Cramlington Aerodrome was a military airfield established in
Northumberland
Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...
during the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. It became a civil airfield serving the
Tyneside
Tyneside is a List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, built-up area across the banks of the River Tyne, England, River Tyne in Northern England. The population of Tyneside as published in the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 774,891 ...
area of north-east England and operated until 1935, when it was replaced by Woolsington Airport, now known as
Newcastle International Airport
Newcastle International Airport is an international airport serving Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Located approximately from Newcastle City Centre, it is the primary and busiest airport in North East England, and the second busiest in Northe ...
.
History
Military
In response to German
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp. 155� ...
airship raids over the industrially important Tyneside area in 1915, a flight of three
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...
(RFC)
B.E.2c fighters were based at a field near
Cramlington
Cramlington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland. It is north of Newcastle upon Tyne. The name suggests a probable founding by the Danes or Anglo-Saxons.
The population was 28,843 as of 2021 census data from Northumberland County Cou ...
in late November to defend against further raids. The aircraft arrived on 1 December 1915 and were housed in canvas hangars. The site was chosen as it was higher and thus less prone to fog than local coastal locations.
The British Army and Royal Navy at first debated who should operate the field, with the army winning, and on 1 February 1916
No. 36 (Home Defence) Squadron was officially formed and three hangars were built. Known as RFC Cramlington, it was the first RFC airfield in the north-east of England. Extensive wooden buildings were constructed for offices, stores and accommodation,
mostly on the far side of the road that ran down the east side of the airfield, which was also bordered to the north by a railway line.
The airfield was under the control of Headquarters, Training Division, RFC,
and training became a significant function. It was used by Reserve Squadrons 47, 52 and 61, as well as 75 Training Squadron, later renamed to 52 Training Depot Station.
Operations continued throughout the rest of the war, and a radio transmitter mast was erected to enable information and instructions to be sent to pilots from the ground.
When the RFC became the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
on 1 April 1918 the airfield became RAF Cramlington.
In April 1918, the first flight of the
Armstrong Whitworth F.M.4 Armadillo fighter took place at Cramlington because their normal field, at
Town Moor Aerodrome in Newcastle, was surrounded by obstructions and too rough. The aircraft was not a success.
Further land was requisitioned for the construction of a larger hangar, the building of which extended into 1919. However, with the end of the war, the RAF had no further plans for the airfield, and it was reduced to Care and Maintenance status on 22 January 1920, and the RAF left completely in March.
Major Units
Major units based at Cramlington (in date order)
*
No. 36 Sqdn RFC Formed at Cramlington on 1 February 1916, HQ moved to Jesmond, Newcastle, and flights dispersed 12 October 1916
*
No. 58 Sqdn RFC Formed Cramlington 8 June 1916, to Dover 17 December 1917
*
No. 76 Sqdn RFC Formed Cramlington 15 September 1916, to
Ripon
Ripon () is a cathedral city and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...
10 October 1916
*
No. 63 Sqdn RFC From Stirling 31 October 1916, to Middle East June 1917
*
No. 120 Sqdn RFC Formed Cramlington 1 January 1918, to
Bracebridge Heath
Bracebridge Heath is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is south of Lincoln, England, Lincoln and straddles the border with the Lincoln and North Kesteven district boundaries.
It lies at the ...
3 August 1918
*
No. 252 Squadron RAF
No. 252 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force (RAF) squadron that formed as a bomber unit in World War I and as part of RAF Coastal Command in World War II.
History
Formation and World War I
No. 252 Squadron was formed at Tynemouth on 1 May 1918 ...
Based Tynemouth, detachment to Cramlington May 1918, to
Killingholme 31 January 1919
Civil

In the early 1920s, the airfield, then known as "Cramlington Aerodrome", or sometimes "Newcastle Airport", saw little use, and the buildings received little maintenance. However in July 1925 The Newcastle upon Tyne Light Aeroplane Club, later renamed the Newcastle on Tyne Aero Club, was formed. It was commonly called the "Newcastle Aero Club". The members funded the building of a new hangar and with a grant from the
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force and civil aviation that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the ...
bought two
de Havilland DH.60 Cirrus Moths.
The opening ceremony of the club and airfield took place on 21 November that year, along with the naming of the first two aircraft, G-EBLX named 'Novocastria', and G-EBLY, named 'Bernicia'. Officiating was the Lord Mayor of Newcastle, and
Sir Sefton Brancker
Air Vice Marshal Sir William Sefton Brancker, (22 March 1877 – 5 October 1930) was a British pioneer in civil and military aviation and senior officer of the Royal Flying Corps and later Royal Air Force. He was killed in an airship crash in ...
attended. The club remained a loyal Moth operator with at least another six acquired over the following years.

