RNAS Lee - The Airfield Research Group

Chapter Chapter 3: 3: Aerodrome Aerodrome Development
Development
3.1 1917 1917-1919
1917 1919
Lee-on-Solent started life in July 1917 as a temporary satellite RNAS seaplane station to RNAS
Calshot, with very little in the way of permanent buildings. Construction began during the
transition period that led to Admiralty control being relinquished to the newly-formed Air Ministry
and the infant Royal Air Force (formed on 1 April 1918). The architectural style therefore, was a
mixture of Admiralty and Air Ministry designs and was similar to those under construction at the
Seaplane Training Establishment at Calshot.
Westcliffe House was requisitioned in 1917 to become the combined officers’ mess and quarters.
Vacant fields to the north of Westcliffe Road were occupied for the erection of various types of
tents for use as temporary accommodation. Two Bessonneau hangars 1 were also erected at the
corner of Marlborough Road and Westcliffe Road. One of these became an MT garage and the
other functioned as a store. Land forming part of the Westcliffe House estate with Kings Road
and Richmond Road forming boundaries, was used initially as the main hangar site. This
involved the erection of temporary Bessonneau and Handley Page type timber framed and
canvas clad hangars. To serve these, the existing Richmond Road was extended beyond Marine
Parade to the beach. Here, a steam crane transferred the aircraft onto a winch-operated trolley
mounted on a railway track, which took the aeroplane to the sea.
In November 1917 the Admiralty decided to develop the station as a permanent base and work
was therefore immediately started on the reconstruction of the 30 acre site. Admiralty standard
designed buildings were required to replace the tented camp. The station was therefore planned
with two 60ft span type ‘G’ seaplane sheds and three 48ft span type ‘J’ (coupled) seaplane
sheds. These were to be laid out in a rectangular pattern facing or adjacent to two parallel
slipways which rise 25ft from sea level. There were also two earlier slipways each 30ft wide, one
460ft long and the other had a design length of 967ft.
Immediately behind the type ‘G’ seaplane sheds, work was started on the erection of a single 60ft
span RFC 1913 pattern aeroplane flight shed to be used as a erecting and carpenter’s shop.
Another five Bessonneau hangars were also erected adjacent to the earlier hangars. From here
a new concrete road was constructed on a curved course between the houses St. Aubyns and
Homelea to connect with one of the original slipways.
Meanwhile, with the formation of the Royal Air Force in April 1918, the design responsibility
changed from the Admiralty to the newly formed Air Ministry. At this time the Air Ministry Works
and Bricks Department architect, Lieutenant JGN Clifts, Royal Engineers, was engaged in the
design of RAF station buildings. One of the first buildings at Lee-on-Solent to come under the
new design branch was the powerhouse, built to supplement an existing private facility.
Construction also commenced on new domestic buildings and this included six men’s dormitories
(a further six were added later) and their associated bathhouses and latrines. A new single-storey
officers’ mess was constructed in the grounds of Westcliffe House where it was connected by a
corridor to the original house which now functioned as officers’ quarters. A double squash
racquets court was also to be built at the rear of Stanmore House.
Under the new administration, a survey of all former RNAS and RFC stations was completed by 1
August 1918. At this time Lee-on-Solent did not yet feature on the list as one of the permanent
RAF stations. The aeroplane sheds were only 60% complete, a start had been made on the
erecting and carpenter’s shop, workshops and the brickwork for the new powerhouse was only
40% complete. Also at this time only six dormitories, the bathhouse, men’s mess, women’s
quarters and officers’ mess had been finished. The construction of the remaining buildings
including another six dormitories and the squash racquets court, was temporally suspended
pending completion of more urgent work. All of these were scheduled to be completed by 1
March 1919, but were probably delayed with the intervention of the November 1918 Armistice.
Another factor was that Lee-on-Solent did not feature on the permanent RAF station list until
June 1919.
1 Tents used to house aeroplanes (& seaplanes) were called hangars and permanent structures were called aeroplane
(or seaplane) sheds
15