Jenna….Barton is one of those fields that we have on our list to produce in our Airfield Focus series once we can find an author! A lot of the story we know so far is of mysterious fires, intrigue, underhand behavior and larger-than-life characters!
All we have on the field at present (which seems to have gone under a number of names) is as follows:
Barton-in-the-Clay/Barton-in-Clay/Barton-le-Clay
Bedfordshire: TL070316
The newly-formed Luton Aircraft Ltd set up its factory at Barton-in-the-Clay in November 1935. with manufacturing facilities in a 14400 sq ft (1338 sq m) hangar. The adjacent airfield allowed a maximum landing run of approximately 1650 feet (500m). After a fire in 1936. Luton Aircraft moved to Gerrards Cross and Barton was taken over by International Aircraft & Engineering Ltd.. which in turn relinquished control on 1 January 1938 to Bedford School of Flying, who had the benefit of a licence for private use. Club facilities included a clubhouse and restaurant, and aircraft maintenance was available.
Barton-in-the-Clay was used intermittently by RAF aircraft, one of which. Hawker Hart K3051 of 1 Flying Training School, tipped up on landing on 17 October 1938 but was repaired on site. Following this precedent, the airfield was later requisitioned by the RAF.
The shape of the industrial site is still very much that of the old airfield site – especially if you compare our rough map with Google Earth and use Faldo Road as the locator!
As for ‘Captain Marendaz’, Donald Marendaz was a Swiss, who was involved with car design and racing, was also involved with flying, being a founder member of the Midland Aero Club, Kings Cup Race entrant and ‘designer’ of the Marendaz II G-AFZX and III Monoplane G-AFGG. Marendaz Aircraft Ltd was based at Barton for a while – I could go on for a while here if needed!
Dorothy O Summers was the Secretary of International Aircraft and Engineering Ltd and later a Board Member.
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