Driffield

[TSR2]

One our Graham might enjoy. I started reading about some of the East Yorkshire airfields after getting a 1986 copy of Pooleys which talked about an Airfield an Bridlington. It turns out there was an RAF Carnaby with a 2 mile long, 700ft wide runway which was used during '44 - '46. It was also (much later on) one of the Thor satellite launch sites. Anyway, while looking through Airfield Information Exchange, a chap posted a link to Meteor training at RAF Driffield.

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/jet-m ... est+School

[petermcleland]

I was just down the road at Leconfield

BTW...there was a fly fishing club at Driffield and when I asked about joining, I was told that there was a waiting list about three years long and the annual subscription was 75 Guineas!...I decided at that moment to take up Pike fishing as my annual license fee for trout fishing in Kenya was 5 East African Shillings!

[TobyV]

The original British Pathe link took me to a generic search page. They've rather changed the Pathe website compared to how it used to be

That said, it lead me to some rather nice models (if this link works!)
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/indus ... ial+models

[TSR2]

Hi Toby,

Thanks for letting me know mate, I'll try and get the proper link again. Sorry chaps!

[Garry Russell]

One our Graham might enjoy. I started reading about some of the East Yorkshire airfields after getting a 1986 copy of Pooleys which talked about an Airfield an Bridlington. It turns out there was an RAF Carnaby with a 2 mile long, 700ft wide runway which was used during '44 - '46. It was also (much later on) one of the Thor satellite launch sites. Anyway, while looking through Airfield Information Exchange, a chap posted a link to Meteor training at RAF Driffield.

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/je...Fastest+School

This perhaps??

[TSR2]

Hi Garry,

That's the old RAF Carnaby, but I've updated the British Pathe link in the first post, should be some Meteor footage now

[Garry Russell]

The one with the long wide runway??

That's what I'm thinking of

[TSR2]

Hi Garry,

Yes Carnaby is the long wide runway, but then I got looking at RAF Driffield (the Thor connection) and found the link to the Meteors flying at Driffield

[airboatr]

I was just down the road at Leconfield

BTW...there was a fly fishing club at Driffield and when I asked about joining, I was told that there was a waiting list about three years long and the annual subscription was 75 Guineas!...I decided at that moment to take up Pike fishing as my annual license fee for trout fishing in Kenya was 5 East African Shillings!

Sounds fishy to me Peter.

[Filonian]

Thanks for that link Ben.

Garry, the lighter area on your map shows where the factories etc., were built on the "long, wide runway - including the John Bull rock factory and the Park Rose pottery factory. One of my Mess members was ans ex-chief tech and afteer service beacame a big chief at Carnaby during the Lada Car times there.

There were four airfields in and around Bridlington, and of course Lissett on the way to Beverley (nice memorial there now plus wind turbines.)

X0ND Bridlington Sand's Lane N54 05 21 W000 10 56 1920 Housing, Post WW1 civil

X4BS Bridlington Speeton N54 09 W000 14 Agriculture, Post war civil

X4BG Bridlington Grindale N54 07 46 W000 14 54 Agriculture, Post war civil

X5CN Carnaby Lowthorpe/Bridlington N54 03 41 W000 15 24 1944 RAF. 4 Grp. Bomber Ops ELG. Thor missile site until 1963. Industrial Estate built on the original huge runway. Sections of taxiway still visible. (05/2002)

"Ginger" Lacey used to fly from Grindale, chucking out parachutists ("can't see the point of jumping out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft," he used to say,) and part of the world skydiving championships were held there.



Graham