Site of First World War landing ground at East Hanningfield (EHER 19349)
Please read our guidance about the use of Essex Historic Environment Record data.
Summary
The site of a First World War Third Class Royal Flying Corps airfield at East Hanningfield. It was operational as a night landing field from April 1916 until January 1917. The airstrip consisted of cleared fields with no facilities apart from tents to provide shelter for ground crew to light landing flares.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred TL 7631 0066 (662m by 682m) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | EAST HANNINGFIELD, CHELMSFORD, ESSEX |
Type and Period
Description
Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import.
A Third Class RFC night landing ground operational from April 1916 to January 1917, occupying ten fields owned by various land owners. There were no facilities provided, beyond the tents used as bad weather shelter by those lighting the landing flares. <1>.
The short duration of this site's use as an airfield, and the lack of permanent structures means that it is very unlikely that any archaeological remains from this period survive above or below ground. However, something of the nature of the airfield is retained by the modern field boundaries: the pre WWI ten field layout is now just one large field as it would have been when used as a landing ground. <2>.
Operational 1916. <3>
Sources
- <1> SEX59856 Bibliographic reference: Doyle, P.. 1997. Fields of the First: History of Aircraft Landing Grounds in Essex Used During the First World War.
- <2> SEX59857 DESC TEXT: Pratt, N.. 2001. WWI airfield management recommendations and archaeological potential.
- <3> SEX76093 Webpage: Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust, Airfield Finder. Accessed 08-02-2010.
Related Events (1)
Other References
- NRHE identifier: 1513025
- National Monuments Record: TL 70 SE 33