Portslade in the Past: Shoreham Airport, West Sussex.

Judy Middleton & D. Sharp, 2003 (revised 2023)

Early Days

Lancing College with its impressive chapel dominates the skyline above the Adur Valley, and it is interesting to note that the foundation of Shoreham Airport is linked to a former student there. This was because he later became fascinated by aeroplanes, and remembered from his youth that the flat land of the Adur Valley would be the perfect place on which to carry out his experiments. It led to Shoreham Airport became the oldest civil airport in the world.

Harold Hume Piffard (1867-1939)

Harold was the sixth son of Charles Piffard and his wife Emily, and Harold’s second name was his mother’s maiden name. The couple had married in Calcutta on 1 June 1858, and indeed their first four sons were all born in Calcutta. Charles Piffard, as well as Emily’s father, were high up in the legal world at Calcutta. But Harold was born in Marylebone, London. Perhaps the family moved back home so that their sons could receive a solid English education.

Harold and his brother Lawrence were despatched to Lancing College in 1877 where they entered School House. By all accounts, Harold was something of a live wire, larking around on the railway bridge near Beeding Cement Works in front of an approaching locomotive – obviously his love of danger was already present in his personality. He was nicknamed ‘Spiff’. But perhaps the strict regime of boarding school was not quite to his taste, and one Sunday when he was twelve years old, he had had enough, and made a break for freedom. That it was a Sunday is interesting because Sundays were the days when time often seemed to drag at boarding schools.

Piffard absconded, and walked all the way to London where he arrived the following Tuesday. He was attracted by the bright lights of theatre-land, and attempted to find employment in theatres or music halls. There was a dramatic gene in the Piffard family and his brother Hamilton became a successful actor. But there was no opening for young Harold who had to spend his nights sleeping on the embankment. He had no other option but to return to Lancing College and face the music. He must have been in disgrace, and it amusing to recall that in later life when Piffard was aged 43 and famous, the delighted Head Master of that august institution, Revd Henry Thomas Bowlby, invited him back for a celebratory dinner.

Piffard took some time to find his niche. The year 1884 found him travelling around India, and he tried his hand at a tea garden in Darjeeling. Perhaps inspired by the sights and colour of the sub-continent, he decided to return home and take up studies at the Royal Academy Art Schools where his talent was recognised by four of his paintings being selected to go on show at the Royal Academy. It seems his fame as an aviation pioneer has overshadowed his reputation as an artist because his paintings are quite beautiful, favouring that Pre-Raphaelite style.

Harold Piffard (1869-1939)
Restoration by Adam Cuerden - University of Victoria Digital Collections

It was not long ago that the Pre-Raphaelites were scorned in artistic circles, but they are now well-regarded and sell for a fortune, and so perhaps Piffard too will be re-discovered. Piffard did have a successful career in providing illustrations for The Strand, London Illustrated London News, S.P.C.K. religious books and adventure books for boys.

Piffard was twice married. On 1 June 1895 he married Helena Katherina Docetti Walker at St John’s Church, Dundee. The poor lady was soon overcome by motherhood, the first child arriving the following year, then Dorothy was born in 1898, Ivan in 1899, and Grahame in 1900. Helena died the same year, no doubt worn out by her pregnancies, and their three-month old son died in 1901. On 8 January 1902 Piffard married Eleanor Margaret Hoile at the Chapel Royal, Edinburgh and their son Hume was born in 1905.

The Creation of the Aerodrome

copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
Shoreham Airport in the late 1920s, the aircraft landing and take off lines can be seen in the grass, to the north is the toll bridge over the River Adur, and to the right is Old Shoreham's St Nicholas Church, the Brighton to Portsmouth railway track is south of the airfield

The Brighton Herald (16 October 1909) reported upon a significant meeting held at Hove Town Hall where the question of building an aerodrome was discussed. Present at this historic occasion were Captain Fraser (Mayor of Hove) Mr E. Geere (Mayor Elect of Brighton) and Mr J. G. Denton (Mayor of Worthing). At this stage it was not a municipal project but a privately-funded enterprise involving a London syndicate called Aviators Finance Ltd. Their representatives were W. Pettet of Brighton, R. J. Lovell, London architect, and George Arthur Wingfield, solicitor, while the syndicate’s aviator expert was Mr H. H. Pifford, a member of the Sussex County Aero Club.

Pifford declared that the proposed area was ‘the best site he had seen in England’. It is amusing to read the description of the site – ‘a large flat treeless and ditchless piece of land, several miles in circumference, near the coast, readily accessible, and shut off from the public.’ Not exactly a candidate for the prettiest countryside scene, but useful as an aerodrome.

