Beccles
BECCLES: Early experimental flying site
NOTES: Many years ago I made this note: "All I can find so far is a note saying the Sanders Type 2 aeroplane probably flew from a site in/near Beccles before WW1. Any more info known?"
Answer: Yes indeed. Recently (2023) with considerable help, much more info has been found. See seperate listing for BECCLES COMMON.
BECCLES: Military aerodrome. Later civil aerodrome and heliport now private aerodrome
(Also known as ELLOUGH)
ICAO code: EGSM IATA code: BCL
Military user: WW2: RAF Coastal Command 16 (GR) Group Operational
279 & 280 (ASR) Sqdns (Hurricanes/Warwicks)
618 Sqdn (Mosquitos)
Post WW2: 279 (ASR) Sqdn (Lancaster ASR.3)
Operated by: 1980s: British International Helicopters Ltd
1990 to 2000: Rainair (Beccles) Ltd
Helicopter ops: British Airways (BA), British International Helicopters Ltd
Location: Adjacent to the B1127, 2 nm SE of Beccles
Period of operation: 1943 to present day. (The RAF closed BECCLES in 1945)
Note: This map is reproduced with the kind permission of Pooleys Flight Equipment Ltd. Copyright Robert Pooley 2014.
Runways: WW2: 09/27 1828x46 hard 17/35 1280x46 hard
04/22 1280x46 hard
1990 to 2000: 09/27 750x18 hard/grass
2001: 09/27 (09) 663x18 hard/grass (27) 695x18 hard/grass
NOTES: Attempting to track the history of RAF squadrons is a science in itself, incredibly complex regarding how squadrons were moved around and detachments made. For example, before 279 Squadron arrived here in September 1945, their Air-Sea Rescue duties during WW2 had been undertaken, since their inception at BIRCHAM NEWTON (NORFOLK) in November 1941 at: BENBECULA (INVERNESS-SHIRE), LEUCHARS (FIFESHIRE), SUMBURGH (SHETLAND ISLES), THORNABY (YORKSHIRE), BEAULIEU & THORNEY ISLAND (HAMPSHIRE), CHIVENOR & HARROWBEER (DEVON), DAVIDSTOW MOOR & St EVAL (CORNWALL), TAIN (ROSS-SHIRE), BANFF (BANFFSHIRE), FRASERBURGH (ABERDEENSHIRE) and WICK (CAITHNESS). Can it be imagined how the difficulties of administering all this were? And, despite a war going on! But this was typical of how the RAF decided the war should be fought. It didn’t change much after WW2 either.
279 Sqdn flew to their Lancaster ASR.3 types here in September 1945 and by March 1946 they were disbanded.
In 1977 only two helicopters were listed as being based here operated by BAH; Sikorsky S-61N G-AWFX and Bell 212 G-BAFN.
A PERSONAL MEMORY
This picture was taken by the author when on the 27th July 1996 my wife and I, with Guy Browning my flying 'oppo', flew in for a weekend break to visit my old school friend Mike Parker who was working as an engineer on the airfield. Mike had worked for British Airways helicopters but with subsequent sell-offs had found that most of the terms and conditions of employment, enjoyed whilst with British Airways, had been eroded to such an extent that a future in helicopters was no longer attractive. After leaving school Mike had gained an engineering apprenticeship with British European Airways at LAP (LONDON AIRPORT) which is now known as HEATHROW.
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