Equally unfortunately the average "ticky tacky modern slum house" is generally way beyond the means of the majority of sub 40 year olds.

3000 jobs and in all probability sympathetic renovation of the existing hangars is the way forward.

Wonder if the main runway will be preserved for Dysons air ops?

140WP
Such was our first home in Valetta Gardens. Inside it was somewhat less stately, with a coal fired back boiler in the living room that also heated the one and only radiator in the main bedroom, and a coke fired stove in the kitchen that supplied hot water. These were serviced from a split coal/coke bunker, appropriate coal and coke scuttles, and appropriate separate forward ordering of both fuels.

Some 30 years later we were parked outside for a nostalgic look at our first home, being in good time to attend a local wedding. The front door opened and a Gurkha officer, satisfied of our bona fides by our stumbling explanations, invited us inside. A complete makeover and very house proud occupants had produced much improvement since our time. Principally of course was full central heating, though whether gas or oil fired I cannot recall.

I remember thinking back in our time that the property would have been a sound investment, close as it is to the M4. With the development cited here that must now be even more the case.

All the land on which the Service Families Accommodation (as it is now called), Anson Place, Blenheim Gardens, Valetta Gardens and Wellington Place, is still in the ownership of MOD. The properties were sold to Annington Homes in 1996 and they have a 200 year lease on that land. It will be SFA for many years to come.

Wrong HH. What the country needs is significantly less than the 300k per annum net migration number!

Without descending to JetBlast I'd say a lot of people disagree with you - the NFU, the catering trade, the building trade, the NHS, the IT industry, the care business, the Universities...............................

None of these can get British workers

I'm clearly younger than most, as my only memories of Hullavington are of flying in AEF Chipmunks circa 1990. It was a slightly surreal experience, as from entering to leaving the site you never saw another soul other than the pilots, groundcrew and your fellow cadets.

Chug, gas fired. However Son in Law ripped out upstairs toilet and bathroom floors, binned the unmentionable mess and fitted B&Q best, same in cloak room. No one said a word about the improvements.

The future for Hullavington airfield
 

The rumours that have been circulating around the village for the last year regarding the future of the airfield have now been laid to rest. The truth is out!
“Dyson has announced plans to begin work on a second technology campus, just a few miles away from its global headquarters in Malmesbury. The site is on former Ministry of Defence land at Hullavington.”
Always keen to liaise with the community - and just one day after the plans were made public - three representatives from Dyson, the agent, architect and estates manager, attended the March meeting of the Parish Council to give an indication of their plans for the future of the airfield.
The good news is that it will be developed with regard to its aviation heritage and that the hangars on the site will be retained, renovated and refurbished to be used for employment purposes. There will be several planning applications submitted to Wiltshire Council in the near future for this work, which is expected to take several years before it is fully completed.
At the moment, the airfield can still be used by villagers for walking, cycling etc. but this will have to be curtailed at some time in the future for security reasons.

RAF Hullavington in the 1940s - in the midst of WWII

My late father, after completing his QFI training, was posted to No 9 Service Flying Training School, RAF Hullavington, on the 5th of June 1939. He and my mother moved into No 3 O.M. Quarters in early February 1940, having lodged in rented accommodation prior to this in 'Little Gables', Kingston Langley. From letters to his parents and sister, thankfully kept so that I could trace the family history, I read,"We have a maid, an AGA cooker (which I like playing with!) and an enormous boiler for the hot water. Remus loves rushing up and down stairs. It took him two days to realise that this was home!". (Remus was their cocker spaniel.)

In another letter, dated 5th of March 1940, my father wrote, "I taxied onto another machine (a Hart) night flying the other night. Broke my prop and his tail. Managed to hush it up!" It would appear that accidents were not uncommon. On the 16th of March he wrote, "Things go on here as usual. We are just at the end of our night flying programme. One of the pupes, by himself, landed outside the aerodrome, hit a four inch thick tree (he did say he brushed something), came through three hedges, hopped over the road and landed on his back on the aerodrome. As usual he had not a scratch or a bruise. Another pupe took two soldiers up (without permission) in an Anson (twin engined 5 seater) and crashed. Smashed the aeroplane to bits and the three of them had two cuts and a few bruises between them! S'mazing, aint it?"

There is quite a lot of information in other letters he sent home about accidents, injuries and some fatalities, but there is one episode that - for me - stands out.

On the 12th of September my father flew - for the first time in this type of aircraft - a Hurricane II for 30 minutes for 'Station Defence'. (His first tour after gaining his pilot's wings in 1936 had been in Egypt where he had flown Hawker Demons in 64 (F) Fighter Squadron, so he had acquired a grounding in fighter tactics.) On Sunday the 15th of September 1940, at the height of what became known as the Battle of Britain, he wrote this letter following his second 30-minute flight in a Hurricane:

Dear Mother and Dad. I nearly got a Junkers 88 long range bomber yesterday!!!! We have a Hurricane we keep ready for Station defence and 3 of us are allowed to fly it. Very occasionally as we waste petrol!! Any way the Junkers came over the camp at about 5000' and as I was doing nothing at the time I grabbed by bike and pedalled off to the Hurricane with my brolly over my shoulder. Leaped in and started up and off. I chased away the way he had gone with my electric sights on and my guns ready. Of course I didn't catch him. He had had too good a start. I flew around at 12000 for a bit in case there was another one and then saw another Hurricane going past towards Swindon. I followed him in case he knew of something but there wasn't anything there. So I came back. Maybe I get one some day. The Hurricane is grand. Cruising at 200 and climbing at 160. I dived, quite gently, and got 360. No effort at all." (My father's 'brolly' was, of course, his parachute, and I have found a contemporary account of the Hurricane's performance that says, 'In September 1940 the more powerful Hurricane Mk IIa entered service. Its maximum speed was 342 mph.")