The land in question was at New Salts Farm, Shoreham. Some sources state the land was leased, but the newspaper report states it was ‘recently contracted and paid for’ which sounds more like an outright purchase. By 1911 G. A. Wingfield had been elevated from being a mere solicitor to being Chairman of the Directors of Aviators Finance. (Brighton Gazette 21 June 1911).

George Wingfield lived at 19 Wilbury Avenue, Hove, during the First World War his son, Lieutenant Lawrence Arthur Wingfield DFC was a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps who was shot down over France, he was captured and sent to a German Prisoner of War Camp from where he successfully escaped back to England.

At the meeting at Hove Town Hall there were long descriptions of the site’s benefits; for example so close to London, which could be reached in an hour by train, the nearness of resorts Hove and Brighton, the advantages of being a short trip to France, and the adjacent Shoreham Harbour. There could be a practical use for the harbour that today we might not expect; this was that flying machines might be delivered by ship without having to be dismantled as would be the case should the plane have to travel by road or rail.

There were also high hopes for more amenities on the site. For example, a hotel for aviators, and adjacent golf links to amuse aviators unable to fly due to adverse weather conditions. There also might be swimming pools where aviators could wash off the annoying oil they acquired whilst flying, not to mention a flying school for beginners.

copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
The above drawing was the proposed Sussex County Aero Club House at Shoreham Aerodrome to replace their wooden Club House, which in the end was never built.

Meanwhile H. H. Piffard was broadening his interest in aircraft. He began his interest in aviation by creating model aeroplanes, which soon progressed to the real thing by 1909. The Lancing College Magazine (May 1910) claimed that he was the first aviator to make use of Shoreham Aerodrome. It was quite near the Sussex Pad Inn whose manager was famously sceptical that Piffard would ever be able to lift the thing off the ground. If such a miracle happened, he promised the intrepid aviator a case of champagne. It does not seem to have come down in history as to whether or not this pledge was honoured.

The machine in question Pifford named Hummingbird. It was a locally made bi-plane that Piffard said was constructed of wood and string, and by 3 May 1910 it was able to manage short hops. Nevertheless he managed to get it up to a height of 30-ft a few days later on 10 May 1910.

Flight (magazine) 28 May 1910

This date is said to be the first flight made at Shoreham Airport. But if you require a longer flight for a ‘first’ then that honour goes to Oscar Morison.

In October 1910 Hummingbird crashed again – a rather short career in fact. In 2007 a replica of this historic piece was lovingly constructed by the Shoreham Airport Historical Association.

Pifford was extremely fortunate to survive the various mishaps with his flying machines. But he never seemed to be seriously injured after his fairly frequent crashes. By May 1911 he had come up with a new scheme – a hydro-aeroplane. For this testing he needed to be close to the sea, and chose the shingle beach at Shoreham called Bungalow Town, and famous for its involvement with the early firm pioneers. The new plane had a 40 h.p. ENV engine but the craft’s buoyancy needed to be tested at sea because it had air bags. All went well at first, but in August 1911 it capsized, but as the people on board were good swimmers there was no harm done.

Flight (magazine) 1 July 1911

Brighton Aerodrome was declared open on 20 June 1911 with the mayors of Brighton, Hove and Worthing present. The flying club and the airport continued to operate side by side.

First Air-freight Flight

It was another world-wide first when a light-weight cargo was flown on 4 July 1911 from Shoreham to Aldrington Recreation Ground (Wish Park). The Sussex Daily News described the momentous event as follows:

‘Brighton and Hove people had the distinction of what is believed to be the first time in the world’s history that aerial transport has been accomplished, the flight having been made yesterday evening from Shoreham to Hove. Notwithstanding that a large number of people were disappointed at the flight not taking place on Monday, which was due to the absence of a searchlight arranged to be placed in Marine Park (sic) to shew (sic) the aviator where he should land, hundreds of people assembled in the Park yesterday to watch the flight and descent.’

The pilot was Mr Barber of Hendon, and the flight was arranged in conjunction with the General Electric Company of London. Mr Barber flew a Valkyrie, type B, number 5, monoplane, and he carried a consignment of Osram lamps for delivery to Messrs Page & Miles of Western Road, Hove. The Valkyrie, described as powerful ‘came along at a terrific rate, and at a high altitude, and when over the Park circled round beautifully, and swooped down like an eagle.’ Mr Barber said that when the plane landed it was travelling at 70 miles an hour. (See also Wish Park, Aldrington Recreation Ground).

