Shawbury
SHAWBURY: Military aerodrome
Note: All pictures by the author unless specified.
SHAWBURY PICTURE GALLERY 2017
Military users: WW1: Army RFC (Training Squadron Station)
HQ 29 Wing 5 TS AFC
9 TDS (Airco DH.9s/Avro 504s/BE.2es) (Training Depot Station)
10 TS [Training Squadron] (Sopwith Camels)
29 TS (Sopwith Camels)
30 TS (Australian) (Sopwith Camels)
67 TS (Sopwith Camels)
90, 131 & 137 Sqdns (BE.2s, DH4s, DH.6s, DH.9s, RE.8s and Avro 504Js & Ks)
HQ 29 Training Wing
Aircraft Repair Section Storage Depot
1930s: 11 FTS (Avro Tutors, Gloster Gauntlets and Hawker Audax & Harts)
27 MU
WW2: RAF Training Command 25 Group
11 FTS & 11 AFU (Airspeed Oxfords, Fairey Battles plus Hawker Audax & Harts)
Empire Air Navigation School & Central Navigation School
6 AACU (Miles Masters)
1534 BAT Flt (Airsped Oxfords)
27 MU (Aircraft Storage Unit)
Post 1945: RAF 660 Squadron DHFS (Joint Services) Empire Air Navigation School
Central Navigation & Control School
Army: 7 Regiment AAC (Volunteers)
6 Flight (Volunteers)
1970s: (Hunting-Percival Jet Provosts & DHC.1 Chipmunks)
1976 to 1997: 2 FTS (Aérospatiale Gazelle & Westland Wessex)
8 AEF (DHC.1 Chipmunks)
1998 snapshot: RAF Flying Training (Advanced)
Defence Helicopter Flying School (For all three armed services)
660 Sqdn AAC (Army Air Corps) & 705 Naval Air Squadron (25 x Eurocopter AS350 Squirrel HT1)
60 Sqdn RAF (6 x Bell CH-146 Griffon HT1)
Location: N of A53, W of B5063, NW of Shawbury village, 6nm NNE of Shrewsbury
Period of operation: 1917 to 1920 then 1937 to present day? (listed as closing in 1972 but obviously continuing to be operational shortly after)
Note: This map is reproduced with the kind permission of Pooleys Flight Equipment Ltd. Copyright Robert Pooley 2014.
Site area: WW1: 259 acres 1280 x 1006
Runways: WW2: 01/19 1280x46 hard 05/23 1372x46 hard (Built in 1941/42)
2000: 18/36 1834x46 hard 05/23 1379x46 hard (Same in 1990)
NOTES: It seems that some 120 ‘accidents’ were recorded for aircraft force landing or crashing when operating out of SHAWBURY during WW1 away from the actual aerodrome. Hence my ‘tongue-in-cheek’ belief that every second field in England probably has an aviation related history! It appears that soon after 1920 SHAWBURY returned to agriculture complete with hedges, fences and ditches. It would also seem that the electricity and water supply, plus other services were both cancelled and/or withdrawn and Shawbury village nigh on reverted to ‘Dark Ages’ status.
A 'NEW' STATION
The ‘new’ permanent station established in 1937 was much larger than the original WW1 airfield but on a more sombre note some fifty graves belonging to airmen of both World Wars reside in St Mary’s churchyard near SHAWBURY. Bearing in mind that SHAWBURY seems to always have been a training or ‘working up’ station this stark statistic amply illustrates the difference between military and civilian approachs to flying in those bygone days.
On another tack whereas even in 1939 some RAF Stations were equipping with Hawker Hurricanes and Vickers-Supermarine Sptifires, here at SHAWBURY they were operating in May 1940 some 45 Hawker Hart trainers, 40 Hawker Audax biplane types. They did however have 63 of the more modern twin-engine Airspeed Oxfords but also operated 13 semi-retired Fairey Battles for use by a so-called “Advanced Flight”.
THE BISLEY
Another perhaps little known aspect about SHAWBURY is that in 1941 Rootes Securities began assembly here of the Bristol Bisley, the final variant of the Blenheim bomber. It was known as factory No.9 by the Ministry of Aircraft Production. Hindsight is a wonderful thing to possess of course, but, in this case, (along with may other cases), it does raise the question if the Nazi regime had a great many sympathisers in the British establishment and on the payroll? For example those trying to extend the potential of the Bristol Blenheim/Bisley obviously were not exactly working to advance British interests in winning WW2 - were they?
It is told that by the end of 1941 RAF SHAWBURY had at least some influence, (with RLGs, SLGs, etc), at nine other airfields.
To fully realise the often shambolic goings on in WW2 especially I would thoroughly recommend you getting the 2nd edition of “Wings Across the Border” by Derrick Pratt and Mike Grant. Their detailed accounts do need some assimilating and thinking about but they do tell a cracking story.
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