Yatesbury, Wiltshire Bristol Aeroplane Co.

ARTICLE · Wiltshire · England · United Kingdom

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

ERFTSs were established after a decision during the 1930s that civilian-run flying schools would have responsibility for basic training and the RAF could concentrate on advanced training. Built on the ruins of a wartime aerodrome, the Yatesbury site is an offshoot from Filton and came into being in January 1936. It included the Chief Instructor, fifteen Flying Instructors, and a very adequate supply of Tiger Moths. A new hangar (large steel 'North Light') was built to provide air experience to the aircraftmen in training at the Service Wireless School being constructed a mile up the road. The Officers' Mess and Administration Offices are in one block, with extensions for lecture rooms and the observers' mess. The kitchen is in the middle, where anthracite cookers, tended by genial chefs in white hats, send out food to all personnel. Both messes are large and comfortable. In the Officers' Mess is the beginning of a library, with several volumes given by Colonel Robert Smith-Barry, whose home lies just over the downs. The lecture-rooms and instruction-rooms are all off a long passage and the Link Trainer is in an extension off the middle. All is very compact and a great advantage in winter, when the wind whistles shrewdly over these Downs, as any Marlborian or Yatesburyite can tell. In one lecture room is a cinema. We saw the outfits issued to observers in a satchel on arrival, very practical and so saving damage and losses to instruments. One rather nice thing was seen on a blackboard: the out-going Observers' Course had chalked up a greeting and good wishes to the incoming one. This apparently is an old Yatesbury custom. Next came the sleeping quarters, which are in two separate blocks to the west. I do not propose to describe them, though they were fitted with hot and cold water, central heating, and all that. The observers' rooms were rather more Spartan and their washing arrangements more public than those of the officers, but the writer has paid landladies many good guineas for a great deal less comfort than is given here. In front of the quarters and mess are the tennis and squash courts, which obviously are well used, and behind the road is the Power House. This we believe is the private joy of the C.I.'s heart, for it proves that the station is self-contained and dependent on nobody. It has two Diesels that charge up two banks of accumulators and there is room for a third motor should the station grow any bigger. The voltage is 210, so if the grid ever comes close enough, it can be merely a question of hooking up to it without renewing anything. Seeing the Diesels was too much for our childish instincts. We wanted to see the wheels go round, papa, so very obligingly it was done. Two shots of lubrication to cylinder wall and main-bearings, then a turn of a compressed air tap and the thing was thudding away merrily. Most intriguing, and we only wished that Aristides, our Austin, started as easily. The hangars were my next objective. These were old wartime friends (Belfast Roof), reconditioned, certainly, but looking as if they would last three or four times the original ten-year limit given to them. At the hangar door was the fire-engine, which is very modern indeed with asbestos suits and foam-sprayers. Unfortunately, we could not see the wheels go round and suds turned into foam and bubbles—but absit omen, and tons of salt over the left shoulder, may it never have to make foam in earnest here. In one corner of the hangar were two tall obstruction lights. They were to be capped with wire to protect them from the marksmanship of small boys of Calne, for they show the obstruction caused by the Edwardian Obelisk above the white horse at Cherhill. The pity is that some kind of day warning has not yet been invented for this kind of thing, for we saw a Harvard come out of low cloud and miss the said Obelisk by inches. Of discipline, whether parental or otherwise, we heard not one word, but there is a full-time retired Sergeant Major on the strength. The S.M. manages the morning P.T. and other things.

1920's Bristol Aeroplane Company Ltd. Workers Badge by JR Gaunt.