Avro (A. V. Roe & Company)

Avro was founded in 1910 by Alliott Verdon Roe in Manchester.

The Avro Flying School moved to Shorehan from Brooklands in October 1912 and operated the school there for a year.

copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
A seaplane being towed along the River Adur back to the Aerodrome, in the background is 'Bungalow Town' on Shoreham's coastline

Avro also built a small number of planes for private customers at the airfield and used the river for a test float-plane versions of its Type H biplane, constructing a water plane hangar close to the flood prevention bank of the river.

Aero and Hydro 5 July 1913

copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
A seaplane being winched over the flood prevention bank of Shoreham Aerodrome into the River Adur, in the background is the bridge of the Brighton to Portsmouth railway line.

Cecil Pashley (1891-1969)

Shoreham Airport owes a great deal to Cecil Pashley who arrived there from Brooklands in 1911, the year after Morrison’s first London to Brighton flight. Cecil had learned to fly in 1908 and he and his brother Eric Pashley established a flying school at Shoreham in 1913 called the South Coast Flying Club, as well as an aeroplane construction works.

Flight magazine, 26 March 1914

The Pashley biplane was designed at Shoreham Aerodrome, and Cecil Pashley piloted it – the biplane won the Brighton (Shell) Gold Cup and a cheque for £100.

copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
Brighton Herald 4 July 1914
See the:- '1st Battle Squadron visits Hove' page

Cecil was unfortunate enough to lose both his brothers during the First World War; Herbert died on Christmas Day 1916 and he served as a 2^nd lieutenant balloon officer; Eric died in an accident on 17 March 1917.

But Pashley soldiered on with his love of flying. During the Second World War he joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve, and remained with them until he resigned in 1954 with the rank of flight-lieutenant. In 1944 Pashley was awarded the Air Force Cross, and he received the O.B.E. in 1948. Then there was a special silver medal to mark his fifty years in flying. To say he had earned such a distinction would be an understatement because he had clocked up no less than an unbelievable 20,000 hours of flying, many of them spent passing on his knowledge to young pilots; indeed he was thought to have trained more people than anyone else.

Pashley died in 1969 at the age of 77 but his widow lived on to celebrate her 100^th birthday on 22 June 1962. The couple lived in Oxen Avenue, Shoreham.

Famous Flyers at Shoreham

Shoreham Aerodrome July 1914 - Cecil Pashley in the cockpit of the aeroplane, surrounded by Edwardian celebrities of the day. From right to left, (1) Phil Ray, a well-known English comedian, (2) Teddy Elben, a well-known American comedian, (3) George Barclay of Galleot fame, (4) William Griggs a well known jockey, (5) Bert Robinson, (6) Dick Barclay, (7) Jack O’Connor of ‘Jack & Evelyn’, (8) Billy Barclay. The passenger behind pilot Cecil Pashley is Dolly Barclay, the daughter of the music hall star Kate Carney (Mrs G. Barclay).

Walter Brook – He was the winner of several London to Brighton races.

Sir Alan Cobham (1894-1973) – He joined the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War, and became a pilot flying officer instructor. He later became a test pilot for the de Haviland aircraft company.

Anglo-American George Miller Dyott

George Miller Dyott (1883-1972) Shoreham Aerodrome based aviator, the Anglo-American George Miller Dyott (1883-1972) served in the Royal Naval Air Services in the First World War, in later life he became a cinematographer, Hollywood script writer, actor and an explorer in South America.

Graham Gilmour (1885-1912) – In May 1911 Graham Gilmour took part in a famous air race with fellow aviator Oscar Morison to see who could fly from Shoreham to Black Rock, Brighton, and arrive first. Morison beat Gilmour by just one minute. Also in May 1911 Gilmour created a local sensation when he landed his Bristol Boxkite plane on Hove Lawns. It gave people a close-up view of just how fragile a craft it was with its wheels resembling large bicycle wheels; souvenir postcards were soon on sale. Gilmour was killed on 17 February 1912 when his aircraft, a Martin-Handasyde, developed a structural failure and crashed on the deer park at Richmond.

Gustav Hamel (1889-1914) – He was one of the famous flyers who visited Shoreham Airport. He was actually born in Hamburg, Germany, but his father was physician to King Edward VII. Hamel learned to fly in France and the famous Louis Bleriot was moved to comment that he had never encountered such a natural talent. It is amusing to note that Hamel also made use of Hove Lawns as a landing strip in April 1911. It was reported that around 10,000 spectators watched the proceeding with interest and that Mr Hamel complimented the Mayor of Hove on the smoothness of his lawns. In May 1911 Hamel won the Brooklands to Brighton Air Race.

