RAF Old Sarum, Wiltshire Airfield

This is the original Training Depot Station plan of Old Sarum, called Ford Farm after the local farm it took over the ground from. The name was changed as the aerodrome Ford in Hampshire could be mistaken.
The Airfield Technical site to the left and the Living site to the right with the Port Way Roman road used as the northern boundary. 1917/1919 it was a Training Depot Station (TDS). This was a huge expansion of the original RFC when in Wiltshire alone Old Sarum, Stonehenge, Boscombe Down & Lake Down were built as TDS's. Just over the border in Hampshire was also Lopcome Corner & Chattis Hill.
It opened around June 1917, there were no buildings only an old tin barn, a thatched barn and a wind powered water pump, which became a problem to flying. The next day Bell tents arrived and they started erecting the nucleus of an aerodrome. German POW's were drafted in to help build the hangars and buildings and also some Chinese labourers who were seamen and due to the imminent chances of being torpedoed by the U-boat threat, had refused to sail again. So instead of holding them in a compound in Southampton, they were moved here and used as labour for the aerodromes construction.

This is a 1932 plan showing an upgrade in accommodation with married quarters for airmen and warrant officers in the top right corner and officers married quarters in the bottom right hand corner. The RAF expansion schemes of the later 1930's Old Sarum was added to the list of having a major upgrade. It came in the building of modern red brick buildings in the RAF style. An Officers Mess, a HQ building, Station Sick Quarters, barrack blocks, Institute, Officers Mess and many more. But here I am going to cover the Airfield site.
Hangars and Defence sites.

Blazon:
A double- Headed Eagle Or armed Azure displayed gorged with a Ducal Coronet Or in front of a representative Castle Mound of Old Sarum Vert ensigned with a Castle of two Towers proper (Light brown wood). Link:The badge represents the close connection of the unit with both old and new Old Sarum. The mound is a symbolic representation of the great Castle Mound of Old Sarum whilst the double-headed eagle is taken from the Armorial Bearings of the City of Salisbury. Motto: Latin,Semper inter primos– Ever amongst the first. History: Opened, known briefly as Ford Farm in August 1917 before becoming Old Sarum. Transferred to Army control on 15 December 1971. from RAF Heraldry Trust.

Hangar 2 GS (General Service) Aeroplane Sheds.
This is the western end of Hangar 1, now the BDAC Museum.

Hangar 2.
For the doors to open fully, allowing a full open span of 80ft. These are brick arches to support the upper rails for the doors.

Two views of the main drive Lancaster Road.
The RAF in the 1930's expansion used a nursery to grow trees to plant on RAF stations to soften their presence and also as camouflage. Here the tree lines main drive through the middle of the camp.

1,2 & 3 - Flight Sheds.
4 - ARS Shed.
5 & 6 - Plane Shed.
7 - Wood Workshop & Parachute Store.
8, 9 & 10 Flight Commanders Office.
11 & 12 - Petrol Installation (Aviation) .
13 - Switch House.
14 - W & B Office & Store.
15 - Photographic Hut.
16 - Gunnery Inst. & Armoury.
17 - W & B Workshops.
18 - Wireless & Bombing Hut.
19 - Lecture Hut & Photo Hut.
20 - Buzzing Hut.
21 - Depot Office.
22 - Guard House.
23 - Technical Store.
24 & 25 - Pump House.
26 - Tank (Water Storage).
29 - Latrines.
32 - Petrol Installation (M.T.).
33 - Picture Target House.
34 - Metal Workshop.
35 - M.T. Shed & Engine Test Shop.
36 Coal Yard.

Hangar 1.

Down one side are several offices of differing sizes, on the south side they were used as squadron & flight offices, these on the north side were probably engineering..

Hangar 2.

Now the other end showing its brick door runner piers.

Hangar 2.

The view at the front doors of the hangar. A picture before BDAC arrived. Now there are many parked aircraft outside.

Ten years later and the museum is now very well established.

Hangar 2.

The squadron and flight offices were built at the same time as the hangars, but the two wooden buildings were added later, probably post WW2 with the one on the left a Vic Hallam type timber hut. If you have ever been taught at Durrington's senior school, you will probably have been taught in a Vic Hallam Hut (as I was). On the right a Uni-Seco Hut.

Hangar 2.

View from the fire escape across the airfield.

Control Tower.

A unique and unknown design, built around 1950 for the MOD as the control tower for the large amount of flying that went on from heavy transports, helicopters to small Army Co-operation Austers.

Hangar 1.

1597/17 & Flight Watch Office 1982 showing the early watch office for the hangars flight of aircraft. Each hangar had its own watch office & Chief Instructors room.