I missed all this excitement, not being born until July 1941 in near-by Malmesbury, six months before my father went off to RAF Marham and No 115 Squadron to be a flight commander on Wellington IIcs.

Just an observation that some readers may find interesting. Although my father had flown these and other authorised defence missions in the Station Hurricanes (and in Defiants with an air gunner on board), he did not qualify as a Battle of Britain pilot and thus entitlement to the BoB Clasp to the 1939 - 45 Star (war medal) as these flights were not under the control of Fighter Command. I understand that there were some 14 or so like him, one or two of whom actually 'downed' enemy aircraft.

I just think that my father's account of dashing off on a bicycle to leap into a fighter aircraft in which he had only 30 minutes experience, to engage with the enemy, has elements of bravado and confidence that for me epitomises the spirit of the age.

Nugget

Great post - highly enjoyable.

For those who know Hullavington - a visit to the village churchyard to the war graves plot is a sobering experience. Casualties in training probably as severe as on Ops.

A quiet walk around the airfield on a summers evening belies its active past.

Strangely when staying in the mess I often felt a 'presence' in several of the rooms I slept in. Not threatening but just 'there'.

Arc

Was there for a couple of days in '86; we were at camp at Rudloe but went to Hullavington to use the range.
SNCO i/c armoury proudly told us that despite many attempts, the SAS had never got into 'his' armoury.
Cadets at camp there had no range authorised personnel so we offered to supervise them. I was allocated an attractive female cadet of about 16 yrs old wearing coveralls for her 'first time' on a '303. After 5 rounds, she asked for a rest as it was a bit painful and she 'wasn't wearing any protection under her coveralls', thoughtfully pulling the seam apart for me to see!!
RAF Regt were in residence with APCs.

Nice range there. I used the SLR in 80/81.

I think the camp was 2 Sqn RAF Regiment at that time. Also parachuting on airfield from the Balloon (Yikes)

Arc

Arclite,
I think the war graves plot you refer to is in Stanton St. Quintin. Hullavington churchyard was closed in 1920/30's. We only have two First World War graves in Hullavington churchyard and all burials/cremations since the early 1920's have been in Hullavington cemetery, we have no war graves there.

Wiltshire Council web page Planning application 17/02344/FUL shows the plans for the first part of the development by Dyson. Hangars 85 and 86 will be renovated, refurbished and used for employment purposes - Research and Development. The masterplan, covering the whole of the airfield will be submitted in due course.
The airfield has looked so forlorn and neglected for the last few years, it will be good to see it lovingly restored.

Another news item that may be of interest - from the Wilts Gazette and Herald
"A stained glass window is being commissioned in St Giles Church, Stanton St Quintin, to commemorate the service of Women’s Auxiliary Air Force personnel who worked as flight mechanics, radio operators, drivers, clerks and cooks when RAF Hullavington was the Empire Central Flying School (ECFS).
Between 1942 and 1946 the ECFS was tasked with the responsibility of training pilots from Britain and the Allied nations.
The design features the former flight control tower and large hangar at Hullavington airfield with a series of Second World War aircraft such as Avro Ansons, Hurricane Harts, Airspeed Oxfords and Hawker Hurricanes, flying within radio frequency lines which symbolise a RAF roundel.
It shows members of the WAAF working on an Airspeed Oxford and contains many other WAAF symbols. In pastel shades, its design brings light into the church, whilst allowing the aerial scene to have a changing colour palette throughout the day.
A public appeal has been launched to raise money for this project and support would be greatly appreciated.
More details can be found at https://mydonate.bt.com/events/waafmemorialwindow.
Dr Fiona Baskett
Stanton St Quintin*

Thanks 140WP.

I think you are right. It's Stanton - my apologies. I can think of worse places to spend eternity.:)

Arc

140WP,

"....the airfield lovingly restored...." ??

It's going to be completely built over with a few of the C Type hangars "sympathetically" redeveloped for commercial use.

pr00ne

Time will tell - the master plan is being developed with Wiltshire Council at the moment.

I think that the C types will remain within the Barracks area.

I think that the hangars referred to on the planning are the Lamella Hangars on the airfield itself.

Arc

Arclite01
The Barracks area which includes the C type hangars, (behind the wire) is also to be sold, by 2029. The hangars in the current application are the old parachute packing hangars at D site next to Stock Wood

Article in the Gazette & Herald 9th March 2017:https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui...1&disp=safe&zw

See Chugalug2 on next page for another link, apparently this one doesn't work!