Unhappily, Hamel had not even reached the age of twenty-five when on 23 May 1914 he was lost over the English Channel while flying a new Gnome Monosoupage from Villacoublay.

Amy Johnson (1903-1941) – On 30 August 1930 Amy Johnson arrived in her biplane Jason to a civic reception at the airport. She was greeted by the Mayor and Mayoress of Brighton, the Mayor and Mayoress of Hove, and the Mayor and Mayoress of Worthing. That same year Johnson had become very famous by flying to Australia.

She died during the Second World War on 5 January 1941. She could not have been flying in worse weather conditions because it was bitterly cold, and she was blown off course in her Airspeed Oxford. Then, when she had to resort to her parachute, she encountered heaving waves and a strong tide, while her aircraft crashed into the Thames estuary. The worst part of the disaster was that her parachute was seen landing, Amy was spotted, and HMS Haselmere attempted a rescue but she was lost under the vessel.

Oscar Morison (1884-1966)

Flight (magazine) 1 July 1911

He was educated at Madras College, and apparently always had an interest in engineering. He received his aviator’s certificate at Brooklands on 31 December 1910, and lost no time in flying into the headlines. In February 1911, Morison thought he would make a trip from Brooklands to Cobham, Surrey, but since it was fine weather, he decided instead to fly to Brighton. He found the coast alright, and nearly landed at Worthing but then remembered that Brighton had two piers, not the one like Worthing. But then he mistook the pebble-covered beach between the two piers for sand, and consequently when he landed, the propeller of his Bleriot XI monoplane was smashed.

The wooden propeller from Bleriot XI aeroplane flown by Oscar C Morrison which landed on Brighton Beach in February 1911. During the course of the landing the propeller was damaged.

Meanwhile, Sir Harry Preston, the flamboyant owner of the Royal York Hotel, had hastily organised a welcome banquet for the aviator. Preston also rescued the broken propeller and hung it in the hotel’s Smoking Room where no doubt it became something of a conversation piece.

On 7 March 1911 Morison was the first aviator to fly from London to Shoreham Airport. In May that same year he found himself in a bit of a pickle. The engine of his plane suddenly stopped, and horrified on-lookers feared the worst. But the plane never crashed to the ground, and instead was perched in an oak tree at Haywards Heath.

In 1912 he married Margaret Cleever from Brighton.

The First World War found Morison serving with the Royal Flying Corps, in May 1916 he transferred to the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves. In 1940 he rejoined the RAF for the duration of the Second World War. Oscar died in Bournemouth in 1966 and unlike some other early aviators, he managed to live to a ripe old age of 81.

First World War

Aero and Hydro 5 September 1914

In December 1914 the War Office requisitioned Shoreham Aerodrome. War or not, it was an unpopular move because it meant that the flying club, the flying school, and associated businesses were left in limbo. In fact the requisition became something of a scandal and a cause celebre. Obviously compensation should have been forthcoming but it was a slow business trying to squeeze it out of the government. Finally, an independent umpire was appointed to consider the matter and the claim for £191,000 put forward by the owners. The umpire was not a generous man, and decreed that the compensation should be a mere £25,765.

The Pashley brothers had to close their flying school. However. This did not mean that Cecil Pashley left the area, and on the contrary he spent a busy wartime instructing trainee pilots. The Royal Flying Corps also trained pilots at the airfield.

Brighton Herald 14 June 1913
These airman were well of course to crash near St Helen’s Church, which is 4 miles to the east of Shoreham Aerodrome, possibly they completely missed a visual sighting of the River Adur which flows past the aerodrome and flew over the Downs too far to the east to have crashed in Hangleton.

In 1913 number 3 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron arrived at Shoreham, and the aircraft they used were Longhorn and Shorthorn.

copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
A Naval Seaplane moored next to Shoreham Aerodrome on the banks of the River Adur, in the background is 'Bungalow Town' on Shoreham's coastline.

On 3 February 1915 number 14 Squadron was formed at Shoreham flying Farmans and Martinsydes. When their training was completed, they were despatched to Egypt.

Other squadrons also came to Shoreham. They were as follows:

3 Training Squadron

21 Reserve Squadron

53 Squadron

82 Squadron

86 Squadron

94 Squadron

Number 1 Wing Canadian Air Force

It is interesting to note that some 65 captured enemy aircraft ended up at Shoreham, and were given to the Canadian government.

