Joe FBS
Your 'serviceable' hangars will be lucky if they have 5 years in them. They are F Type Seaplane Sheds that are 94 years old and have not had any pro-active husbandry for 20 years since the Apprentices left in 1993 - only 'mend and make do'. The last time I looked the roofs had nearly rusted through, only a few of the doors are still safe for everyday use, the concrete/tarmac outside is breaking up and the so-called "fuel farm" was full of weeds. In my opinion it won't take long until your club has no hangar at all at the current rate of deterioration. I suggest that you remove your rose-tinted specs and look a bit closer!
The first recorded landing on the current airfield at RFC Halton Park was in 1916 - prior to that it was the camp site for soldiers training in trench warfare (hence the restored trenches - which started being restored again recently (no thanks to DIO) as a Pioneer Regt have kindly stepped in and given their time). I think Stow Maries started around the same time in 1916? But as you say, Halton had aircraft landing on the field on what is now Maitland Parade Square from 1913 that predates Stow Maries and any other airfield in the RAF (only Upavon in Army hands predates this as an in service airfield).
As for Upavon, they let the old World War I wooden huts fall into such disrepair that they had to be demolished - lost forever. At least the old Mess, that is 1915 vintage has been preserved. Prior to the RAF's deprature it was the oldest RAF Officers' Mess in use. The Trenchard Museum at Upavon is now located at RAF Halton. The only flying at Upavon is now 622 VGS and the Army's Wyvern Gliding Club. It is likely to slowly decay away as the Army aren't that interested in their RFC heritage (rightly so, as it was not their main effort).
So when public money (£1.3m) is spent on a privately owned WWI airfield (Stow Maries) and there are one's in public service that should be preserved (IMHO), and Upavon and Halton are good examples of this, then I can't help feeling that private ventures should not get public monies over heritage projects in public hands.
LJ