A small company named ''Pleasure Flying Services Ltd.'' operated pleasure flights from early 1929 using
Avro 548
The Avro 548 was a civil trainer aircraft built in Britain after World War I. Its design was based extensively on Avro's 504 military aircraft, but it had an inline engine and a third seat. The prototype, designated 545, first flew with a Curti ...
G-EBPO,
which they acquired from the Aero Club. It was a three-seat conversion of the two-seat
Avro 504
The Avro 504 is a single-engine biplane bomber made by the Avro, Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during World War I totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind ...
. Later that year they expanded, acquiring
Simmonds Spartan
The Simmonds Spartan is a 1920s British two-seat biplane trainer/tourer aircraft built by Simmonds Aircraft Limited.
History
Not happy with the high cost of manufacturing light aircraft, O.E. Simmonds designed and built a wooden two-seat bipl ...
two-seater G-AAGV and three-seater G-AAHV. 'GV crashed in September 1930 and was rebuilt as a three-seater re-registered as G-ABXO.
One of the earliest pupils of the Aero Club was
Constance "Connie" Leathart, a young socialite who, despite crashing on her first solo flight, 24 February 1926, went on to become an accomplished pilot.
With her great friend, Walter
Leslie Runciman, 2nd Viscount Runciman of Doxford
Walter Leslie Runciman, 2nd Viscount Runciman of Doxford, (26 August 1900 – 1 September 1989), was a prominent member of the Runcimans, a well-known Newcastle ship-owning and political family.
Background
Runciman was the eldest son of the p ...
, they formed Cramlington Aircraft Ltd, and took over the aircraft and business of Pleasure Flying Services on 30 October 1929. The company managed the aerodrome and ran a maintenance and repair operation. It also built gliders from scratch including a
Zögling type designed by Mr Alec Bell, and in 1930 designed and built three examples of the
Cramlington Cramcraft
The Cramlington Cramcraft was a simple, single-seat, primary training glider, designed and built in the United Kingdom by Cramlington Aircraft Ltd. at Cramlington Aerodrome in 1930. About three were built.
Design and development
The Cramcraf ...
primary glider.
A president of the Newcastle Aero Club, Sam Smith,
was the founder of Ringtons Tea. In 1931 he was a founder member of Newcastle Gliding Club at Cramlington, which mainly used
winch-launching
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is a ...
for take-offs.
The club's president was Walter Leslie Runciman, and they used a Cramlington Cramcraft as a basic trainer.
Scheduled services
George Nicholson started an experimental service, trading as "Northern Airways", from his base at Cramlington to the
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...
(
Hall Caine Airport
Hall Caine Airport, also referred to as Close Lake Airfield, was an airfield on the Isle of Man located near the town of Ramsey, Isle of Man, Ramsey. It was named after the author Hall Caine, Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine CH, KBE by his sons Gordon ...
) via
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England.
Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...
(
Kingstown Municipal Airport) in his
De Havilland DH.84 Dragon G-ACFG, running from 1 August 1934 to 30 September. He went on to start
Northern & Scottish Airways
Northern & Scottish Airways was a regional airline established in Glasgow in 1934. It was taken over in 1937, eventually becoming part of British European Airways.
History Formation
The potential of running scheduled air services to the Western ...
in
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
later that year.
In April 1935,
North Eastern Airways started a service to link
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
(Turnhouse) with
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
(
Heston Airport
Heston Aerodrome was an airfield located to the west of London, England, operational between 1929 and 1947. It was situated on the border of the Heston and Cranford areas of Hounslow, Middlesex. In September 1938, the British Prime Minister, N ...
) via Newcastle (Cramlington) and
Leeds
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
(
Yeadon). The Edinburgh leg was delayed until 27 May. There was little demand, and the service stopped on 27 June.
Events
The Newcastle Aero Club held its opening ceremony on 26 November 1925, at which its first two Moths were named. It organised its first Annual Flying Meeting on 4 September 1926 in which the
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...
took part, with 406 Flight sending a large number of
Fairey Flycatcher
The Fairey Flycatcher was a British single-seat biplane Aircraft carrier, carrier-borne fighter aircraft made by Fairey Aviation Company which served from 1923 to 1934. It was produced with a conventional undercarriage for Aircraft carrier, car ...
s.