Among famous people who trained at Shoreham were Sir Sholto Douglas, who later became Air Chief Marshal, and Harold Balfour who was appointed Secretary for Air in 1938.

At Hove the first celebrations for the ending of the war occurred in 1919 when an aviator from Shoreham Airport looped the loop again and again over Hove Lawns, letting off magnesium flares in red, green and blue every few seconds.

Sussex Aero Club Failure

It was reported in the Yorkshire Evening Post on the 23 September 1921, ‘A deficiency in the assets of £38,269 was disclosed at a meeting of creditors and shareholders held to-day in London on the compulsory liquidation of the Sussex Aero Club (Limited) which was promoted in 1912 by the Brighton, Shoreham Aerodrome (Limited) to carry on a social and sports club.
The failure was attributed to the decline in demand for aeronautics and the inability to find an efficient club manager. The assets were valued at £1,050 and as the claims of the debenture holders amounted to £24,000 there was no prospect, said the Official Receiver, of any dividend for the creditors or any return for the shareholders’.

The Aeroplane of 29 March 1922 reported, ‘SUSSEX AERO CLUB LTD. - H.Wingfield, of 67 Watling Street, E.C., ceased to act as Receiver or Manager on March 9th, 1922’.

The 1930s

Lady Winterton at the South Coast Flying Club, Shoreham. 16 October, 1937.

After the war Cecil Pashley and F. G. Miles became founders of the Southern Aero Club. Pashley was also a director and chief instructor of Southern Aircraft Ltd.

Shoreham Airport closed in 1921, and its 147 ½ acres of land were put up for sale, but nobody was interested.

In 1925 a new airfield was established south of the railway but this was of extremely short duration, and astonishingly enough the following year it moved again to a more spacious site north of the railway.

In 1932 the first scheduled passenger flight took place. In March 1935 the Sussex Daily News reported that work was proceeding rapidly on the site, and that the main hangers facing north were made of steel.

What’s in a Name?

In 1935 the establishment rejoiced in the name of the Brighton, Hove and Worthing Imperial Airport.

On 17 July 1935 it was reported that Worthing Rural Council was pressing for the name to be Lancing Airport.

On 29 July 1935 the Sussex Daily News referred to it as Adur Airport.

When Boy Scout Troop B from the Brighton, Hove, and Sussex Grammar School visited the airport in 1935, the railway company kindly stopped the train at Aerodrome Halt. The boys saw a Westlake Widgeon, and a twin-engined eight-seater DH Dragon, the aircraft that connected Brighton and Liverpool.

But colloquially it has long been known as Shoreham Airport.

Grand Opening and Late 1930s

The Sussex Daily News (28 August 1935) reported that the old Shoreham Airport would officially go out of existence on Sunday, and with it the Sussex Aero Club. Instead, the South Coast Flying Club would begin operations, and the pioneer pilot, Cecil Pashley, would take over as instructor.

Shoreham Airport ceased to be private enterprise, and instead it became a municipal undertaking having been purchased in 1933 by Brighton, Hove and Worthing councils for a modest £10,000; sensibly, £31,000 was put aside for development purposes.

The formal opening was scheduled for 21 September 1935 but there must have been a hitch because the actual ceremony took place on 13 June 1936. There was a crowded platform because naturally all three mayors wished to be present. They were Councillor Edward Denne JP, Mayor of Brighton, Councillor C. S. Loadsman, Mayor of Hove, and Alderman William G. Tree JP, Mayor of Worthing. Stavers H. Tiltman, the architect of the new airport building, had taken the precaution of presenting each mayor with a gold key.

Alderman Cushman from Hove said that the three councils had sunk some £60,000 in the enterprise, but could not expect there to be any profit for years to come.

In celebration of this special occasion, there were 100 aircraft parked at the airfield, and some 30 pilots from the continent had flown in especially for the event.

Cecil Pashley commenced the afternoon’s display with an exhibition of ‘crazy flying’. He performed his stunts in an early wartime type of Avro.

Another veteran aircraft on display was a 1912 Caudron, a two-seater biplane. The RAF display of formation aerobatics was by 19 (Fighter) Squadron flying Gloster Gauntlet aircraft. There was an auto-giro ‘with overhead windmill sweeps’, an Avro Cadet, de Haviland Tiger Moths, and a Flying Flea.

It was stated that the airport tower was the most up-to-date in the country and would shortly have radio equipment. Captain Earl Amherst M.C. was the airport manager. The opening ceremony cost £635-8-11d.

