An Airfield at Fyfield?

In September 1916, two Home Defence (HD) squadrons of the Royal Flying Corps were based in Essex as part of the 6th Brigade, South East Area. The two squadrons were designated No. 37 and No. 39 with Headquarters in Woodham Mortimer, near Danbury, and Woodford, respectively. Each squadron was divided into three flights and one flight from the No. 39 squadron, ‘A’ Flight, was based at North Weald.

The squadrons were used in an air defence role. With no radar or other advance warning of approach of enemy airships or Gotha ‘giants’, the aircraft were ordered to patrol strict patterns, and only on the detection of an enemy and subsequent engagement was departure from this permitted. Such a method of defence was onerous; it required 12 aircraft to be available per day to enable one aircraft to be in the air at all times.

By definition, the operational limitations divided landing grounds into three classes. A 1st Class site had no restrictions on landing in any direction. A 2nd Class site had obstructions, which were hazardous to landing in any one direction. Fyfield airfield was a 3rd Class landing ground since it had landing difficulties in more than one direction; this resulted in landing flares being used at night to define the safest approach.

Fyfield landing ground was a single field, ‘borrowed’ from the Eve family of Bundish Hall. It was positioned between Shelley Church and the hall, about two hundred metres to the W of the road leading from Chipping Ongar to Fyfield (map reference TL 554056). This places the field in the parish of Moreton. The field was just 25 acres in extent, usable within an area of 340 metres by 320 metres.

Its Class 3 status was determined by the slope to the S towards Fyfield Church, along with some surrounding woodland to the E and the farm buildings of the hall at the NW corner. The importance of this modest landing ground lay in its use as a night landing ground in support of North Weald, the base for No. 39 (HD) Squadron. No permanent structures were erected on the field, only tents serving to shelter the personnel who installed the night flares. The flares used were Money Flares, and these were constructed from a steel cage with an asbestos wick soaked in paraffin. They burnt at a rate greater than one gallon per hour. Apparently, the technique was to use them at night or in poor daytime visibility. Three were set out on the upwind boundary of an emergency landing ground in an ‘L-shaped’ pattern with the vertical leg of the ‘L’ pointing downwind, the landing direction being in the opposite direction.

The airfield saw little activity. One forced landing is recorded. A Bristol Fighter, A7265 of No. 39 squadron, was forced down during action when low on fuel. Crew and plane were without damage. Oh, and the telephone number of the field, should you need it in a similar emergency, was Ongar 121.