On 7 July 1929,
Alan Cobham
Sir Alan John Cobham, KBE, AFC (6 May 1894 – 21 October 1973) was an English aviation pioneer.
Early life
As a child he attended Wilson's School, which was then in Camberwell, London. The school was relocated to the former site of ...
visited Cramlington on his Municipal Aerodrome Campaign. He judged that the airfield at Newcastle's Town Moor, from which he had operated the previous day, was too rough and dangerous for his
de Havilland DH.61 Giant Moth (registered G-AEEV and named ''Youth of Britain'') and had relocated to Cramlington. The engine cut out and he landed, demolishing a tent and running into a wire fence, tearing off a wing, and stopping a few yards from the clubhouse. No one was harmed, and the aircraft was quickly repaired.
On 5 October 1929, three significant air races were held during an Air Pageant; the Air League Challenge Cup, the
Grosvenor Challenge Cup
The Grosvenor Challenge Cup, commonly known as the Grosvenor Cup, was a trophy presented by Edward Arthur Grosvenor, Lord Edward Grosvenor in 1923 to the winner of a light aircraft time trial competition.Dorman 1951, p. 188. Entries were initia ...
, and the SBAC Challenge Cup. They were all won by members of the Newcastle Aero Club in its DH.60 Moth G-EBPT.

The
King's Cup Air Race
The King's Cup air race is a British handicapped cross-country event, which has taken place annually since 1922. It is run by the Royal Aero Club Records Racing and Rally Association.
The King's Cup is one of the most prestigious prizes of the ...
took place on 5 July 1930, and Cramlington was the third of four stops on the circular route which started and finished in
Hanworth Air Park
London Air Park, also known as Hanworth Air Park, was a grass airfield in the grounds of Hanworth Park House, operational 1917–1919 and 1929–1947. It was on the southeastern edge of Feltham, now part of the London Borough of Hounslow. In t ...
in London. With 88 starters, this was to be the largest field in the history of the race, and the 71 aircraft which survived as far as Cramlington all arrived in the space of just over an hour, causing considerable chaos but only two minor accidents.
On 31 August 1930, an Air Fete was held which included a race. The Grosvenor Challenge Cup race was held again on 22 August 1931.
A London to Newcastle Air Race was instituted by the Aero Club, flying from Heston to Cramlington on 30 May 1931. It was repeated, starting from Brooklands in 1932, 1933 and 1934, and the last ones were to Woolsington in 1935 and 36.
Alan Cobham's National Aviation Day "Flying Circus" displays visited Cramlington on the following dates: 2 and 3 July 1932, 1 and 2 July 1933 (No. 2 Tour), 8 September 1934 and 26 and 27 July 1935 (Astra Show).
The British Hospitals Air Pageant visited on 12 August 1933.
Among the displays was the unique
Miles M.1 Satyr G-ABVG and the
De Havilland DH.60M Moth VH-UQA in which
C. W. A. Scott
Flight Lieutenant Charles William Anderson Scott, Air Force Cross (United Kingdom), AFC (13 February 1903 – 15 April 1946Dunnell ''Aeroplane'', November 2019, p. 46.) was an English aviator. He won the MacRobertson Air Race, a race from Londo ...
made his record-breaking return flights from Australia to Britain.
Demise
On 26 July 1935, Woolsington Aerodrome opened, about to the south-west, as a great improvement on Cramlington (it would become
Newcastle International Airport
Newcastle International Airport is an international airport serving Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Located approximately from Newcastle City Centre, it is the primary and busiest airport in North East England, and the second busiest in Northe ...
later). Almost all of Cramlington's users and residents had moved there by May 1936 in which month Cramlington Aircraft ceased trading,
and the airfield was left almost deserted. An exception was the Gliding Club, which remained until the outbreak of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
in September 1939.
Cramlington Aircraft Ltd entered voluntary liquidation in January 1939.
During World War II the airfield was unused. After the war, attempts were made to restart some aviation activity, but the airfield was soon abandoned.
Little of the old aerodrome remains. The landing ground is now open grassland encroached upon by the
Shotton open-cast coal mine. and the buildings area is now the Bassington Industrial Estate.
Airship station
Construction of a Royal Naval Airship Station, RNAS Cramlington, started in 1918
at Nelson Village, about half a mile (0.8 km) to the east of the existing aerodrome. It was planned that four
Submarine Scout Twin (SST) airships would be based here, but construction of the large airship shed to house them was not finished until 1919. However the planned airships did operate from here for a short period, along with a complement of twenty officers and around 280 men.