The second year of operation ended on 30 June 1937, and the net expenditure over income was £4,748-14-3d. But this had to account for several items that would not occur in normal running costs.

The first scheduled air service from Shoreham was run by Olley Air Services, and Shoreham also became a stage on the route from Croydon to Deauville.

In July 1937 a school of air navigation at Shoreham received a RAF contract to train volunteer reserve pilots. The RAF Volunteer Reserve Centre was located at 14 & 16 Eaton Road, Hove, and in March 1938 the Sussex Daily News reported that every other week the men went to Shoreham Aerodrome for instructional training and each man was allocated two hours of flying time. By the end of eighteen months the men would be fully qualified. The men learned to fly in Hawker Harts and Hinds, and some of them lived in wooden huts at the edge of the airfield. The training ground to a halt in August 1939 with war being imminent.

Second World War

History repeated itself during the Second World War when the airport was requisitioned once more. Although the airfield could only boast of a grass landing strip, it became an advanced airfield in the Kenley Sector of number 11 Group Fighter Command.

In August 1940 the Battle of Britain was raging overhead and a ME 109E-1 was shot down nearby, and the German pilot was taken prisoner.

By October 1941 Shoreham had become the base of number 11 Group Target Towing Flight. Fighter squadrons were given the opportunity to perfect their air-flying skills by aiming at a target pulled along by Westland Lysanders.

In August 1942 some Hurricanes that flew from Shoreham took part in the ill-fated Dieppe Raid. Perhaps the accident at Shoreham was a bad omen of things to come when two aircraft collided on the ground before they had even got up into the air.

In 1942 the status of the airfield changed when it became a satellite of Ford. Then in April 1943 Shoreham became number 7 AA Practice Camp to train RAF gunners. The setting up of number 18 Armament Practice Camp further augmented the number of personnel. A reminder of their sojourn remains on the perimeter in the shape of a concrete gunnery-training dome.

By 1944 it became obvious that something must be done about the soggy landing strip because sometimes the grass was so water-logged that it was virtually unusable. In February 1944 a metal track was laid down along the 03/21 runway.

In March 1944 Shoreham became the forward satellite to Tangmere. In April 1944 277 Squadron moved its headquarters to Shoreham where it had already been in operation for some time. Spitfires belonging to 345 (Free French) Squadron arrived. This proved to be Shoreham’s busiest time of the war with 345 Squadron flying on many patrols up to, and including, D-Day.

A Hawker Typhoon fighter plane crashed on Brighton beach on the 2nd December 1944.

Shoreham’s main role during the war was air/sea rescue with Lysanders, Walruses and Spitfires, and 277 Squadron was mainly responsible for this.

Other RAF squadrons based at Shoreham at some stage were numbers 14, 18, and 82.

American Air Force Day 1946

This event took place at Shoreham Airport in 1946, and 200 RAF colleagues joined the Americans. It is interesting to note that three Hove men – all members of the famous 35 Lancaster Bomber Squadron – took part. They were as follows:

D. J. Earl DFC of Portland Road, navigator of one of the two giant York transport planes.

Flying Officer W. H. Cornelius DFC of Grand Avenue, piloted one of the sixteen Lancaster bombers that took part.

Corporal R. J. Gumbrell of Brunswick Place, ground staff.

D. J. Earl was the son of Chief Inspector P. Earl of the Sussex Police who was in charge of Hove’s ARP Wardens during the war.

Post War

Shoreham did not return to commercial use until the 1950s. However, the South Coast Flying Club resumed operations on 29 June 1946. Early in June members were reported to be hard at work getting the airport ready. Five days before the event, one Taylorcraft Auster had arrived, part of a consignment of six Tiger Moths released by the Ministry.

Filming at Shoreham

The Art Deco facade of the terminal building (now Grade II listed) became an unexpected star because its original Thirties qualities made it a favourite, authentic background for film-makers. It was used in the 1960s for the TV series Troubleshooters, and in 1984 appeared in Tenko. It has also been seen in The Da Vinci Code and in no less than three episodes of the famous detective Poirot series from the best-sellers by Agatha Christie. Then Netflix used it for The Crown.

The 1970s & 1980s

On 15 May 1971 the airport was reinstated as the Brighton, Hove & Worthing Municipal Airport.

By 1981 Shoreham at last had a hard runway, but this was only after three Public Enquiries within three years. In 1982 the £320,000 all-weather strip was used for the first time.

