Steve Smith of Runway Photography and the Fighter Control team looks back at an airfield in an area no longer associated with military aviation in any real form – RAF Perdiswell, also known as RAF Perdiswell Hall and RAF Worcester.
Being Birmingham based, I consider myself as living in an ‘aviation wasteland’, at least when it comes to military activity. The nearest bases are RAF Shawbury, Shropshire and RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. At one time, Herefordshire and Worcestershire had between them twelve RAF bases. Of these twelve, only two see any flying at all now – RAF Shobdon is a home to gliders, whilst RAF Berrow (aka RAF Pendock Moor) is a private farm strip.
One base that has almost been completely obliterated by the urban sprawl of Worcester is RAF Perdiswell. Perdiswell was located approximately two miles to the north of Worcester City Centre.
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Worcester’s first airfield was located at Pitchcroft, now Worcester Race Course. Being at the heart of the City, and with Cody’s Flying Circus attracting a large following there, it was decided that a more appropriate site should be sought.
Perdiswell was created in the early 1930s from land belonging to Perdiswell Hall. More land was requisitioned through 1935 by the Ministry of Aviation. An extensive period of site levelling and construction began.
The site was first known as Worcester Municipal Airport, and was heavily promoted on this basis. Sadly, it was not to be a success – if things had been different, it may now be known as Worcester International Airport, handling hundreds of thousands of passengers a year. However, the war intervened and the site was requisitioned as RAF Perdiswell in 1937, named after the nearby Perdiswell Hall, which dated back to the 1770s. The Hall itself was also requisitioned to be the home of No.81 Group, Fighter Control, and was located to the South West of the landing ground. The Hall consisted of sizeable grounds, stables and other associated buildings, and the Hall itself of course.
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Despite the harsh winter of 1937/38, work continued apace to convert the airfield into a military establishment. The airfield never had concrete runways, and had to make do purely with grass. In addition, there were none of the larger T2 type hangars at Worcester, although there may have been some Blister hangars. Accommodation of the soon-to-arrive aircrew was of a basic standard. Many of the airfields in the area had been built to the standard ‘Class A bomber airfield’, with T2 hangars and three intersecting concrete runways in an ‘A’ shape, with the expectation of a bomber unit operating from there.
In the Midlands, many of the Class A strips were occupied as training bases, usually flying Wellingtons. Perdiswell was never intended for this use, and as such the facilities can be considered very basic compared to the RAF standard at the time.
The airfield received its first military residents in the form of newly-built Fairey Battle’s, flown in for pre-delivery test flights from Austin Works at Longbridge. The Battle’s flown from Perdiswell were painted in a garish livery consisting of yellow and black circles for identification purposes, and in the following months they became a regular sight over Worcester.
As the War began little changed at Perdiswell, the only item of note is that during the Battle of Britain, a black painted Boulton-Paul Defiant night fighter was based at Perdiswell, supposedly to cover Worcestershire and the Black Country from enemy action.
Also during this time, in August 1940 to be exact, No.2 EFTS (Elementary Flying Training School) who operated out of Staverton, Gloucestershire began to employ Perdiswell as a Relief Landing Ground. At this time, they flew the Tiger Moth. Every morning aircraft, ground crew and flight crew were either flown or bus transported to Worcester from Staverton, as Staverton was in the process of having concrete runways laid. As the facilities at Perdiswell were poor, much of their time must have been spent out in the open. In September 1941, No. 2 EFTS was renamed No.6 FIS (Flying Instructor School). |
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The airfield was never attacked by the Luftwaffe, but there are many records of accidents at the site, mainly from distressed bomber’s trying to limp home. Many of these can be attributed to the small grass landing area, with many aircraft simply slipping off one end of the other, usually across Bilford Road, or into the lake at Perdiswell Hall. There are records of Wellington’s, Whitley’s, Lancaster’s, Halifaxes and even a B-17 having to divert into Perdiswell.
