See Pages 31 - Estuary LIFE Magazines

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
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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.
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