Monument record 4378 - Little Sutton Airfield

<1> Robert Truman, 2002, World War 2 Airfield and Control Tower Home Page, 01/11/2016 (Web Site). SCH4525.

Listed on this website. No known control tower.

<2> Various, Aerial photographs, 1940s RAF (Aerial Photograph). SCH128.

The close mown grass of the airfield is quite distinct from the surrounding fields. The hanger and three or four ancillary structures is clearly visible at the northern end of the airfield.

<3> TEP, 2015, Historic Building Record of the former Blister Hangar, Ledsham Road, Little Sutton, Cheshire (Client Report). SCH7852.

A record of the blister hanger prior to demolition. The base was opened in 1941 and used as a satellite airfield for RAF Sealand in the training of RAF pilots. The large flat fields were ideal for a grass runway. It was also base to 43 Group Maintenance Command with accommodation on site for personnel as well as a blister hangar. The trainee pilots would have flown DH82A De Havilland Tiger Moths and it is likely that some of the aircraft would have undergone maintenance at RAF Little Sutton. There is no evidence of enemy action at Little Sutton although there were two accidental aircraft crashes at the base, without any fatalities. The base continued in use throughout the war, and it was the location that the villagers of Little Sutton used to celebrate VE day in 1945. In 1946 the base was decommissioned and the blister hangar was handed to the landowner.

The hangar, constructed in 1941, was possibly the sole hangar serving RAF Little Sutton. The hangar is a Miskins type blister hangar and was manufactured by William Bain and Co ltd at the Lochrin Iron Works in Coatbridge, Scotland. NMR information (see 4) lists the base as having 3 hangars but air photographs from 1945 show only one, so it is thought likely that the surveyed hangar was the only one on site but was partitioned into three. The survey demonstrated that it had not been extensively altered from its original appearance, the external steel cladding was in moderate condition with some replacement panels and superficial surface corrosion and some original camouflage paint in parts. The steel frame was also corroded and partly damaged by impact collision; the worst damage was to the gable end posts that had been replaced by timber props. Internally any partitioning had been removed and the electric lighting no longer worked. The removal of any internal partitioning and other original features as well as general neglect over time has diminished the aesthetic value of the hangar.

<4> Willis S & Holliss B, 1987, Military Airfields in the British Isles 1939-1945, p.127 (Book). SCH8083.

Little Sutton Airfield, Cheshire opened in 1941 and closed in 1946. It was a grass strip of about 1700 by 700 yards used as a satellite airfield for RAF Sealand. It was assigned to 43 Group RAF Maintenance Command. There was temporary accommodation for personnel and three blister hangars.

<5> Air Ministry, 1944, Little Sutton Record Site Plan (Maps and Plans). SCH8082.

An annotated plan of the airfield including the take off/landing routes. The majority of the buildings (aircraft shed, stores and fitters shop, latrine, guard room and first aid post, flying control building, and petrol bowsers) are located at the northern end of the airfield. However, a groundsman's rest room and a tractor garage were located adjacent to the eastern boundary in the south-eastern corner. The stores and fitters shop and guard room and first aid post are listed as standard nissen huts. The aircraft shed comprises three blister hangers joined together. All other buildings are of corrugated asbestos, corrugated iron or timber construction.

<6> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER, Edwards R, 01/11/2016 (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

The building identified on p.17 (photo 19) of (3) as a possible accommodation block, is the latrine. The latrine was the only corrugated asbestos building recorded on the site plan (5). The blister hanger was dismantled and moved to another (unspecified) location.

<7> Francis F, Flagg R & Crisp G, 2015, Nine Thousand Miles of Concrete, Appendix (Report). SCH8247.

Used for Elementary training, typically service or elementary flying training schools equipped with Tiger Moths. Successful pilots would then be sent abroad to the Empire Training Scheme airfields.