CONTROL TOWER THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE SOUTH WEST AIRFIELDS HERITAGE TRUST ISSUE No.11 April 2012 www.southwestairfields.com The Editors column I’m sorry to say that this is the very first “Control A range of interesting talks are on the cards Tower” for 2012. So my most humble and grovel- again this year, Steve Parsons has provided a ling apology for this. My only excuse is the lack provisional timetable. of material to put in here. Mind you after much nagging I am beginning to see some! Finally the same plea from the last THREE is- sues. We can’t forever rely on John Gregory OK end of moan! There is a lot of things happen- and his prolific pen for material. He needs a holi- ing this year and with luck this time next year day now and then! the Trust should be seeing some of the long term projects heading to their climax. I need stories, articles, information, anything of interest please, please, please. The building at Upottery is slowly coming togeth- er, may well be useable around summertime. E-mail it, scribble it on a bit of paper and post it, The command centre at Dunkeswell is progress- put it on the blog section of our website, just let ing, the only hold up now is the cash to buy the me have them. It is so much easier to produce place. A minor detail! one of these if you have material to put in it. Robins heroic work has finally got the monu- ment for Exeter Airport made and installed, the unveiling is on 27th March. More about this in For updates on this and many other things Robins bit later. please do go to the web site at www.southwestairfields.com. We are joining with the Devon Strut in putting on th th Dave Steel an aero rally at Dunkeswell on 14 and 15 of [email protected] July. It is all in the planing stage at the moment but we should have an interesting and varied collection of displays on the airfield. Do put it in your diary and we hope to see everyone there. Any volunteers to help? In this Issue Ÿ John Gregory - Can you help? Ÿ A visit to the Battle of Britain bunker at Ux- bridge - Mike Venn Ÿ A visit to Exeter's Royal Albert Memorial- Museum Ÿ A membership form for you to fill in and send to us. Ÿ Robins Bit Ÿ John Gregory - An Afternoon In August - some additional information. Ÿ John Gregory - Wings Over The South West. Ÿ Steve Parson - Timetable of Talks etc. Provisional Timetable of Events 2012 War talks are beginning again! The 3rd Monday of the month at B24, 7pm prompt. April till September The first on 16th April “Reasons for the Homeguard & their Role” by Arthur Cook The second 21st May “Conflict in Malaya” by Steve Chinook M.B.E. The rest of the program is to be confirmed Costs; £3.00 Non-members, £2.00 Members. (This covers tea/coffee & Biscuits) All proceeds go to SWAHT. Please bring a friend or two. Do you like war films? If you do and would like to share your favourite film then why not contact Steve Parsons on 01404 46118 and we will set up film club where we will arrange to screen the film. After we can have a quick why it is your favourite and discuss its strengths and weaknesses and whether it is pure Hollywood or has some historical merit. Aero Rally at Dunkeswell 14th & 15th July We are joining with the Devon Strut in putting on an aero rally at Dunkeswell on 14th and 15th of July. It is all in the planing stage at the moment but we should have an interesting and varied collection of displays on the airfield. Do put it in your diary and we hope to see everyone there. Any volunteers to help? More information will be published in the next edition of The Control Tower and on the website. For any further information on any of the above contact Steve Parsons (01404 46118) Chairman’s Chatter As the weather warms up and we enjoy some unaccustomed sunshine (and showers of course), a pause for reflection on the last twelve months suggests we made some significant progress in pushing forward with major projects. 2012 promises to be even more eventful for us, with a good programme of events, talks, and other activity coming together. During the year we welcomed a small number of very important Patrons to the Trust, who can add valuable guidance in achieving our aims and objectives. In the UK, these were Baroness Browning, Sir Grahame Watson, MEP, and Prof Richard Overy, Professor of History at Exeter University. The southwest has a very strong association with the USA based on wartime activity at Dunkeswell (the only designated US Navy Air Facility in the UK), Upottery, and other airfields in the region that hosted American operations. We are very fortunate therefore to have Florida-based Dr Richard Hallion, for many years Head of USAF History, and latterly a Special Advisor to the US Department of Defence, join us as a Patron. Our main event of last year – the ‘Wings and Wheels’ weekend at Smeatharpe - was very successful despite the weather. We were pleased to see some of the cast of the ‘Band of Brothers’ TV series sharing our event with their 10-year reunion and, with a large attendance from WW2 re-enactors and their vehicles and equipment the historical quality of the occasion was to a very high standard. I am pleased to report the event made a surplus for the Trust, and the much needed funds will be reinvested back into this year’s programme. We have decided this year to join forces with the Devon Strut division of the Light Aircraft Association (LAA) and thereby add to the flying activity; the event will be held at Dunkeswell this year. Planning is well under way and further details will be appearing on the web-site and in subsequent newsletters – put 14-15 July in your diary! Our programme of talks last year was ably coordinated by trustees Steve Parsons and Gary Tame, and the subject matter was varied and interesting. When the British Legion in Honiton closed its doors we lost a very good venue and this year the talks are taking place in the Trust’s HQ at the B24 Flight Office at Dunkeswell. Gary sadly left us as a trustee towards the end of last year and moved north to Lancashire. We wish Gary well and hope he will stay in touch. Steve in his inimitable way has taken on the responsibility for this year’s talks programme - single-handed for the moment. Early this year we signed a long-term lease with the owner of Cherryhayes Farm at Smeatharpe for one of the Nissen Huts used during WW2 by the residents of RAF Upottery. Under a previous arrangement, we had been involved in arranging finance for re-skinning the Hut, and once the lease was signed we began the long process of renovating it for use as an archive and learning centre. Mike Venn, our Vice-Chairman, is leading the project with help from Robin Gilbert, and an enduring memory of mine as the project got under way will be the sight of a mid-septuagenarian energetically wielding a pneumatic drill as though cutting butter! As I write, the Hut is secured and weatherproof, and plans are in hand for fitting out during the course of this year. Excitement mounted in the Trust during January, as the life-size bronze sculpture of a sergeant-pilot commissioned by the Trust for the Exeter Memorial Project was created from its clay original. Robin Gilbert, ably assisted by consultant Beryl Pym, worked closely with the local sculptress, Frances Margaret and the management team at Exeter Airport. Support was freely given by the RAF Museum who provided actual flight clothing to guide technical accuracy, and sponsorship was led by Devon County Council donating £20,000, with other significant donations from the Polish Air Force Association, East Devon District Council and the City of Exeter. Altogether sufficient funds were raised to cover almost all of the costs. I say almost all as some funds are still to be received by our Treasurer, Neil Hurlock. This project has taken some seven years to complete and the unveiling at Exeter was carried out on 27 March by the Lord Mayor of Exeter and the Chairman of Devon County Council. An extraordinary commitment over the years has been made by Robin Gilbert in bringing this project to a successful conclusion, and he and his support team have set a clear standard for us to keep up. Our aim to acquire and renovate the Operations Block at Dunkeswell is not making as much progress as one would have hoped. The Heritage Lottery Fund provid- ed mixed messages last year and in the event we learned we would have to seek funds for the property purchase elsewhere – this is being pursued. Given the other activities demanding time and effort, fund-raising has proceeded slowly, and more resource is needed to accelerate the project. In this respect, our aim is to achieve some significant revenue from the summer event at Dunkeswell and concentrate on a target of 2013 to secure the property and funding for renovation. We are being helped with planning and fund-raising by Paul Lumkin, a very experienced local consultant, and we have reached agreement in principle with the cur- rent property owner as to price.