In 1982 during a routine clearance task Royal Engineers discovered a German 250kg bomb from the Second World War. On 11 February the bomb was rendered harmless, and was subsequently presented to the airport, and this sinister souvenir was placed in the main terminal building. The Royal Engineers also found a number of ‘pipe’ bombs; these were 4-in pipes stuffed with explosives, which were part of anti-invasion measures laid by the Royal Engineers, and engineers from the Canadian Division in 1940.

In 1985 the King’s Air Cup Race returned to Shoreham.

The 1990s

In September 1990 Adrian Brian finished restoring a 1938 Miles Magister, said to be one of two out of 1,400 planes still flying. The aircraft was based at Shoreham Airport and there were no plans to sell it, although a similar model was about to come up at auction for a price of £45,000. George Miles, brother of Frederick Miles, came to look at the aircraft, and said the restoration work was beautifully done. The Miles Magister was used for training RAF pilots. (See also The Miles Brothers & Portslade).

In September 1991 it was stated that a loss of £122,500 was expected at the close of the financial year. During the twenty years the airport had been under local authority control, it had lost £1.3 million. John Larking, manager, blamed the current situation on the recession. Consultants were to be employed at a cost of £10,000 to carry out a study. In 1992 the scheduled service to Jersey was halted because it was operating at a loss. The three councils cut their subsidy from £120,000 to £75,000.

However, by February 1993 the airport, covering some 300 acres, was still losing money despite efforts to revive it including the installation of a hard runway.

On 4 and 5 September 1993 a ‘Wings and Wheels’ weekend was staged at the airport. It celebrated the following:

50 years of the Royal Air Force Association

75 years of the Royal Air Force

82 years of Shoreham Airport

Displays included a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight consisting of a Lancaster, Spitfire, and Hurricane, as well as a Memphis Belle B17 flying fortress. There were also nine Tiger Moths and a special Spitfire aerobatic display. In addition there was a driving skills competition called the Cellnet Driving Challenge. The event brought in 1,500 spectators.

By October 1993 the situation was not looking quite so bleak, and although a final deficit was predicted, there had been a surplus of £13,947 by the end of August 1993. Workshop rents had a great deal to do with the promising trend.

In January 1994 councillors decided to slash the subsidy to zero because they thought that with careful management the airport could be showing a profit by the following year.

Over the weekend of 14/15 May 1994 the Schneider Trophy Air Races were held. Single and twin-engined planes flew to Rottingdean, then north to Chailey and Hickstead, before returning to Shoreham and completing three laps over the airfield.

In August 1994 it was announced that passenger flights to France had started up again for the first time in two years. The plane used for the trips was an original Fifties de Havilland Dove, renovated and fitted with new engines at a cost of £350,000. There were several trips a week between Shoreham and Le Touquet; the 72-mile trip lasted 45 minutes, and the fare cost £99. B.A. pilot Bill Pritchard was the man behind Mayfair Dove Aviation.

Also in 1994 it was expected that that the annual Battle of Britain Air Show organised by the Shoreham branch of the RAF would top the £27,000 raised the previous year. Various aircraft to be seen would include Spitfire, Nimrod, Harrier jump jet, Catalina flying boat, Fokker biplane, and a Boeing B17 bomber. In 1994 the airport made a profit of £40,000.

The financial situation was bound to be a little more difficult the following year because more than £240,000 was earmarked for new projects, including a £125,000 air-traffic control system, new storage tanks, and the resurfacing of the southern perimeter road.. John Haffenden, flying operations manager, stated that three helicopter landing-pads were being built.

In July 1997 it was stated that there had been an operating surplus of £82,000 the previous year. There were some 43 businesses situated at the airfield, which together with airport staff, meant that that 625 people earned their living there. It was also pleasant to record that investment was running at £250,000 a year. In addition there was a D-Day Museum, a Historic Vehicle Museum, and a new fire station with improved fire services. The cost came to £150,000, and there was even a new electricity sub-station.

In December 1998 plans were unveiled for a railway station costing £935,000 in order that regular passenger flights might be made to cities in Britain and Europe. The favoured aircraft was the Dornier turbo jet with 36 seats that was especially designed to produce low noise levels. However, Railtrack was sceptical about the plans because, as they pointed out, there would need to be 183,000 customers a year just to break even; nobody could pretend that there would be anything like that number of passengers.

In September 1999 it was reported that the airport was at last making a profit, after being in the red. But at least £2 million needed to be spent on major works to the runways and buildings. Consultants would look at the possibility of a joint venture company with private financiers owning a 51 per cent stake. The trouble was that whereas Brighton & Hove Council were solidly behind the airport, Worthing Council would rather it was sold off.

