Business was more on the minds of the Directors and at the end of , they relocated the very profitable De Havilland Service Department to Hatfield, offering routine and general maintenance. Operating along similar lines to the motor garages we know today. They offered a menu of services to owners of De Havilland machines, who subsequently enjoyed the hospitality and atmosphere of the clubhouse, whilst their aircraft were serviced or repaired.
The company quickly recognised the success of the DH Service Department and took the opportunity to purchase even more adjacent land. These plots included some pre-existing buildings which after refurbishment, were offered as overnight accommodation, complete with lockable hangars for their more wealthy clients. The move of the Service Department also signaled the beginning of the end for flying at Stag Lane and on 1st January De Havilland Aircraft announced the aerodrome was to be sold for development.
The history of Stag Lane will appear shortly on this website. The steady industrialisation of the new Hatfield site was masterminded by James M. This was very much reflected in the new Administration Buildings which still exist today as the Headquarters of Hertfordshire Police.
In January , the De Havilland Aeronautical Technical School was the first to be transferred to Hatfield and they took up residence in the new Assembly Shop, the first of the new buildings to be completed. With work progressing well on the various new buildings, partly-completed aircraft started to arrive by road from Stag Lane. In addition to the new found prosperity from the influx of tradesmen and aircraft workers, the surrounding area also saw huge industrial and residential growth.
The road network was extended further, especially along the A now the A1 with new signage and improved road junctions introduced to handle the increased traffic loads. The arrival of De Havilland put Hatfield on the map. Over the next 10 years and with the outbreak of war, Hatfield would pay a major part in the supply of aircraft to the RAF, including the iconic DH89 Mosquito , the fastest aircraft to see service during the conflict.
During the peak of war, Hatfield saw itself under attack when on 3rd October the factory was bombed by an enemy Junkers 88A The attack centred on the 94 Shop and the Airspeed Design Office. It took the lives of 26 employees, many of them being young apprentices and factory boys. Anti-aircraft guns set the Junkers on fire and it crashed at Eastend Green Farm, near Hertingfordbury shortly after the raid.
Ironically, Hatfield had not been their intended target which was Reading and the crew had become disorientated by low cloud and drizzle they could not believe their luck when a large industrial complex and runway appeared in a gap in the clouds.
At its peak the factory had a workforce of over 7,, making it one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in the UK. Most of the airfields I served on RAF have mostly bit the dust. Big tragedy that such history is gone. Gravel pits then housing? Keep the park, re-instate the aerodrome and bring back DH heritage. The advertising potential for airlines, holiday companies and associated businesses would be HUGE, not to mention a country being proud of its achievements…..
The comet was built right here we all know the problems it had but that was the start of passenger aviation travel as we now know it today. This country needs to stand up be counted like we used to!
Who won the bloody war anyway lol. Your email address will not be published. By Hatfield Aerodrome had become a massive industrial base for the de Havilland Aircraft Company. Eventually two-thirds of the legendary Mosquito produced were built at Hatfield. Such was the importance of aircraft production that all flying training was moved to Panshanger in the middle of the Second World War.
The Luftwaffe recognised the value of this airfield and an attack by a single Junkers 88 in October caused heavy loss of life. Top double agent Eddie Chapman — agent Zigzag - carried out a successful spoof explosion at the factory to mislead the Germans in A hard runway was laid shortly after the Second World War, Hatfield then carrying on in the aircraft production and related fields until the early s. From the s onwards the gradual merging of British aircraft companies saw different names appear before the eventual emergence of British Aerospace.
The last ever flight here was by a de Havilland Canada Chipmunk light aircraft in April
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