The site was soon abandoned, but the huge airship shed was taken over by British Airships Ltd which later changed its name to the Airship Development Company. Here they assembled what was claimed to be Britain's first private airship, the
AD.1. This had been designed principally by
Reginald Foster Dagnall
Reginald Foster Dagnall (11 April 1888 – 16 November 1942) was a British engineer and aircraft designer.
Early life
Dagnall was born in Fulham, London in 1888 the son of Walter and Frances Dagnall, he was educated at Tiffin School, Kingston ...
, who had designed previous airships and founded the RFD company. The airship was built in
Guildford
Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...
,
Surrey
Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
, but as most airship sheds in Britain had been demolished, it was brought to Cramlington for inflation and testing.
Registered G-FAAX, its first flight was on 18 September 1929 and after several test flights was deflated for modifications. Flying again the following May, it performed its intended role in aerial advertising, with large banners attached to its sides. Business was hard to come by, however, and the airship had to travel far to get work. On a commission in Belgium for a cigarette company, it was destroyed in a storm on 5 October 1930. The remains were returned to Britain and auctioned, and the company was liquidated the next year.
The shed was little used until after World War II, but in later years was used for the production of concrete lamp posts,
It survived until 1967 when it was demolished. The site is now the South Nelson Industrial Estate.
Accidents and incidents
* On 5 April 1916 RFC BE2c (serial '2739') of 36 (HD) Sqn was sent up to intercept Zeppelin L16. It hit a building on night approach to Cramlington and its bombs exploded, killing the pilot.
* On 2 October 1916 RFC Avro 504A (serial '7970') of 58 Sqn lost speed on a turn and dived in near Cramlington. The pilot was killed.
* On 5 January 1917 RFC Avro 504A (serial 'A555') of 63 Sqn stalled and dived in during the pilot's first solo flight. The pilot was killed.
*On 24 June 1926
Gnosspelius Gull __NOTOC__
The Gnosspelius Gull was a 1920s British experimental ultra-light monoplane designed by Major O.T. Gnosspelius and built by Short Brothers at Rochester for the 1923 Lympne light aircraft trials.Jackson 1974, page 315
Development
Gno ...
No 2 (unregistered) dived in on landing, killing the pilot, the chief flying instructor at Newcastle Aero Club.
* On 22 February 1927 De Havilland DH.60 Moth (registration G-EBLY) of the Newcastle Aero Club crashed after an engine failure on take-off and was written off. Previously it had crashed on landing on 6 January 1926 and been returned to De Havilland at its base at
Stag Lane, London for repair. On 26 November the same year it hit a fence on take-off and was again sent to Stag Lane, returning on 23 January 1927. All incidents happened at Cramlington and none resulted in fatalities.
* On 23 November 1928 a violent storm caused a hangar to collapse, damaging the Aero Club's Moths G-EBLX, G-EBPT and G-EBQV. They were all repaired and returned to service.
* On 1 December 1929 De Havilland DH.60 Moth (registration G-EBPT) of the Newcastle Aero Club was written off when it spun into a quarry during a landing at Cramlington, injuring the two occupants. Just a few weeks earlier it had won three prestigious air races in one day (see Events above). It had previously been damaged in the hangar collapse on 23 November 1928 and been repaired.
* On 20 May 1931 DH.60 Moth (registration G-EBLX) of the Newcastle Aero Club crashed at
Blyth, Northumberland
Blyth () is a port town, port and seaside town as well as a civil parish in southeast Northumberland, England. It lies on the coast, to the south of the River Blyth, Northumberland, River Blyth. It has a population of 39,731 as of the 2021 cens ...
on a flight from Cramlington. Water in the fuel caused the engine to fail, and the aircraft stalled and crashed. It was written off, but the two occupamts survived.
In media
The Aerodrome is mentioned in ''The Black Peril'', a
Biggles
James Charles Bigglesworth, nicknamed "Biggles", is a fictional pilot and adventurer, the Title role#Title character, title character and Protagonist, hero of the ''Biggles'' series of adventure books, written for young readers by W. E. Johns ...
novel by
W.E. Johns
William Earl Johns (5 February 189321 June 1968) was an English First World War pilot, and writer of adventure stories, usually written under the pen name Capt. W. E. Johns: best known for creating the fictional air-adventurer ''Biggles''.
Earl ...
published in 1935.
Footnotes
References
{{Reflist
Royal Air Force stations in Northumberland
Defunct airports in England
Airports established in 1915