Flight Watch Office 1597/270

Nearly all early flight watch offices had a nice bay window allowing a good view over the airfield. I think this watch office looks exactly like the RAF Tangmere's 1597/27 plan.

Watch Office 1597/27
RAF Tangmere's plan of a Watch Office 1597/27 showing Fuel Store for coal, a Toilet, Lobby, Watch Office & a Rest Room..

90 - Compass Platform.

The concrete circle has no magnetic qualities and a plane set to point North can have its compass checked and swung before take off.

Aviation Fuel.

There were several aviation fuel instillations and I am not sure if this is a post war one?? The concrete is level so that when the tanker sits on it, its fuel tank dips can be checked.

Hangar 2 & 4 the view from the airfield.

Hangar 2 & 4.

The view towards the airfield.

Hangar 4'

ARS Shed, (Aircraft Repair Shed), before WW2 they were usually called 'Sheds'. This one is the same span as the others but is a single shed. This is where the damaged aircraft came to be repaired and serviced. They had their own heating plants , and the two side sheds were, for aircraft storage (I would imagine bodies and wings not attached).

Hangar 4.

ARS Shed The two side sheds were, for aircraft storage.

Front door of the ARS Shed.

This shed is now owned by Guyatts and the owner really looks after it.

Hangar 4.

ARS Shed side view.

Hangar 4.

ARS Shed The two heating chambers and offices between.

The Medical Officer (doctor) with his "Blood Tub" at the ready 1921.

Hangar 4.

ARS Shed One of the two heating chambers. They would have had brick chimneys not the modern stainless steel model.

In 1921 these are the boys who's job it was to dismantle damaged/crashed aircraft and repair them.

Hangar 4.

ARS Shed The second heating plant rooms. probably coal burning in WW1 & 2 and then later I believe gas.

Model 'T' Ford with a Huck starter, aircraft engines were getting very hard to start by swinging the prop. Another method was needed and the Huck starter was the answer until reliable electric starter motors could be used. I believe in Flying Boats, they used compressed air starters.

Hangar 4 & 3

The tarmac between these two hangars. Often even in WW1 the pilots talk of the 'The Tarmac' the area between the hangars and the grass.

The ARS is on the left and Hangar 3 to the right and a flight of, I believe. ARCO DH-4 in silver.

Mechanics carrying out waterproofing of vehicles of an RAF Mobile Signals Unit at Old Sarum, Wiltshire, in preparation for the invasion of Normandy. Early in 1944 the whole airfield was turned over to an RAF Servicing Unit with over a 1000 fitters to waterproof all RAF vehicles to go to Normandy for the invasion. The whole airfield, fields behind and even parts of Old Sarum Castle was used as vehicle parking.

AM Site Plan 52/45
This is the plan for 1945, showing the layout around the time that Old Sarum was taken over in April/May/June 1944 as a centre for the waterproofing of RAF vehicles for the D-Day landings. The yellow areas were the expansion of the airfield and B - Blister hangars. All the Site No.´s were vehicle parking areas and flying took place on one strip down the middle of hundreds of parked vehicles.

Hangar 4 & 3.

Looking back over the airfield and hangars.

Hangar 3.

The good old days when the roof was in better condition. Today they are in a very bad condition, Grade 2 listed or not that has and will not save them 2024.

&^(*_)(*$££^^&&&(?>~@ 2023
2026 after a fully destructive fire, where no body was found to have started it?? totally destroyed, suddenly cleared up and just the brick walls standing.

Hangar 3.

In In slightly better days.

Hangar today 2023 after the fire, everything was scooped up and taken away, so we had no chance of saving and lighting, door fittings or any usable parts.

Hangar 3.

Wind bracing in the roof.

Hangar 3.

The side wall widows.

Hangar 3.

Six large doors allowing 80ft clear span.

Hangar 3.

Showing the open clear span of the doors.

Flight-Liutenant P.L.Donkin with 'C' Flight, No.16 Squadron RAF and a Westland Lysander.

The inside supporting pillars.

Drainage.

Hooton Park.

This is what COULD be done. Vauxhall Motors left Hooton Park in quite a bad condition, but also left them a large amount of money to re build the hangar.

Old buildings on the west side , now removed. On the left is a Uni-Seco hut and on the right a Vic Hallam wooden type. Uni-Seco were designed in the war as first huts for the RAF and then later as housing. They were built in vast numbers and in Salisbury, many were still at the top end of the Devizes Road in the 1960's.

Uni-Seco hut
It would have arrived in as a flat pack on lorries with all the internal fittings.

The airfield. Spot the plane landing.

The Optica on display.

AM Boundary Stone.

The Air Ministry before the war placed boundary stones around their properties.

FW/3 Type 22 pillbox.

Inside with just rifle loopholes.
Walls are around 12"- 24" thick.