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

1945 record site plan. In 1935, the Bristol Aircraft Company purchased the site to house its Bristol Volunteer Reserve Flying School. This was one of five civilian aviation concerns throughout Britain that received a contract from the Air Ministry for the running of flying schools engaged in training pilots of the Volunteer Reserves. The company employed its developers, En-tout-cas L.T.D., to refurbish two of the old hangars and build several other buildings to act as classrooms and offices. The type of aircraft employed for this ab-initio training were Tiger Moths, which were issued by the Government. The school opened in January 1936, with Flight magazine later observing that its fleet of Tiger Moths was ‘painted waspishly in black and yellow’ and commenting that Bristol had ‘made at Yatesbury a model school whose pattern few will equal and none will excel.’ Having opened with just four instructors, when Flight made its visit in November, the staff included Jock Campbell as Chief Instructor, Percy Clayson as Chief Ground Instructor, and at least ten flying instructors. In February 1938, the title of the school was changed to No. 10 Elementary Reserve Flying Training School, a time when a few R.A.F. personnel arrived for administration needs. In September 1938, a second contract was awarded for the training of navigators, this element becoming known as No. 2 Civilian Air Navigation School. It employed around ten Avro Ansons, although most of the staff were again civilians, including pilots and instructors. As soon as the war broke out in September 1939, the resident flying school dropped the 'Reserve' part of its title and was placed on a war footing, with many more R.A.F. personnel being posted in. The number of Tiger Moths in use quickly approached sixty as the requirement for new pilots rose rapidly. The students under training were then being called up for the R.A.F., and everyone was in uniform except the Bristol Aircraft Co. ground staff. To cater for the increase in aircraft, a large Bellman steel hangar was erected, plus 11 Blister type hangars dispersed around the perimeter of the airfield. The navigator aspect became the No. 2 Air Observer Navigation School, and it too increased both the number of students and Avro Ansons. A certain number of de-Havilland Rapide/Dominie aircraft were also introduced to train air wireless operators that were being trained at the adjacent No. 2 Electrical and Wireless School.

Record Site Plan 4552/45

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

Established in 1936, the No. 10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School at Yatesbury served as a critical training center for pilots and navigators. The site utilized various specialized buildings, including hangars and instructional rooms, to support both civilian and RAF personnel during the school's operational life.

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

The airfield was grass-surfaced, featuring two East/West runways.

Date 26 June 2005

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

This was a large, side-opening hangar that was not completed until after the war had started.

26 June 2005

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

This schedule details the airfield infrastructure and buildings at the Yatesbury site.

45: Large side opening hangar - B.A.C. - TB
46: Hangar Belfast Truss Roof - B.A.C. - TB
47: Boiler House - B.A.C. - TB
48: A.M.W.D. Stores - 20'x17' - T
49: Guard Hut - B.A.C. - TB
50: Store (demolished) - TB
51: Pyro Store - TB - based on RCW/40
52: Air Raid Shelter - F.D. Type (AM Supply)
53: Air Raid Shelter - F.D. Type (AM Supply)

Key:

B.A.C.: buildings owned by Bristol Aeroplane Co.
TB: Temporary Brick
A.M.W.D: Air Ministry Works Dept.
AM: Air Ministry
T: Tin

Record Site Plan 4552/45

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

45 - Large side opening hangar - B.A.C. - TB - ? The saw-toothed roof or 'North Light' roof can be seen very well here. 'Saw-tooth' is obvious, but 'North Light' has glass in the upright parts, thus allowing a steady north light into the building.

Date 26 June 2005

45 - Large side opening hangar - B.A.C.

Date 26 June 2005

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

45 - Large side opening hangar - B.A.C. - TB. Now used as a grain store, where Dominies once parked in front of the hangar, large lorries now come and go.

Date 26 June 2005

D.H. Dominie 219 flying over the hangar.

The de Havilland DH 89 Dominie was among the aircraft types that once operated from Yatesbury. These versatile biplanes were introduced here specifically to train air wireless operators, working in conjunction with the navigation training provided to students from the adjacent No. 2 Electrical and Wireless School.

DH 89 Dominie

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

47 - Boiler House - B.A.C - TB. To the side of the hangar is the original boiler house; note the large ventilators on the roof.

Date 26 June 2005

Boiler House Interior

47 - Boiler House - B.A.C - TB. Inside view of the original boiler house.

Date 26 June 2005

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

46 - Hangar Belfast Truss Roof - B.A.C - TB - ? I am not sure when this hangar was taken over by B.A.C., but it certainly was by the outbreak of war.

