Stow Maries – A Great War Aerodrome
On a beautiful July morning a group of London (East) Branch members and friends gathered at our 'home', Walthamstow Cricket, Tennis & Squash Club, awaiting Chair Neil Pearce and the sparkling new minibus we had hired for the day.
Once loaded aboard, we were soon off up the M11 and into the wilds of Essex in search of a unique WWI gem, Stow Maries Aerodrome. While many airfields of Great War vintage are still with us, either as modern commercial airports or as museums that tend to reflect our WWII heritage, such as Duxford, Biggin Hill and Tangmere, Stow Maries offers a view of aviation in the First World War on a site that contains no less than twenty-three Grade II* listed buildings from the era.
Our visit made use of the Group Visit option available on non-event days for 11+ visitors, so once we had our wristbands, first stop was the Airmen's Mess for teas and coffees (and in a few cases a very fine bacon sandwich!).
Once suitably refreshed, we met up with the two volunteers, Steve and Stephen, who were to guide us round the site, and split into two smaller groups. My group began with the memorial to the ten members of 37 (Home Defence) Squadron, Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force who lost their lives in the Great War, our guide telling some of their stories and emphasising the high proportion of accidental losses that were such a feature of WWI aviation.
Stow Maries was originally a farm, a few miles from Maldon, situated on what is for Essex, relatively elevated ground, when the War Office took it over in the latter part of 1916 in an effort to beef up defences against the Zeppelin raids on London and the South East; when it became operational in mid 1917, it was the base of B Flight of 37 (Home Defence) Squadron, RFC, other elements being situated at nearby Goldhanger and Rochford.
The surviving buildings were not really built to last, with shallow footings and second grade bricks to save time and money, but most have weathered the century and more that has passed since they were thrown up reasonably well, and the steady work of Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome charity and the many volunteers that support it have done a good deal of restoration since the site became a designated conservation area in 2009, though there is a great deal still to do to make some of the most interesting buildings, such as the Officer's Mess, accessible.
Our guide took us from building to building, describing their specific function and design features – the roofless fuel store (no point having a roof in the event of an explosion, just more debris to fall on personnel) – the largely underground Ammunition Store that is now permanently flooded – and filling in the gaps where temporary huts and tents used to stand.
Perhaps the most evocative of these buildings was the Ready Room where pilots would spend their time waiting for the instruction to take off and endeavour to intercept a passing Zeppelin and later the Gotha's that mounted the first London Blitz. This particular building has been structurally restored and is being internally fitted out prior to being opened to visitor access, hopefully later this year.
Although Stow Maries was not used in the Second World War, the ground not being deemed suitable for the heavier and more powerful aircraft of the day, that did not prevent it from being attacked. Having been left looking like an airfield, a lone German bomber, presumably having failed to find London, decided the next best target would be what appeared to be aircraft hangers. The wooden hangers were completely destroyed, as apparently were the cattle the farmer who owned the site had sheltering in them at the time!
At some point in the future it is hoped that these hangers can be replaced with period correct buildings, but in the meantime more modern buildings house the various aircraft and other large exhibits.
These include an Avro 504, the aircraft in which so many First World War pilots learned to fly, and two faithful modern replicas made by The Vintage Aviator Ltd of New Zealand, a Royal Aircraft Factory BE2e and an Albatros D.Va.
Having had an interesting tour of much of the site, we returned to the Airmen's Mess where the volunteers had prepared an excellent cream tea for our refreshment (there are other options in the Group Visit package, but this proved perfect for us on a lovely English summers day).
Reinvigorated by the magic of tea, we wrapped up our tour with a visit to the museum in the main building block, and of course ended up in the shop.
For those visitors who like to combine their interest in WWI with a bit of wildlife, it should be mentioned that the ninety-three acre site plays host to a wide variety of flora and fauna – we noticed several kites (the feathered kind that is) hovering over out heads.
Overall, we had wonderful time at a fascinating historic WWI site, run by a band of enthusiastic and welcoming volunteers, and can thoroughly recommend a visit. Personally, I have had the good fortune to also visit on a couple of their flying event days which are absolutely fantastic, with the site offering a degree of intimacy rarely replicated elsewhere.
With every visit contributing to the upkeep and renovation of the site, I shall certainly be back again. Oh, and if you happen to be passing in your light aircraft, apparently the landing fees are only £15, and you can make use of the Airmen's Mess for a bite and a brew!
Chris Hunt
