Rayleigh and Wickford MP and Armed Forces Minister, Mark Francois recently spent a Friday afternoon visiting Stow Maries Airfield near Maldon, which is Britain’s sole remaining WWI aerodrome and which was used to help provide the defence of London in the Great War against German Zeppelins and by plane bombers. Mark was joined on his visit by the local MP, John Whittingdale OBE.
The aerodrome, which is now owned by the Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome Trust, still retains its original grass runway and a number of buildings including engineering workshops, the Officers’ mess and some of the original accommodation for those who were based there during the conflict.
The site was bought by the Trust in order to help preserve it for the nation and they now have ambitious plans to try and turn it into a fully-fledged museum, to allow future generations to see how the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) used this base as it evolved into the Royal Air Force (RAF), which was formally created in 1918, towards the end of the war.
Commenting on the visit, Mark said:
"The Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome Trust are undertaking really good work in order to preserve and try and restore to its original condition the last remaining WWI airfield in Britain. This site is a really important part of our military heritage and I know that the Trust are bidding for monies form a number of various funding bodies in order to try and help achieve their aims, something in which I hope they will be successful."