Date 26 June 2005

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

45 - Large side opening hangar - B.A.C. - TB.
46 - Hangar Belfast Truss Roof - B.A.C. - TB.
The view across the airfield.

History: The old WW1 airfield with one GS shed burnt down and another sold off to Bowyer's of Calne to manufacture sausages in. That left this GS shed and just two more across the airfield. Most other WW1 buildings that were still around had been removed when B.A.C. took the airfield over after 1935.

Date 26 June 2005

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

The site plan includes the following buildings:

45 - Large side opening hangar - B.A.C. - TB.
46 - Hangar Belfast Truss Roof - B.A.C. - TB.

13 May 2012

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

The B.A.C. guard room is reached via a lovely tree-lined avenue that leads to the Bristol flying school. The main gate post remains standing to this day, as seen in 2012.

Date 26 June 2005

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

49 - Guard Hut - B.A.C. - TB. This site was guarded by civilians working for the Bristol Aeroplane Company.

13 May 2012

Station Defences

Pillbox defences were added later, around 1940, to bolster the station's security.

13 May 2012

No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School — Site Building Schedule

The following is a schedule of the buildings and facilities at the school, including their construction types and reference codes:

1 - Hangar Bellman 2/3 Full Height - ST - 8349/37
2 - Hangar Belfast Roof - B.A.C.
3 - Hangar Belfast Roof - B.A.C.
4 - Offices & 2 Stores - B.A.C. - PB
5 - Offices & 2 Stores - B.A.C. - PB
6 - Rest Room - 'B' type Hutting 50'x18' - T - RCW47/40
7 - Lecture Hut 50'x18' - TB
8 - Flight Office 'B' type Hutting 50'x18' - T - RCW46/40, YA 456
9 - Flight Office 'B' type Hutting 50'x18' - T - RCW47/40
10 - Control Tower (Watch Office) 20'x18' - YA456 (Local)
11 - Oil & Petrol Store - B.A.C. - TB
12 - Oil & Petrol Store - B.A.C. - TB
13 - Latrine Block - B.A.C. - TB
14 - Office 'B' Type Hutting 50'x18' - T - RCW47/40. Demolished 1962
15 - Dope Store - TB. Demolished 1962
16 - Stores Hut 36'x18' - H - 4175/42
17 - Stores Hut 36'x18' - H - 4175/42
18 - Cottages 2 stories Staff Residence (B.A.C)
19 - Guard Hut - B.A.C. - TB
20 - Garage (Floodlight Trailer) - B.A.C. - TB
21 - M.T. Workshops - B.A.C. - TB
22 - Garage - B.A.C. - TB - ?
23 - Garage - B.A.C. - TB
24 - A.M.L. Teacher - T - 69/27CRCW43/42
25 - Decontamination Centre - T - 235/39
26 - Gas Defence Centre 48'x18' - T - 3632/37
27 - Power House - B.A.C. - PB
28 - M.T. Shed
29 - Barrack Hut 'B' Type Hutting 70'x18' - T
30 - Barrack Hut 'B' Type Hutting 42'x28' - T - YA206(local)
31 - Barrack Hut 'B' Type Hutting 50'x28' - T
32 - Barrack Hut 'B' Type Hutting 50'x28' - T - YA206
33 - Barrack Hut 'B' Type Hutting 50'x28' - T - YA206
34 - Ablutions Latrines 'B' Type Hutting 50'x28' - T - YA196
35 - 25yds Rifle Range - B - 2902/36 309/35
36 - Gas Chamber - B.A.C. - TB
37 - Officers Living Quarters (30 Rooms) - B.A.C. - PB
38 - Hostel N.C.O's & O/R's - B.A.C. - PB
39 - Squash Court - B.A.C. - PB
40 - Sick Quarters - TB - RCW 34/40
41 - Female Rest Room - 48'x18' - TB - Hil
42 - Static Water tank - TB - (Hil?)
43 - Static Water tank - TB - (Hil?)
44 - Tennis Courts B.A.C.
45 - Hangar Belfast Roof - B.A.C - TB
50 - Store demolished 1962
51 - Pyro Store - TB - Based on RCW/13/40
52 - Air Raid Shelter - FD Type (A.M. Supply)
53 - Air Raid Shelter - FD Type (A.M. Supply)
54 - Pilots Rest Room - B - YA.304(Local)
55 - Flight Office - TB - YA.304(Local)

