The Legacy of Marske Aerodrome: its role in WW1

Back in October 1973, I entered my first orienteering event, which happened to be in the bramble-infested maze of Errington Wood. Needless to say, I got hopelessly lost, but that experience marked the beginning of my lifelong love of the sport. Unfortunately, the course that day didn’t take us up to the high point of Beacon Moor, so I would have missed out on the chance to see this striking view of the coast between Redcar and New Marske. Not that I would have seen much anyway, what with my eyes being glued to the map and all.

Redcar, which is now a heavily populated area, was once a small village situated at the edge of the Parish of Marske. Legend has it that Redcar’s name comes from the red sandstone on which it was built, with “carr” meaning a low-lying meadow. While Redcar wasn’t included in the Domesday Survey of 1086, it was mentioned in the Guisborough Cartulary in 1150, when Ivo de Granchesser confirmed a gift of land from his parents to the Priory of Guisborough to build a church¹Horton, Minnie C. “The Story of Cleveland”. Page 342. Cleveland County Libraries. 1979 ISBN 0 904784 09 6..

However, my interest in this view is more recent. During the First World War, there was an aerodrome on the green fields between New Marske and the coast. The Royal Flying Corps, later renamed as the Royal Air Force, used it from 1917 to 1920 as an air gunnery school to train pilots in aerial combat tactics and methods before deployment. W. E. Johns, the author of the Biggles books, was one of the many pilots who underwent training at Marske²Wikipedia Contributors. 2022. ‘Marske Aerodrome’, Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation) <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marske_Aerodrome#History> [accessed 15 March 2023].

Before the war, some civilian landing flights had been tested on the beach. However, with the outbreak of the war, the site was surveyed for possible military use. But it wasn’t until 1917 that a spur was laid near Ryehills Farm from the Redcar and Saltburn-by-the-Sea railway line, allowing for easy transportation of materials and personnel to build the aerodrome. The Royal Flying Corps base officially opened on November 1st, 1917, with the first occupants being No. 4 (Auxiliary) School of Aerial Gunnery. The site had 17 Bessonneau hangars along Green Lane on the west side and four permanent sheds measuring 170 feet by 200 feet on the southern side.

The aerodrome’s air-to-ground gunnery range was at the east end of the site on the cliff edge, and telegraph wires to the north and east were lowered to enable low flying. However, the training was mainly for pilots. In April 1918, both Harry Butler and W. E. Johns were posted to Marske shortly after the RFC became the Royal Air Force. During this period, the school started using M.1c Bristol monoplanes, which were delivered to Marske by rail.

Captain Roy Brown, who is credited with shooting down the Red Baron, was posted to Marske as a flying instructor. But within three months, he had a serious accident that kept him in the hospital until the end of the war. Between April and August 1918, the 25th Aero Squadron of the United States Army Air Service moved into Marske from Ayr for training before being deployed to France in August.

On September 29, 1918, Major Aizlewood, the commanding officer of an air training school, died in a plane crash while practicing aerial manoeuvres that were being recorded for a training film. He plunged 1,000 feet into the sea, and the inquiry determined that his flying clothes got caught in the aircraft’s controls. Major Aizlewood is buried in the graveyard of St Germain’s Church in Marske, overlooking the sea where he crashed.

The air training school was closed in November 1919, but the base was retained until 1920, when it was listed as available for flying for civilian traffic but with no facilities. During the railway strike of 1919, aircraft were used to deliver mail, and Marske was one of the aerodromes used during the dispute. In World War II, the Royal Artillery was stationed at the site, and two pillboxes were constructed to protect the aerodrome, which was manned by regular soldiers. The pillboxes were built in case the RAF needed to use the site as an emergency ground and to prevent enemy forces from using it.

In the 1990s, the four permanent hangars were destroyed to make way for a housing estate. However, some of the other structures are still being used for light industry on the industrial estate.

One other building that still stands is the old guardhouse along the Stray — the coastal dunes were out of bounds when planes were taking off and landing. It is now the familiar Stray Café. The guardhouse at the Marske end has long been demolished.

During the First World War, there was another connection between Redcar and the Royal Flying Corps.

Lieutenant Stewart Gordon Ridley of the Royal Flying Corps is a hero in Australia, but sadly unknown in his hometown of Redcar. He lost his life in the Great War while sacrificing himself for his companion. In June 1916, he was forced to land his plane in the Libyan Desert. Like the famous Captain Oates of the Scott Antarctic Expedition, he walked away from his plane, knowing that he would face certain death, so that his small ration of water could be conserved for his companion, who was a married man with family responsibilities. Ridley wanted to give his companion a better chance of survival³Horton, Minnie C. “The Story of Cleveland”. Page 363. Cleveland County Libraries. 1979 ISBN 0 904784 09 6..

To honour this brave, selfless young man, the Redcar Council dedicated a plaque in his memory and affixed it to the wall of Ridley House, his family home, which was bequeathed to the town as a library in 1937. The plaque was opened by the Archbishop of York. However, when the Redcar Public Library was later built, the plaque was removed. It was later erected in a new Health Centre and re-dedicated in October 1975. The question remains whether the plaque to the memory of Lieutenant Ridley is still there today.

• 1
  Horton, Minnie C. “The Story of Cleveland”. Page 342. Cleveland County Libraries. 1979 ISBN 0 904784 09 6.
• 2
  Wikipedia Contributors. 2022. ‘Marske Aerodrome’, Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation) <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marske_Aerodrome#History> [accessed 15 March 2023]
• 3
  Horton, Minnie C. “The Story of Cleveland”. Page 363. Cleveland County Libraries. 1979 ISBN 0 904784 09 6.