1944 Stocken Farm Airfield
From Lacey Green History
WW2 AIRFIELD, STOCKEN FARM reported by Doug Tilbury
On Saturday June 6th 1944 at 6 pm, bulldozers arrived to make an airfield for Air Chief Marshall ‘Bomber’ Harris, of Bomber Command, Walters Ash. 45 acres of the flat grazing land of the farm were to be taken. The fields of the farm were bulldozed to make the airstrip. The first plane took off three mornings later. Two clumps of horse-chestnut trees and a clump of lime trees had been felled and Nanny Coopers pond was filled in. A blister hanger was erected behind the school to house the American Stinson plane of Air Chief Marshall Arthur Harris. Local lads, including Gordon May used to help push the plane into the hangar.
'Bomber' Harris ordered Andrew Oliver To inspect every Spitfire which came down in England. He used Harris's private plane, to fly to the crash sites to see if the accident was due to a fault in the wood/ glue manufacture.
| 1944 Stocken Farm Airfield | |
|---|---|
| Year | 1944 |
| Village | Lacey Green |
| Author | Doug Tilbury |
| Copywrite | |
| Theme | Airfield at Stocken Farm |
| Social Period | Category:1940's |