B.A.C. - buildings owned by Bristol Aeroplane Co.
TB - Temporary Brick.
T - Timber hutting.
H - Handcraft Hut.
PB - Permanent Brick.
B - Brick.
ST - Steel.
PC - Permanent Concrete.
A.M.W.D - Air Ministry Works Dept.
AM - Air Ministry.

Record Site Plan 4552/45

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

The site featured 18 two-story cottages for staff residence, provided by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It is possible that one of these served as the residence for the B.A.C. manager, while another may have been occupied by the Chief Instructor.

NP13 May 2012

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

The site features some lovely, modern Art Deco designed buildings that served the No. 10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School.

This is a schedule of the buildings and facilities located at the site:

2 - Hangar Belfast Roof - B.A.C.
3 - Hangar Belfast Roof - B.A.C.
4 - Offices & 2 Stores - B.A.C. - PB.
5 - Offices & 2 Stores - B.A.C. - PB.
18 - Cottages (2 stories Staff Residence) - B.A.C.
19 - Guard Hut - B.A.C. - TB - ? (removed)
23 - Garage - B.A.C. - TB.
27 - Power House - B.A.C. - PB.
37 - Officers Living Quarters (30 Rooms) - B.A.C. - PB.
39 - Squash Court - B.A.C. - PB.
44 - Tennis Courts - B.A.C.

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

2 - Hangar, Belfast Roof - B.A.C.
3 - Hangar, Belfast Roof - B.A.C.

2000

Hangar Architecture

The Belfast truss roof construction provides a distinct profile for the hangar's front elevation, reflecting the design used by the Bristol Aeroplane Company when they refurbished the airfield's facilities.

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

2 - Hangar, Belfast Roof - B.A.C.
3 - Hangar, Belfast Roof - B.A.C.

2000

Hangar Belfast Truss Roof Plan

Hangar Belfast Truss roof plan.

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

37 - Officers Living Quarters (30 Rooms) - B.A.C. - PB.

The pillbox was added at a later date, around 1940.

Date 26 June 2005

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

37 — Officers' Living Quarters (30 Rooms) — B.A.C. — PB.

Tiger Moth Training Fleet

One of the original civil-registered fleet of Tiger Moths operated by the pre-war Bristol-run school, No. 10 ERFTS, at Yatesbury. The Bristol Tiger Moths were known for their distinctive purple fuselages and custard-yellow wings.

RAF Museum

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

37 - Officers Living Quarters (30 Rooms) - B.A.C. - P.B.

Date 26 June 2005

The south-west elevation of the site, which encompasses the officers' living quarters, provides a clear view of the architectural layout and the location of the later-added pillbox defences installed around 1940.

No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School:

4 - Offices & 2 Stores - B.A.C. - PB.

Building 4, comprising offices and two stores, was owned by the Bristol Aeroplane Company and constructed of permanent brick. This image shows the building's elevation.

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

4 - Offices & 2 Stores - B.A.C. - PB.

The building features wonderful Georgian windows, a notable architectural detail of the offices and stores block.

Instructional Staff, 1936

The Yatesbury instructional staff in 1936, with their R.A.F.O. ranks.

Standing, left to right, are Flt. Lt. S. J. H. Carr, DFC; Flt. Lt. E. G. Sharp; Flt. Lt. F. H. Bugge; Mr. W. Miller; Flt. Lt. P. J. Clayson, MC, DFC (Chief Ground Instructor); Fg. Off. L. H. Mason and Flt. Lt. W. J. Pearson. Seated are Fg. Off. W. L. B. Palmer; Fg. Off. T. W. Campbell (Chief Instructor); Fg. Off. W. G. Stevenson; Flt. Lt. H. W. Raeburn and Fg. Off. W. N. L. Cope.

