Historic England - Aviation heritage in the East of England

The East of England was the starting point of the famous MacRobertson England (Mildenhall) to Australia Air Race in October 1934. The winning de Havilland Comet is preserved at The Shuttleworth Collection (www.shuttleworth.org/main/index.htm) at Old Warden. Woburn Abbey (www.woburnabbey.co.uk/) was once the home of Mary, The Flying Duchess - wife of the 11th Duke of Bedford. She learnt to fly at the age of 60, and used to land her de Havilland Gypsy Moth in front of the abbey. One of the greatest names in the design and manufacture of aeroplanes - the de Havilland Aircraft Company was established in 1920. Its two most famous creations are the Moth and Mosquito. The latter was designed in secret at Salisbury Hall, nr. St. Albans - now home to the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre (www.dehavillandmuseum.co.uk/)

Balloons and Airships

The first hot air balloon flight in Britain was undertaken by the Italian aeronaut Vincenzo Lunardi in September 1784. He touched down firstly at Welham Green (nr. Brookmans Park), where a stone marks the spot. He then continued onto the hamlet of Standon Green End (nr. Ware) - where in a meadow stands the ‘Balloon Stone’, with its metal inscription detailing the achievement. From 1916, a large site at Cardington (nr. Bedford) was developed for the purpose of airship research and production. Today two gigantic sheds still dominate the landscape, once home of the R100 and R101 airships. Another famous airship base was constructed at Pulham Market (nr. Diss).

The RAF and USAAF

In the mid 1930's with war again looming, the RAF began a massive programme of expansion across the Eastern Counties, which provided an ideal platform for a possible offensive (its flat landscape excellent for the construction of airfields). Soon many were home to the planes of RAF Bomber Command, whilst others became important as fighter bases, such as Debden, Martlesham Heath  and North Weald - with their aircraft participating in the Battle of Britain.

In 1942, the Americans arrived, and many airfields were made available to the USAAF (United States Army Air Force), so by 1943 there were over 100,000 US airmen based in Britain. The largest concentration was in the East of England. This was the 'friendly invasion' - a time of jitterbugging dances and big band sounds, while the British got their first taste of peanut butter, chewing gum and Coke. Famous US bandleader Glenn Miller was based in the Bedford area, along with his orchestra during the Second World War. Whilst Bassingbourn was the wartime home of the famous B-17 'Memphis Belle'. Today visitors can discover many of the old airfields - alongside memorials and original control towers with displays and exhibitions. At Cambridge you can visit the only Second World War American military cemetery and memorial in Britain. Whilst at Norwich, there is the Second Air Division Memorial Library of the 8th Air Force.

Faster and Higher

Coming more up to date, the world's first supersonic airliner Concorde went into service in January 1976, and the third of these (the R101) to be built for test purposes before the plane went into production, can be visited at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford. Present day airfields include RAF Lakenheath, England’s largest US Air Force operated fighter base and RAF Mildenhall, which controls all USAF activities in Britain. The region offers many aviation-based museums to enjoy, such as the Imperial War Museum (duxford.iwm.org.uk/) at Duxford. This is one of the world’s most spectacular aviation heritage complexes, with almost 200 aircraft on display. During the year, enjoy the largest collection of air shows in the country, featuring vintage aircraft, jets and aerobatic displays such as the Red Arrows.