Sutton
Note: This map only shows the position of Sutton town/village within the UK. If anybody can kindly provide a more exact location for this venue, this advice will be much appreciated.
SUTTON: Temporary aerodrome?
NOTES: This I think is very interesting. Sutton is a village today on the A142 about 13nm ENE of Huntingdon and roughly 10nm N from Cambridge. However, in 1934 the Cobham Tour displayed at SUTTON on the 12th and 13th September.
A two day display was normally reserved for major towns and cities and even then only occasionally. So why was SUTTON so important a venue in 1934? For example and to illustrate the point on the next day, the 14th September they displayed for just one day in/near NORTHAMPTON.
A POSSIBLE ANSWER?
One I suppose obvious answer would be the relative wealth in the region and the prevalence of the sort of people who could be persuaded to attend and perhaps take a flight when an event like this took place. It is still a common myth that many rural regions in the UK are much less well-off than urban areas and, just like the proverbial ‘curates egg’ they can be very good in parts!
It would seem pretty clear that the Cobham planning team had identified this as being an affluent area? Or was there another more practical reason, such as giving the team a bit of respite in an extraordinary relentless itinerary?
Michael T Holder
This comment was written on: 2020-05-18 15:16:41RAF Mepal, which was built on the northern edges of Sutton, probably lies on the fields used by Cobham - in fact, one of the pans was right next to Sutton School - don't think it would have stopped a JU 88 strafing the area.
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