Kevin Mears
10-05-2008, 18:14
With the indulgence of the forum, and in respect of the fact that this section is so far a little bare, I hope you won't mind me posting a couple of posts I made on the PlaneTalk forum a while back regarding the former RAF Tilstock which has also been known as Prees Heath and Whitchurch. I have copied them both across in their entirety. If they break any forum rules or are deemed by the moderating team to be inappropriate then please feel free to delete them.
Prees Heath and RAF Tilstock.
On Saturday I was driving up to Runcorn but because of an accident on the M6 I decided to take the alternative route of the A41 and go up through Whitchurch. It was a beautiful afternoon and Shropshire was at its best as I headed North West.
Familiar names came and went, Hinstock, where I used to work and which played home to the former HMS Godwit. Up past Child's Ercall and Tern Hill, from where, as a Cadet in the ATC, I enjoyed a number of glider flights in the Sedbergh. Then on up the long straight stretch past the largely abandoned wartime airfield at Prees Heath.
This was a place I remembered well from childhood. The junction of the A49 and A41 was the home of the 'Raven', a pub, cafe and amusement arcade which was the regular halt for coach trips from the Black Country to Rhyl and Prestatyn. Over recent years, the site has fell into further decline with the Watch Office now boarded up over on the West side of the A41. The East side still plays host to a skydiving school so the sound of aero engines still reverberates through the woods which are rapidly reclaiming the airfield. A Rally School also operates from the site. As I drove up through the airfield, the dappled light through the trees looked lovely and I thought exploring the site would be a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. I continued my journey North to Runcorn but resolved to return to Prees Heath the following afternoon if the weather remained as nice.
Sunday came and the weather obliged so off I went. Unfortunately I only took the one lens with me but decided to continue anyway. But first of all, here’s a little bit about the history of the place. Prees Heath is exactly what it says, a large flat expanse of heathland. This area proved to be ideal for the establishment of both an Army Training Camp during the Great War and as Military Hospital with hutted accommodation for some 609 beds. Whitchurch, just 4 miles distant, was home to the Welsh Metropolitan War Hospital which had previously served as the Cardiff City Asylum. It seems the good citizens of Cardiff wished their mentally ill citizens to be neither seen nor heard. This establishment accommodated 61 Officers and 839 other ranks of which some 14 Officer beds and 416 other ranks beds were reserved for those with a mental incapacity resulting from their war service. Prees Heath must have been the basic training camp for thousand upon thousand of Great War soldiers but more of that later.
The RAF, during the expansion and inter war period, found Shropshire to be eminently suitable for the building of a number of airfields, mainly for training purposes and both Shawbury and Tern Hill are still in use today. With the coming of the War in 1939, a further huge expansion occurred as the number of airfields required, particularly for training, increased dramatically to fulfill the need for aircrew. The site at Prees Heath was ideal and an airfield was constructed and opened in August of 1942. Three concrete runways were laid and four T2 Hangars erected. These remain today although they have since been reclad. Three are on the West side of the A41 with the other just off the road to the East. During the War, the airfield, renamed RAF Tilstock, was home to 81 OTU with Whitleys and Wellingtons, 38 (Airborne Forces) Group involved in the training of aircrew for Special Operations and the towing of Horsa Gliders, 1665 Heavy Conversion Unit with Stirlings and Halifexes and 42 OTU with Albermarles. 81 OTU eventually became No 1380 Transport Support Conversion Unit. The airfield closed in early 1946 and was placed on care and maintenance until the early 1950’s at which point it was sold. Onto t he photographs…..
My first port of call was to the West side of the airfield from where I could get a decent view of the Watch Office.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9487a.jpg
A drive up and down the A41 alongside the airfield revealed that access could be obtained onto the East side and to the number of derelict buildings which remain. There was in fact a well trodden path used by dog walkers and others so I parked up and went for a wander into the very dense woodland reclaiming the camp. I have no idea of the use of any of the buildings. Another visit when properly equipped will allow me to explore further.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9506a.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9507a.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9508a.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9513a.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9521a.jpg
I've a feeling the next two shots were possibly the former main entrance.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9524a.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9537a.jpg
More buildings, this time taken from the side of the road. The last, which is barely visible, appears to be one of several underground buildings or shelters.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9530a.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9534a.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9569a.jpg
I was wondering about casualties. OTU's inevitably had accidents, and invariably some were fatal. So I set off for St Chad's Church in the village of Prees itself. And any of you who know me will realise it was somewhat inevitable that I would find myself sidetracked.