In October 1999 the South East Regional Planning Guidance Panel was reported to be in favour of making Shoreham Airport into an international airport because the area needed small airports to relieve some of the pressure on Gatwick and Heathrow. Such a scheme would provide hundreds of jobs, and boost investment. John Prescott, deputy Prime Minister, was considering the proposals.

Into the 2000s

On 2 June 2000 a daily service to Le Touquet was started by the Lydd-based Sky-Trek company. The plane used was a 16-seater Britten-Norman Trislander, and until the beginning of August 2000 there had been sixteen flights and 93 passengers. Unfortunately, only six weeks later the company was obliged to halt the service because of a shortage of skilled aircraft engineers.

In November 2000 it was announced that flights to Paris would start the following year using Dornier 228 19-seater planes. Air Wales planned to operate the service from Cardiff via Shoreham to Paris.

However, in September 2001 it was revealed that the airport had made a loss of £100,000 the previous year. Airport manager John Haffenden blamed the results on the fuel crisis and flooding, which effectively cut off the airport. But he insisted that the airport was not in trouble.

In January 2003 it was reported that the people running the D-Day Museum at the airport, were up in arms at plans affecting their site. Ken Rimell, museum owner, said he had been told that he would have to move the replica Spitfire. But later in the month a compromise was reached, and the Spitfire would be allowed to stay in pride of place while the new car park was built around it.

In March 2003 a Government reported that many more passengers could use the airport. But first of all there would have to be major changes. Planning consultants Drivers Jonas were working on a regeneration scheme, which would cost between £10 million and £20 million.

Tragedy

While the customary RAFA Air Show was being staged at Shoreham Airport a terrible tragedy occurred. It happened on 22 August 2019 when a two-seater, 1950s Hawker Hunter T7 jet fighter crashed on the nearby A27 road, killing eleven men and inflicting injuries on seventeen other people. The pilot survived.

The accident immediately led to stricter rules and checks being applied to air shows and the aircraft involved; air shows with vintage planes flying over the land became a thing of the past, and veteran aircraft were to be used only in high altitude fly-pasts or over the sea. There has not been an air show at Shoreham since that unhappy day.

However, things have moved much more slowly for the unfortunate relatives of those who died. How could there be closure when the inquest took such a long to be held? The one consolation for the relatives is the beautiful memorial that has been erected in memory of the victims with a name on each separate arch that ensures they shall never be forgotten.

copyright © D. Sharp
The Shoreham Air Crash Memorial on the banks of the River Adur with Shoreham Airport in the background.
(The Memorial was designed by David Parfitt and Jane Fordham and built in their Portslade Studio in Drove Road)

As for inquests – there have been at least three pre-inquest proceedings, and there were endless wrangles about what evidence would be allowed or not. Then of course Covid restrictions caused major delays. Meanwhile, the pilot was charged with eleven counts of manslaughter and found not guilty on all counts in March 2019.

The long-delayed inquest began on 30 November 2022 and it was expected to last for around three weeks. The verdict was delivered in the week before Christmas 2022 when senior coroner Penelope Schofield ruled that the men were unlawfully killed. She had some scathing remarks to make about the pilot, and stated that the deaths were avoidable, and ‘Eleven innocent lives were cruelly lost on August 22, 2015.’ She also acknowledged that the bereaved families had endured seven years of waiting for the answers.

Update

Although unofficially it is still known as Shoreham Airport, its official title is Brighton City Airport. Presumably, Hove has been knocked off the title since unfortunately Brighton and Hove are now one city, but legally the owner is Brighton & Hove City Council. It seems that it was in May 2014 the city took over ownership from Albermarle, and today the operator, is Cyrrus, which acquired as 25-year lease in 2019.

Sources

ACTA (Landscape & Heritage Consultants), Brighton City Airport (Shoreham) Heritage Assessment

Brooks, Robin J. Sussex Airfields in the Second World War (1993)

Encyclopaedia of Hove and Portslade

Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove

Wolf E. Boy, A Brief History of Shoreham Aviation

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See the following web Link - a local history society, which promotes the history of Shoreham Airport and aviation in the County of Sussex - The Shoreham Airport Society

copyright © J.Middleton 2023
page layout by D. Sharp

11 February 2023

Shoreham Airport, West Sussex.

copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove A seaplane being towed along the River Adur back to the Aerodrome, in the background is 'Bungalow Town' on Shoreham's coastline

copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
A seaplane being towed along the River Adur back to the Aerodrome, in the background is 'Bungalow Town' on Shoreham's coastline