A directory of civil airfields and landing grounds in the United Kingdom from 1919 to 1939
Volume 1 - The South
... is no more than attempt to place on record the brief histories of prewar civil airfields and
landing grounds available for public use, it is hoped that the.contents will stimulate further
research into the subject. Considerable research might also be carried out to enable the
histories of the many domestic airlines of the period and the services they operated to be
made available. This is a much-neglected subject, and one which holds great interest for
those enthusiasts who can visualise the efforts which went into persuading the general
public to use air services as a means of rapid if not always comfortable travel.Although several routes had been flown within the United Kingdom from the moment restrictions were lifted in 1919, all had failed, until in 1931 only one domestic route was being flown - between Skegness and Hunstanton! Soon, however, internal air services enjoyed a re-birth, and before long, due partly to the provision of municipal airports by far- sighted local authorities and partly to the availability of better aircraft, new airline companies were enjoying rapidly-rising popularity. Services to coastal holiday areas such as the Isle of Wight, the West Country and the Isle of Man were particularly well-patronised, but in Scotland the new small airfields were used for more prosaic purposes such as the transport of livestock and urgent supplies. Other routes were designed as feeders to international services terminating at London's major airports - Croydon and Heston. Very important to the private flier and the charter operator during the 1930s were the AA Landing Grounds, which were small privately-owned airfields on which the Automobile Association imposed a regular suitability check for the benefit of users. Facilities seldom existed at these locations, although occasionally fuel could be made available. A few, such as Newmarket Heath and Leeming, developed into major military airfields during the Second World War, but most did not survive. 75 pages, softback A4 Coming soon : 'Peaceful Fields' (Volume 2), dealing with airfields in that part of England not covered by Volume 1, plus the whole of Wales. ISBN 1-870384-49-0 First Published 1996 by GMS EnterprisesClick here to visit GMS Enterprises Website GMS Enterprises, 67 Pyhill, Bretton, Peterborough, PE3 8QQ, ENGLAND, UK 
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