Thanks Chris, similar to what i was thinking, that way they could all end up at the station at the same time, coming from a holding camp, all sent to their destinations collectively.
God help us, Come yourself, Don't send Jesus, This is no place for children.
Is it certain a plane never landed at West Kirby? according to the website the pic above was taken at West Kirby, would they take a plane in kit form and assemble, for what reason?
There was nowhere in north Wirral to land anything like that. It could have been taken at RAF Hooton, RAF Little Sutton (unlikely) RAF Sealand or one of many of the other bases on the other side of the mersey..
Planes were transported in kit form, but it would be quite an undertaking to get that to RAF West Kirby.
The gate-guardian at RAF West Kirby was a Spitfire.
One mistake that has sometimes occurred is assuming RAF Newton is the same place as RAF West Kirby due to the proximity to the Wirral Newton.
We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is a failure of governments' responsibilities - Henning Wehn
May well be Chris, done a good job of it, if it is. The main body of men pic must have been take down at the river, to the left is what appears to be two small boats in the river.
God help us, Come yourself, Don't send Jesus, This is no place for children.
I think that most arrived at Meols from reading various articles on it. There is an RAF West Kirby Assn website if you google and there are some photo's on that.
I can never remember the name of the road but it is the one that is on the left as you drive towards Hoylake just before you get to Meols station. Down there and there is a small road off to the right that would have taken you directly to the front gate.
I was talking to a man who was a drill sergeant there and he said quite a few young men were run over and killed whilst walking along that lane in the dark. Usually after they had had a few. He said they had a name for them which was not very nice but it was a way of dealing with it I suppose. Don't ask me what it was because I can't remember what he said.
I can never remember the name of the road but it is the one that is on the left as you drive towards Hoylake just before you get to Meols station. Down there and there is a small road off to the right that would have taken you directly to the front gate.
Heron Road or 'the lanes' as its simply known locally. If you turn right down that narrower lane called Oldfeild lane it comes out right in front of where the entrance was.
Is it certain a plane never landed at West Kirby? according to the website the pic above was taken at West Kirby, would they take a plane in kit form and assemble, for what reason?
There was nowhere in north Wirral to land anything like that. It could have been taken at RAF Hooton, RAF Little Sutton (unlikely) RAF Sealand or one of many of the other bases on the other side of the mersey..
Planes were transported in kit form, but it would be quite an undertaking to get that to RAF West Kirby.
The gate-guardian at RAF West Kirby was a Spitfire.
RAF Newton was over near Newark in Lincolnshire. Ended up as a RAFP Training Camp and sort of RAFP HQ. I did my RAF training at Swinderby which was near there, that was in 1976. Planes not needed as these places were used for square bashing, learning domestics so you could look after yourself and your kit. Then it was off to Trade Training at various establishments. The Navy was the same, basics at Ganges Annexe but just over the road for basic Trade Training, Radio Ops did the whole course there but Stokers and Sailors etc went to other camps after a few months. Everything is getting more centralised now, even Cranwell is doing some SNCO aircrew training whereas it was always Officers there before. Complicated stuff.
One mistake that has sometimes occurred is assuming RAF Newton is the same place as RAF West Kirby due to the proximity to the Wirral Newton.
As I remember it there were underground shelter buildings if you passed the gate in the direction of West Kirby. The road curves downhill to the right. The entrances were over the hedge about 50yds from the hedge. This was where the xcavations were taking place about eight? years ago.
They came on a train, that is how they arrived at the same time. It was most certainly West Kirby in his time because he used to tell us about each and every time we cycled up Black Horse Hill from Wallasey to my Grans in West Kirby. This was in the late '40s and early 50s because my sister, who was born in '45 was in a chair on the back of my Dads Bike (the whole seat fell off once on the cinder bath by the railway line and no-one noticed for 1/4 mile!)
