28 For editorial call 01206 386666 | For advertising call 01206 386666 or 01621 854333 or email enquiry@estuarylife.co.uk | web: www.estuarylife.co.uk
Life and death gambles of World War One fliers By our special correspondent - continued from our April issue The gamble that attended every mission undertaken by the young fl iers of World War One is illustrated by the deaths of six pilots of 37 Squadron who died not in battle but in accidents. Three are buried in Stow churchyard. R.W. Mouritzen died after colliding with an obstacle on the aerodrome; E.G. Mucklow (who, for some reason, enlisted in the RFC as C. L. Milburn) crashed and E.C.H.R Nicholls died after getting into a spin. One 37 Squadron fatality, Captain A.B.Kynoch, was searching for an intruder when his plane collided with another, from 61 Squadron, on the same mission. Despite fears the old Stow aerodrome might be lost, historians successfully argued that its old buildings be saved for posterity. The Airfi elds of Britain Conservation Trust called it “a real rarity and frequently MAKE MONEY AT HOME! HOST A GOLD PARTY IN YOUR OWN HOME Have fun earning extra cash for you, your friends and your families by selling your unwanted and broken gold jewellery within the privacy of your own home. RECEIVE CASH ON THE SPOT! With gold prices at an all time high, now is the time to cash in on unwanted items. We have been in the gold business for 16 years at so you can put trust in our service and reputation. Parties can be arranged at a time that suits you - to find out more please call Nigel or Mike on 01621 840418 MINI DEPARTMENT STORE & FINANCIAL SERVICES CENTRE We buy & Sell ~ We Loan & Cash Cheques ~ We Supply Currency & Transfer Money ~ We Buy Scrap Gold & Silver We sell new, graded and quality second hand goods including bicycles, fishing tackle, musical instruments & accessories, hi’fi’s and separates, new LCD and plasma TV’s, eletrical goods, tools, exercise equipment, cameras, laptops, computers & accessories, games consoles & games, DVD’s, CD’s, watches, gold & silver, Jewellery. Any item can be secured with our layby system, at no extra cost. Minimum deposit 20%. The Ironworks, Fullbridge Maldon CM9 4LE 01621 840418 regarded as perhaps the most complete example of a permanent Great War airfi eld. There is tremendous local interest, right down to looking after church memorials, and this site must be preserved for future generations”. Harry Turner bought Flamberds farm in 1914. Part of it was requisitioned in 1916. The brick buildings, though, were not begun until 1918 to accommodate the three fl ights and headquarters. The fi rst fl iers had the tents and wooden sheds common to other aerodromes. At the southern end of the site, alongside the fl ying fi eld, were the offi cers’ mess, an accommodation block, the pilots’ ready rooms, squadron offi ces, a water tower, and other ranks’ mess hall. Opposite the offi cers’ mess were the offi cers’ barrack block, the female block, and the HQ reception building. North of that group, beyond the parade ground, were workshops, dope shop, transport sheds, blacksmith’s shop, mortuary, ammunition store and fuel store. The generator house was on the western edge of the site, near the aerodrome entrance, then at the junction of Martins Lane and Strawberry Hall Lane. Squadron HQ was a few miles away at Woodham Mortimer, with ‘A’ Flight at Rochford, and ‘C’ Flight at Goldhanger. The aerodrome covered three fi elds to the south of Flambierds farmhouse plus three on the adjoining Old Whitmans; hedge removal gave a total of 120 acres. In June 1918 the squadron HQ moved onto the aerodrome so all three fl ights could be better coordinated, and the squadron was offi cially classifi ed as a night fi ghter unit. The war ended famously at 11am on November 1918 and three months later the squadron fl ew to Biggin Hill to be disbanded and renumbered 39 Squadron. In the parish churchyard Milburn’s memorial is a roughhewn granite cross. Mouritzen’s was a stone cross on a plinth. Nicholls’s grave was fi rst in the newly consecrated extension, the old churchyard being full. It is under the horse chestnut tree. Ridley’s grave is to the east of that, alongside the path. After closure in 1919, it was surprising to locals that the aerodrome, still largely intact, was not re-opened for World War Two – but powers-that-be decided instead to update the aerodrome at Rochford. The land returned to agriculture. Some of the buildings were used to house farm workers, others provided storage, chicken houses, and workshops.’ In 1942 Stow was proposed as a possible location for one of six Essex airfi elds to accommodate the expanding 8th Air Force in England. Designated USAAF Station number163, it would have taken in most, if not all, of the World War One aerodrome but for some reason the idea was dropped. IMPORTANT! THE CENTENARY VINTAGE FLY-IN WEEKEND HAS BEEN CHANGED TO 5TH - 7TH OF MAY - NOT AS STATED IN LAST MONTH’S ISSUE. SEE PAGE 22 A lucky escape for Stow! Today, it is said to be the best example of a permanent aerodrome of that period, [A survey by the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments, made in 1997, found that some 20 buildings survived, some of them ‘crudely adapted for agricultural purposes’. The land continued to be farmed by the Turner family until the death of Hugh Turner in 2004. When in 2008 the Turner family put the site of the aerodrome and its buildings up for sale, Maldon District Council, alerted to its historical signifi cance, imposed a conservation order on it. It was bought by Steve Wilson and Russell Savory. Since then, by a combination of private enterprise and the work of a dedicated group of volunteers, the workshop, smithy, mortuary, pilots’ ready rooms and squadron offi ces have been restored. The latter building houses a museum, created by Ivor Dallinger, on whose research over many years this article is based. In 2010 a memorial to the men and women of 37 (Home Defence) Squadron was erected by public subscription on the former parade ground, at a cost of some £10,000. It’s well worth a visit. Visit www.estuarylife.co.uk to download back issues of Mersea, Maldon & Tiptree <strong>LIFE</strong> For editorial call 01206 386666 | For advertising call 01206 386666 or 01621 854333 or email enquiry@estuarylife.co.uk | web: www.estuarylife.co.uk 29