THE PERTON AIRFIELDS

The First World War

Aviation first came to Perton during the First World War when Fern Fields, alongside the Pattingham Road, were used as a relief landing ground for No 38 (Home Defence) Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps.  The Squadron was formed in July 1916 to combat the German Zeppelin Airship menace and used a two-seater FE2b biplane which had a pusher propeller enabling the gunner to sit in the nose of the plane in front of the pilot.  Maximum speed of the plane was 80 mph at 6500 ft.

The Home Defence Squadron had very little success in intercepting the zeppelins. However, zeppelin pilots often got hopelessly lost.  On the night of 31 January 1916 nine zeppelins raided the North and Midlands. Because of terrible weather conditions, with freezing rain and snow and fog, bombs were dropped on Tipton in the belief that it was Liverpool.  Bombs were also dropped in Birmingham, Walsall and in the Coventry area.

Between the Wars

In the 1920's aviation barnstorming and flying circuses, sometimes using war surplus aircraft, were the vogue.  Men would go ahead to each venue, to test the field for suitability by running a car over it at 60mph and to fence it off so that an entrance fee could be charged..  The going rate was one shilling and threepence entrance and then 5 shillings for a flight, 10 shillings for a loop or even a £1 for a spin. Many people came just to watch and these events often included formation flying, wing- walking and perhaps a parachute jump as a finale.  Unattached wing-walking was banned in June 1933 and wing-walkers then had to be securely strapped with a harness and in a standing position
The same Fern Fields aerodrome at Perton used by the Royal Flying Corps was used for such events.  On 22 June 1929 the famous aviation barnstormer,Alan Cobham, came to Perton in his DH-61 Flying Moth.  This was a ten seater plane and his idea was to try to persuade local dignitaries that they should all have their own local airfields.  He made speeches and took mayors and officials of Wolverhampton, Walsall, Wednesbury and Stourbridge for flights.  The next day the airfield was opened to the public.  Hundreds of people attended and paid 10 shillings a time for joy-flights.  Everyone marvelled at the comfort provided by the enclosed cabin.

The Second World War

The construction of RAF Perton began shortly after the war started in 1939.  It was originally designed as a fighter station.   Ash from Lower Gornal and stone from Oldbury was hauled in fleets of lorries. The runways were laid out in usual RAF triangular pattern, two of 1,100 yards and one of 1,400 yards.   Most of the airfield was contained inside the present Parkway.  The accommodation units were built in the region of Cranmoor Lodge Farm.   RAF Perton never became a fighter station and in effect never had a specific role itself.   It mainly operated as a relief airfield for other RAF stations training pilots

Plans for use of the airfield had changed even when it was officially opened on 28 August 1941. It was assigned to 70 Group Army Co-operation Command and  The Princess Irene Brigade of the Dutch Army was moved into the accommodation units at Cranmoor Lodge Farm. The Brigade trained at Perton later fought in France and took part in the liberation of their own country. The soldiers had a good relationship with the local community and several married local girls and stayed in the area after the war.  There is a plaque in Codsall Church acknowledging the hospitality enjoyed by the Dutch soldiers.

On 27 September 1941 an RAF Defence Squadron moved in to guard the airfield.  The first aircraft landed on the 11 November 1941.  This was a Miles Magister trainer which made a forced landing.

On 19 January 1942 the airfield was transferred to a Group Flying Training Command as a relief landing ground. The Group was based at RAF Shawbury where there was a backlog for the training of pilots because the grass runways were waterlogged and new runways were being built. Their Airspeed Oxfords were the aircraft to become the most associated with Perton

In March 1942, pilot training returned to Shawbury and defence of the airfield was then taken over by the RAF regiment.  On 1 June 1942 Perton became a relief airfield for RAF Tern Hill and one of their Advanced Flying Units moved in with 5 Miles- Master aircraft. In July 1942 the Miles Master aircraft returned to Tern Hill and in September 1942 the Oxfords from Shawbury were moved in again for a short period until a Blind Approach Training Flight arrived.  They trained for night landing using Mercury-Sodium flares.

Perton also became a satellite of RAF Wheaton Aston and was used for teaching various emergency exercises as well as a holding station for pilots (mainly from Canada) pending their posting for operational training as fighter or bomber pilots.

In November 1943, the Officer Commanding Night Flying at RAF Wheaton Aston was moved to be in command at Perton.   He was Flight Lieutenant Harold (Mick) Stone who was a former "Night Intruder Pilot" who had flown many successful sorties over Europe.  Mick is now in his eighties and lives in Southport on the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia.  His memoirs include graphic details of his operational experience, and his time at RAF Perton.   They make fascinating reading and can be found here Training continued at Perton until May 1944 when it began to run down. In August 1946 Perton Airfield was placed on a Care and Maintenance basis and on 10 July 1947 was abandoned by the RAF and eventually passed to the Agricultural Land Commission.

The RAF Memorial (near Sainsburys) in Perton Centre is of local sandstone and situated on the old main runway. It is now the only reminder to us, of all the RAF pilots who learned their trade at Perton and went on to give their lives during the war.

The Dutch camp became a refugee centre for a time housing Poles, Latvians and Lithuanians.  In 1950 the camp was converted into dwellings by Seisdon Rural District Council and occupied until 1962.

Page compiled by Brian.

Revised August 2002