Motormouse
SOH-CM-2024
A new entry has been added to Add-Ons Library, category FS 2004 Scenery
Description: Another of my ez scenery / afcad creations
RFC Beaulieu at East Boldre, Hampshire; aka no 19 Training Squadron (depot) Station RFC ;home to Nos. 1 and 70 Training Squadrons; No, 79 Squadron ( with Sopwith Dolphin). Later in 1918 became
No. 29 Training Depot Station. not to be cofusedwith the ww2 airfield of same name. built the other side of the Beaulieu to Lymington road.
On Sunday 1 May, 1910, a large crowd of people came to East Boldre to watch a flying display by William McArdle and J. Armstrong-Drexel, who were flying two Bleriot monoplanes.
Despite refusal from the Office of Woods, they had built two sheds, one for a hangar and one for a workshop, and they hired some local lads to clear a strip of heathland for the runway; creating the second flying school to be opened in the UK, (the first being at Leysdown on the Isle of Sheppey). There a some photographs in circulation from this period of the early planes resting on local chimney stacks.
The flying school closed two years later in 1912 and the airfield reverted to quiet grazing land but in 1914, one of the sheds on the airfield was taken over by the Royal Flying Corps (forerunner of the RAF). By 1915 the demand for pilots on the Western Front was so great that the training school, called RFC Beaulieu was built on the area. Three iron hangars, several huts and the Officer’s Mess (which is now the village hall), were built in the village during 1915. By 1917, four more large hangars, a powerhouse, workshops and accommodation for airmen, airwomen and officers were built on the Beaulieu to Lymington road.Known as 'The Squadron' ; the task of this side of the airfield being to practice pilots in air combat drills that they would need on the front in France..probably the world's first 'Top Gun' school!!
Three squadrons were formed at RFC Beaulieu before being moved to France. 84 Squadron still exists and still considers itself to be a Beaulieu Squadron. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._84_Squadron_RAF)
Until 27 July 1918 the function of the site was a Training Squadron Station. After this date its function was listed as a Training Depot Station and School, RAF; specifically, No. 29 Training Depot Station. The camp was closed in 1919 and most of the buildings were removed, at the behest of the landowner Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, on whose estate it was built.
The Officers mess is still present, doing duty as East Boldre village hall.
fs9 as I don't run X ; feel free to adjust and tweek as you desire; and no background poly as Sbuilder won't run on my system
You'll need the ACG Duxford, MAIW and UKVFR scenery libraries (not included here) and Stow Maries sceneries as I've borrowed objects from those
in your static objects folder for buildings to show, also Sid Schwartz' 2 d objects for the 'BEAULIEU' letters to show
To check it out, rate it or add comments, visit RFC Beaulieu , East Boldre
The comments you make there will appear in the posts below.