East Riding Airfields 1915-1920

Even before the outbreak of the First World War, aviation had made its presence felt in the East Riding of Yorkshire, with visits and demonstrations by many of the leading aviation pioneers. These included Gustav Hamel, Harry Hawker, B C Hucks and Robert Blackburn, founder of the Blackburn aircraft company. It was, however, the outbreak of the war in 1914 and the threat of the German Zeppelins which led to the establishment of the first official air bases in the area. In fact the first ever enemy attacks upon Yorkshire came from the German navy when they bombarded Scarborough and Whitby on 16 December 1914. On 6 June 1915, however, threat became reality when a Zeppelin bombed Hull, killing 24 people and injuring 40. For the next four years the landing grounds and marine stations in the East Riding towns and coastal shipping from air and sea attack. By 1919, after the 'war to end all wars' had run its course, most of these simple landing grounds were rapidly abandoned and soon forgotten.

Geoff Simmons was born in Hull in 1928 and first became interested in airplanes in 1938-39. In 1945, he joined Blackburn Aircraft and spent most of his working life as a senior design engineer, before taking early retirement in 1989. A member of the Airfield Research Group and the International Cross and Cockade Society, he lives in Beverley.