With the facilities at Perdiswell being improved in late 1941 and early 1942, No.6 FIS was able to re-locate to Perdiswell on a permanent basis in April 1942. Due to the relatively small size of the base only two flights of between 24 and 30 aircraft were able to operate.
Perdiswell’s one real moment of fame came on 2 September 1942, when a C-47, known as ‘Idiot’s Delight’ suffered an engine failure on take-off from Pershore. As usual, the wet grass took hold and the aircraft slid down the landing field and onto Bilford Road, nosing into the local tip. On board was an American film crew and General Carl Spaatz, Commanding General of the USAAF in Europe. He is reported to have said, “I didn’t cross the Atlantic to land in the town trash pile!”
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As the war went on, the role of the School changed again, and they took on their old guise as No. 2 EFTS.
Towards the end of 1944 and 1945, after the Allied invasion of Europe, Perdiswell began receiving regular flights of injured American servicemen who were to be treated at the numerous American hospitals around Worcester. A service from Normandy to Worcester was established, usually flown by Avro Ansons or Argus’.
After VE-Day, when the Wireless Operator School at RAF Yatesbury was disbanded, No. 2 EFTS were able to re-locate from Worcester to Yatesbury, they left in August 1945 and the fate of Perdiswell was sealed. Soon after, the site was handed back to the City Council.
What became of RAF Perdiswell after the war?
At least part of the site was destined to become a POW Camp for German prisoners, and was known as Camp 287. This area, we have been able to deduce as being located around Perdiswell Hall and its grounds, with some of the former airmen’s huts in the South West of the site, being using to house prisoners.
Very little information seems to exist on the web with regards to the sites use as a POW Camp, but one source believes prisoners may have been held here until as late as 1947.
Perdiswell Hall, sadly fell into ruin after the RAF departed and was eventually demolished in 1956. Many of the associated buildings remained until at least the 1970s, but relatively little remains today.
The only real remnants of the site’s historic past are a couple of Air Ministry style buildings, a couple of concrete bases and a concrete pathway. In addition, the stone pillars that once formed the entrance gate to Perdiswell Hall are in-situ.
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Remaining concrete pathway leading to Bilford Road |
Unknown building, now storage for Rugby club |
Unknown building and concrete base |
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The landing field itself |
The gates to Perdiswell Hall |
For many years 187 Squadron (City of Worcester) ATC have been in residence. Anyone who has visited Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow will know the Spitfire LA198 is one of the exhibits. This aircraft, originally in its silver paint scheme was their original ‘gate guard’. Here she is, at Worcester ATC in the early 1950’s:
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As late as 1987 there was a Gloster Javelin (XH767) located on the corner of Bilford Road and Droitwich Road. This aircraft is now resident at Elvington Air Museum in Yorkshire.
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The site is today known as ‘Perdiswell Park’ and is home to a gymnasium, 6 football pitches and an 18-hole golf course. There is a memorial plaque in the vestibule entrance:
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Perdiswell’s role in the defence of our homeland is not a front-line one, or even a well remembered one, but it cannot be forgotten that many of the heroes from Bomber and Fighter Command came through training establishments such as Perdiswell, and even though the role it played was not thrust into the public view, it was still vitally important to the war effort.
Of course, many of the pilots who trained and flew from Worcester would not have been lucky enough to survive the War. Many in fact, were not lucky enough to see their way through training. With some pilots going solo in as little as eight to ten hours, it is no wonder there is such a catalogue of training accidents surrounding Perdiswell, and all of the other bases that served this purpose in the 1940s.
Many thanks to everyone who agreed to have their photograph’s included here.
References
- http://www.rafregiment.net/RAF_veterans_page.htm
- Herefordshire and Worcestershire Airfields in the Second World War, Robin J Brooks, ISBN 1-85306-984-1
- http://www.filton.flyer.co.uk/bristolfc3.htm
- http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:1rU-w_qoOvMJ
- http://www.online-archaeology.co.uk/Articles/tabid/85/PageID/37/ArticleID/4/articleType/ArticleView/Default.aspx