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In 1940 an air-raid on the Vickers Armstrong aircraft factory at Weybridge forced VA to relocate to Smith's Lawn where from the 1920s a grass airstrip already existed for use mainly by the Prince of Wales. The site was used for the assembly of, for example, high altitude Wellington bombers.

There were two brick hangers, one situated near the road that comes in from Cheesemans Gate where fuselage sections were built. the second hangar, the Flight Hangar, was where the aircraft were completed. During the war, 64 Wellington Mk VIs were assembled on Smith's Lawn and some aircraft were modified to carry an airborne lifeboat quite possibly tested on Virginia Water which still had some water in it. Two examples of this lifeboat, that would be dropped to ditched airmen, remain at Brooklands to this day.

The airfield was camouflaged with dummy hay stacks and canvas lorries. The east-west runway was always grass and unlit. A compass swinging base was located near Smith's Lawn Cottages.

For most of the war, this whole area, including Virginia Water, was closed to the public although young lads sometimes sneaked through the surrounding woods to watch what was going on.

In 1940 the airfield had been used by Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft, designed by Sydney Camm born in Windsor and educated at the Royal Free School.

Douglas Dakotas (DC3s) were permanently stationed at Smiths Lawn and later the 27th Transport Group of the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) who set up an operating base of wooden and canvas huts near Cumberland Gate, under the large trees. The camouflage nets covering the hangars were very effective and from a distance looked like ploughed fields.

On one occasion an air battle took place overhead resulting in a German Messerschmitt ME 109 crashing in the Cavalry Exercise Ground. Amazingly the pilot came out of the aircraft almost unhurt and was taken prisoner.

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