The Church is in a most beautiful setting with the War Memorial just outside the Churchyard.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9544a.jpg
It was here that I began to see the familiar white Commonwealth Headstones, three of them.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/Young.jpg
Flying officer H N Young, DFC & Bar, MiD. 12 Squadron, RAF. July 1921, aged 22.
Son of Goulder James and Mary Elizabeth Young of Fairview, Prees. At the time of his death, 12 Squadron were flying Bristol F2b’s at Bickendorf.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/Scriven.jpg
14799 Regimental Sergeant Major J R Scriven, 8th Bn., South Lancashire Regiment. 22nd March 1917, aged 45. Serving as Sergeant Major, 51st Training Reserve Battalion at the time of his death. Husband of Jane Scriven, 12, Alfonso Road, Kirkdale, Liverpool.
And the one which gave this thread its title and which sums up for me personally the whole essence of Remembrance and why so many of us are inexorably drawn to recording and remembering our history.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/Mason.jpg
1380052 Sergeant Herbert Mason, W.Op/Air Gnr., 78 Squadron RAFVR. 1st May 1943, aged 20. Son of Solomon and Mary Anne Mason of Prees. On the night of 30th April/1st May 1943, Sgt. Mason was flying as part of the crew of Halifax II W7929, coded EY-S. Having taken off at 2352 to attack Essen, the aircraft had been damaged by flak and was forced to attempt an emergency landing at Docking on the Norfolk Coast. As a result of the subsequent crash, Sgt’s Rudd (DFM, RAAF), Wilson, Pike, Mason and Oldroyd were killed. Sgt’s Davies and Rashbrook were injured. Sgt. Rudd had been awarded and Immediate DFM for his actions on a previous operation to Stettin.
The final two shots for this part are of the War Memorial in Prees.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9562a.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9557a.jpg
The next part uncovers through Headstones some of the uses of Prees Heath in the Great War and a return to the airfield at sunset.
Thank you for your indulgence.
Regards,
kev35
Prees Heath and RAF Tilstock.
On Saturday I was driving up to Runcorn but because of an accident on the M6 I decided to take the alternative route of the A41 and go up through Whitchurch. It was a beautiful afternoon and Shropshire was at its best as I headed North West.
Familiar names came and went, Hinstock, where I used to work and which played home to the former HMS Godwit. Up past Child's Ercall and Tern Hill, from where, as a Cadet in the ATC, I enjoyed a number of glider flights in the Sedbergh. Then on up the long straight stretch past the largely abandoned wartime airfield at Prees Heath.
This was a place I remembered well from childhood. The junction of the A49 and A41 was the home of the 'Raven', a pub, cafe and amusement arcade which was the regular halt for coach trips from the Black Country to Rhyl and Prestatyn. Over recent years, the site has fell into further decline with the Watch Office now boarded up over on the West side of the A41. The East side still plays host to a skydiving school so the sound of aero engines still reverberates through the woods which are rapidly reclaiming the airfield. A Rally School also operates from the site. As I drove up through the airfield, the dappled light through the trees looked lovely and I thought exploring the site would be a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. I continued my journey North to Runcorn but resolved to return to Prees Heath the following afternoon if the weather remained as nice.
Sunday came and the weather obliged so off I went. Unfortunately I only took the one lens with me but decided to continue anyway. But first of all, here’s a little bit about the history of the place. Prees Heath is exactly what it says, a large flat expanse of heathland. This area proved to be ideal for the establishment of both an Army Training Camp during the Great War and as Military Hospital with hutted accommodation for some 609 beds. Whitchurch, just 4 miles distant, was home to the Welsh Metropolitan War Hospital which had previously served as the Cardiff City Asylum. It seems the good citizens of Cardiff wished their mentally ill citizens to be neither seen nor heard. This establishment accommodated 61 Officers and 839 other ranks of which some 14 Officer beds and 416 other ranks beds were reserved for those with a mental incapacity resulting from their war service. Prees Heath must have been the basic training camp for thousand upon thousand of Great War soldiers but more of that later.
