Brize Norton History

[old,not bold]

My father always claimed to have flown the first aircraft to land at Brize Norton.

He could "shoot a line" with the best of them, and we had our doubts. The subject came up the other day, and I wonder if anyone can help.

The first mention in his logbook of Brize Norton is;

1937

Aug 31 Audax K7635 P1 Self Digby - Brizenorton Ferrying returned due to bad weather Day 1:05 Solo

and on the next day.....;

Sept 1 Hart-T K7485 P1 Self Ferrying Digby - Brizenorton, Day 40 Solo

Sept 1 Hart-T K6502 P1 F/S Hart* P2 Self Brizenorton - Digby Day 40 Dual


Can that Hart flight have been the first flight in? It seems a bit unlikely, and the history says that the station "opened" about 2 weeks earlier in August 1937.


*Yes, F/S Hart; that's what it says!

PS: K6502 might have been there when he landed in K7485, but could have arrived after him......

[JW411]

For what it is worth, I quote from Action Stations No.6 (1983 edition):

"Naming the station posed a problem for it lies mainly within the Carterton boundary, a name too reminiscent of Cardington to be suitable. So Brize Norton was chosen when building started in 1935. Exceptional was the completion of five 'C' Type hangars, planned for many stations but rarely built. It was incomplete, but No.2 FTS nevertheless moved in on August 13 1937."

I hope that's useful.

[old,not bold]

Many thanks, JW, it's very helpful...

My father was with No 2 FTS at Digby until the end of August, and I imagine that he must have moved with it to Brize Norton until he was sent to fly Heyfords* in January '38 (149(B) Sqn).

I guess I am hoping that, as so often happens on Prune, someone will pop up saying "I've got the ATC log for August 1937 and....."

*Not always with great success........here's a "late-on-the-roundout, Hoskins" that he was responsible for. (The log entry for that one is laconic; "P1 Self. Duty Air 2, 3, 4. Multi-engine, Day, 05).

[teeteringhead]

As to names of RAF Stations, I was once told by a very senior officer that "where possible they were named for the nearest railway station, so that AC Bloggs knew where to get a rail warrant for" . I can think of many exceptions, but was there a Brize Norton station (of the BR variety)?

[stackedup]

It was on the far side of the airfield and is now a trading estate. I think it was called Brize Norton and Bampton.

[brakedwell]

In which case Brize Norton would have been called RAF Shipton-under-Wychwood and Lyneham would have been RAF Dauntsey. However in 1940 Bampton Railway Station was renamed Bampton and Brize Norton, so there may be some truth in it.

[stackedup]

And Stadishall would have been RAF Clare !

[goudie]

where possible they were named for the nearest railway station,

Railway Station was renamed Bampton and Brize Norton,

And therefore took it's new name from RAF Brize Norton not vice versa.

Apologies for thread drift

[JW411]

If you will forgive a little bit more thread drift; when we were about to leave Aden in 1967, one of my mates was given a Repatriation Form to fill in. One of the questions was "What is the name of the nearest railway station?"

He put down "Djibouti".

[D120A]

If you will extend the forgiveness one more post, there was an airman based at RAF Saxa Vord in the Shetlands who applied for a leave rail warrant back in the 1970s. The rules said it had to be from your nearest railway station (to which you were entitled to free transport) and he duly wrote it down: it was on the west coast of Norway.

They changed the regulations after that.