The skullduggery that went on between the Govt, Handley-Page, and Miles would make the plot of a good musical or opera. Read Julian Temple’s “Wings Over Woodley”. If they’d put as much effort into designing, building, and flying some very good aircraft (including some prototype “state of the art” airframes) we might not have fallen under the American airframe builders influence as early as we did. Jigs and plans burnt? Did I hear someone say TSR2? Our popularly elected representatives have a lot to answer for!!
Resmoroh

Peter,
Small scale archaeology of airfields can, and should, be done. But must have the necessary permissions, of course. This is at the other end of the scale from excavating the remains of a whole aircraft (or the mythical buried Merlin(s) in a crate!!).
The same system can be employed as in traditional archaeology. The area has to be properly delineated (much easier now with relatively cheap – and accurate GPS). Then Field Walking. Many archaeological sites are field walked after the autumn ploughing (and a few showers of rain to wash the surfaced finds clean making them easier to see). And I’ve done a few of those! You need eyes like a sh1t-house rat!!! This is clearly unlikely in close proximity to hardstandings as they are not often ploughed. Ground Penetrating Radar, Magnetometers, etc, etc, can be used but these are expensive and not often within the organisation of any non-professional group.
The fall-back position is to use metal detectors. A rigorous field-walking exercise with one (or more) metal detectors is relatively achievable. The carefully plotted results can then be used to pin-point any places in an area with a high number of ‘echoes’ per unit area. These places can then be test-pitted, and any results carefully plotted and analysed. This can be done over many weekends!
You will get everything from broken (UK) Victorian pottery (midden contents were regularly spread on pre-airfield fields) to modern tractor bits and Coke cans! But just once in a while you strike ‘gold’! (One day it was very cold, and we were walking this field. All the usual rubbish, when I saw a bit of worked flint. We’d found a Bronze Age site!). Same like with small scale airfield archaeology! You might find USA artefacts on an RAF airfield (or vice versa) – then the results have to be handed over to the theoreticians (and I’ll tell you there are lots of those!!). They may (or may not!!) come up with the answer(s)!!
Good fun! A day’s field walking will give you a prodigious appetite/thirst!! But it will keep you off the streets!!!!!!!!!!!!
HTH
Resmoroh

Does that include the ornate Vomitorium in the Officer’s Mess?
Resmoroh

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_Bomb.
And not just Coventry. As a 5-yr old we were shown pictures and told to “tell a Policeman”
Resmoroh

And don’t forget that unmanned, un-tethered, balloons were used offensively by both the Japanese and the Brits in WW2.
Resmoroh

Laurence,
As I understand it the “G(h)oolie Chit” was a piece of paper which had on it (in several languages) a promise that in return for returning the Airman Intact – and this is the important bit (we are talking about bits of a gentleman’s marriage tackle) – the gold coin was theirs, and their village would not be bombed. In the past aircrew who were unfortunate to have crashed, or force-landed, in hostile territory (why does Afghanistan and the NW Frontier of Pakistan come to mind??) could produce the ‘Chit’ in order to stop the Men of the village handing the poor bu$$er over to the Women who were likely to carry out some rudimentary medical procedures on his “Crown Jewels”.
I always greeted this tale with some scepticism. My appreciation of the folk in these parts of the world, and at times when these “Chits” were said to have been in force, could not read! So it was a bit of a nugatory exercise!
There is a real history to be written here. Do those aircrew (with, or without, the obligatory GC) still sing as Counter Tenors??????????? – or not?
HTH
Resmoroh

This is an extremely good example of neo-classical Charlie Romeo Alpha Papa. The juxtaposition of the airframes indicates the underlying tensions inherent in their operation. The colours are also a warning that intellectual synogism cannot alone be recognised . . . . . (drone, drone), . . . . z-z-z-z-z (on all frequencies).
Resmoroh