) may be fitting. 🙂

Not many pics of the Marendaz Specials left but this one I love..

sadly do not know the location ( possibly Brooklands’) but Aileen Moss behind the wheel of a Marandaz Special probably in 1937.

Barton Aerodrome 1938, taken by the spotter plane flying the course of the 1938 Kings Cup air race. you can see the Bedford School of Flying ‘buildings’ and apron at the bottom and the triple hangers and control tower(on the right end) used by Luton Aircraft Ltd.

the test flight of the Marendaz trainer built by Luton Aircraft on the airfield, the location can still be seen with the outline of the ‘Sharpenhoe Clappers’ distinctly in the background.

From walking the dog I drew up this map, the runways is total guess as no picture exist of the site in the 40’s. The control tower was demolished about 10 years ago to make a carpark.. but ironically my mum worked in it in the 80’s when it was being used by a lab so I know the layout. I have asked the Lab if they have any pictures but nothing yet. The Hangers next to the tower still sand ( you can see them easily on the google air pics) they are part of a longer run which was refurbished last year. The Flying school buildings (and ATA) have been flattened to make way for the parcel distribution center.. I used to play in these as a kid!… the pill box’s/ammo stores are still here but in poor state, one to the rear of the site has been robbed out and is now a fire pool.

panoram