RAF Museum

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

Percy Jack Clayson joined the Royal Naval Air Service at the outbreak of war and served in France from December 1914. He then transferred to the Royal Flying Corps, being appointed a probationary temporary second lieutenant on the General List on 19 July 1917 and was confirmed in the rank on 28 September. On 30 September 1917 he was awarded his Royal Aero Club Aviator's License (No. 5617) after flying a Curtiss Biplane at the Military School at Beverley. He joined No. 1 Squadron on 31 October 1917.

Clayson gained his first victory on 16 February 1918. He was awarded the Military Cross on 9 April, and on 8 May was appointed a flight commander with the rank of acting captain. On 12 June 1918, he was cited for the Distinguished Flying Cross and by 14 July had achieved a total of 29 credited victories; 1 shared destroyed balloon, 1 (and 1 shared) aircraft captured, 9 (and 9 shared) aircraft destroyed, and 5 (and 3 shared) aircraft 'out of control'. He was invested with his DFC on 24 July 1919 by The King at Buckingham Palace. Clayson was posted to Home Establishment on 3 August 1918, ending his involvement in direct engagement with the enemy.

Later military service

On 24 October 1919 he was granted a short service commission in the Royal Air Force with the rank of flying officer. He served during the 1920s with Nos. 6 and 70 Squadrons. On 1 July 1925 he was promoted to flight lieutenant, and on 9 July was posted to No. 23 Squadron at RAF Henlow. On 21 September 1926 he was posted to the Aircraft Depot, Iraq, finally returning to the UK to serve at the RAF Depot at RAF Uxbridge from 14 November 1928. He was placed on the retired list due to ill health on 16 April 1929. On 7 September 1929, at Our Lady of Victories Church, Kensington, he married Kathleen Thornton of Kelvingrove, Glasgow. In 1936 Clayson was the Chief Ground Instructor at the Civil Training Flying School operated by the Bristol Aeroplane Company at Yatesbury. During World War II Clayson returned to active service in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve being appointed a flying officer in the Administrative and Special Duties Branch on 20 December 1941. He was promoted to flight lieutenant on 1 January 1944. Clayson remained in the Air Force Reserve of Officers until finally relinquishing his commission on 10 February 1954.

Born 07 June 1908

Flt Lt P J Clayson MC DFC (Chief Ground Instructor).

No. 5 - Offices & 2 Stores Building Details

5 - Offices & 2 Stores - B.A.C. - PB.

Student Pilot Training

Student pilots assemble on the landing ground for a propaganda photo shoot. These trainees were part of the expanded pilot intake following the outbreak of war in September 1939, when the school transitioned to a war footing and the requirement for new pilots rose rapidly.

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

5 — Offices and two stores — B.A.C. — PB.

Student Pilots on Parade

This is the finished article: a nice, neat row of pilots under instruction.

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

39 - Squash Court - B.A.C. - PB (Permanent Brick construction).

Situated near the accommodation blocks, the site included a squash court (Building 39) constructed of permanent brick (PB) and owned by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (B.A.C.). This facility, alongside the tennis courts, provided recreational space for the school's personnel.

Date 26 June 2005

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

Building 27 is the Power House, a permanent brick construction (PB) built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company.

Date 26 June 2005

27 - Power House - B.A.C. - PB (viewed from inside).

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

23 - Garage - B.A.C. - TB (Temporary Brick).

Date 26 June 2005

Site No. 23 — Garage

Site 23 - Garage - B.A.C. - TB (Temporary Brick).

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

3 - Hangar, Belfast Roof - B.A.C.

This view shows the roof construction of the Belfast Truss hangar, which was a defining feature of the site's architecture.

Bristol Aeroplane Co. Yatesbury No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School

This structure, identified as building 2, is one of the hangars featuring a Belfast truss roof, historically owned and maintained by the Bristol Aeroplane Company.

Air Britain

Training Aircraft on the Airfield

This photograph was possibly taken just after the war started and the RAF had taken over, as the aircraft appear to be in camouflage with yellow underbellies.