The RAF, during the expansion and inter war period, found Shropshire to be eminently suitable for the building of a number of airfields, mainly for training purposes and both Shawbury and Tern Hill are still in use today. With the coming of the War in 1939, a further huge expansion occurred as the number of airfields required, particularly for training, increased dramatically to fulfill the need for aircrew. The site at Prees Heath was ideal and an airfield was constructed and opened in August of 1942. Three concrete runways were laid and four T2 Hangars erected. These remain today although they have since been reclad. Three are on the West side of the A41 with the other just off the road to the East. During the War, the airfield, renamed RAF Tilstock, was home to 81 OTU with Whitleys and Wellingtons, 38 (Airborne Forces) Group involved in the training of aircrew for Special Operations and the towing of Horsa Gliders, 1665 Heavy Conversion Unit with Stirlings and Halifexes and 42 OTU with Albermarles. 81 OTU eventually became No 1380 Transport Support Conversion Unit. The airfield closed in early 1946 and was placed on care and maintenance until the early 1950’s at which point it was sold. Onto t he photographs…..
My first port of call was to the West side of the airfield from where I could get a decent view of the Watch Office.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9487a.jpg
A drive up and down the A41 alongside the airfield revealed that access could be obtained onto the East side and to the number of derelict buildings which remain. There was in fact a well trodden path used by dog walkers and others so I parked up and went for a wander into the very dense woodland reclaiming the camp. I have no idea of the use of any of the buildings. Another visit when properly equipped will allow me to explore further.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9506a.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9507a.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9508a.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9513a.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9521a.jpg
I've a feeling the next two shots were possibly the former main entrance.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9524a.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9537a.jpg
More buildings, this time taken from the side of the road. The last, which is barely visible, appears to be one of several underground buildings or shelters.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9530a.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9534a.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9569a.jpg
I was wondering about casualties. OTU's inevitably had accidents, and invariably some were fatal. So I set off for St Chad's Church in the village of Prees itself. And any of you who know me will realise it was somewhat inevitable that I would find myself sidetracked.
The Church is in a most beautiful setting with the War Memorial just outside the Churchyard.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9544a.jpg
It was here that I began to see the familiar white Commonwealth Headstones, three of them.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/Young.jpg
Flying officer H N Young, DFC & Bar, MiD. 12 Squadron, RAF. July 1921, aged 22.
Son of Goulder James and Mary Elizabeth Young of Fairview, Prees. At the time of his death, 12 Squadron were flying Bristol F2b’s at Bickendorf.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/Scriven.jpg
14799 Regimental Sergeant Major J R Scriven, 8th Bn., South Lancashire Regiment. 22nd March 1917, aged 45. Serving as Sergeant Major, 51st Training Reserve Battalion at the time of his death. Husband of Jane Scriven, 12, Alfonso Road, Kirkdale, Liverpool.
And the one which gave this thread its title and which sums up for me personally the whole essence of Remembrance and why so many of us are inexorably drawn to recording and remembering our history.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/Mason.jpg
1380052 Sergeant Herbert Mason, W.Op/Air Gnr., 78 Squadron RAFVR. 1st May 1943, aged 20. Son of Solomon and Mary Anne Mason of Prees. On the night of 30th April/1st May 1943, Sgt. Mason was flying as part of the crew of Halifax II W7929, coded EY-S. Having taken off at 2352 to attack Essen, the aircraft had been damaged by flak and was forced to attempt an emergency landing at Docking on the Norfolk Coast. As a result of the subsequent crash, Sgt’s Rudd (DFM, RAAF), Wilson, Pike, Mason and Oldroyd were killed. Sgt’s Davies and Rashbrook were injured. Sgt. Rudd had been awarded and Immediate DFM for his actions on a previous operation to Stettin.
The final two shots for this part are of the War Memorial in Prees.
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9562a.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d17/kev35_/IMG_9557a.jpg
The next part uncovers through Headstones some of the uses of Prees Heath in the Great War and a return to the airfield at sunset.
Thank you for your indulgence.
Regards,
kev35