During the early part of World War Two, land was requisitioned from agricultural landowners by the government. This was carried out  under the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act (1939) to enable the construction of much needed airfields for the RAF, and later for the American 8th and 9th USAAF.

Many of the sites of these airfields had been surveyed by Government officials long before the outbreak of war. When the time came for these sites to be developed, the landowners had neither choice, or little ground for appeal, and could only look on, as Civil engineers transformed for ever the landscape they had worked for many years. Compensation was worked out after the sites were no longer required, in many cases long after the war was over.

The three airfields featured here were to be airfields for the duration of hostilities only, and they differed from the pre-war expansion period airfields of nearby North Weald, Debden and Bassingbourne. Those pre-war airfields were constructed and built to very high standards, and were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, Sir Reginald Blomfield, and Giles Gilbert Scott - three distinguished architects. This resulted in the creation of the new post of architectural advisor to the Director of Works and Buildings, first of whom was a Mr A Bulloch. Many of the building designs were specifically approved by the commissioners; liaison over layout was personally handled by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

The buildings erected for much of the 1930s Expansion Period were laid out better than their predecessors, a clear distinction being made between neo-Georgian style for domestic buildings, and more modern styles for the technical buildings.

 The hostility only, or temporary airfields, the subject of this website, were more basic. The buildings consisted of pre-fabricated and permanent brick, easily constructed and of a simple but functional design.

The main type of accomodation huts and ancilliary buildings were of the Nissen, Romney, Handcraft and Thornycroft type. Other types were made by Seco Curved Asbestos, BCF, Orlit and Maycrete. Considering their life was 'temporary' these buildings have stood up very well to the test of time, even more so, when you think that most have had little or no maintenance for the last sixty years.

Other types of building were of a more normal construction. The flying control towers, Ambulance, fire tender sheds, sleeping shelters and flight offices were of a more conventional brick construction, but several design styles were available for some type's of building. For instance, the flying control tower on Hunsdon was not the same style the one at Matching Green. Although having the same function, the architects design were different.  It is this difference that makes the preservation of these wartime buildings important but, sadly, both Hunsdon and Sawbridgeworth lost their control towers very early after the war, while Matchings tower lives on.

The airfields were built on suitable sites that met certain criteria set down by the government at the time. These dictated a relatively flat landscape with good drainage and were to be as near as could be to existing road and rail links. It took a period of around eighteen months by British civil engineering contractors, such as WC French & Co, or Laing & Co, to build an airfield, although many of the airfields in Essex were built for the USAAF by Engineering (Aviation) Battalions, each especially raised in the USA for this task alone.

Constructing an airfield was itself a huge endeavour that involved large amounts of land clearance, with many ancient hedgerows and woodland being removed. The ground was levelled and graded, and the infrastructure of pipes, cables and drainage were laid, Thousands of cubic feet of concrete was poured to create taxyways, runways, and aircraft dispersals.

Large amounts of basic materials had to be transported in to each site by road, often over quite long distances. Willingale airfield in particular had rubble from the bombed buildings of London brought in to provide hardcore for the runways and perimeter tracks. It is possible, when walking there, to find such reminders in the plough soil as bits of coloured tile, slate,York stone, granite, and pieces of bakelite light switch, items that are are truly out of place amongst the Essex soil.

The living accomodation was dispersed away from the main airfield to safeguard against possible attack by enemy aircraft. These living and domestic sites were often inhospitable and with poor heating, if any, and, during the winter, mud and standing water made passage between the buildings a miserable journey.

Imagine, for instance, the life of an engine mechanic, working all day on aircraft parked out in the open, and possibly in winter weather conditions. After spending up 12 hours or so out on the airfields dispersal area's, he would return to his quarters or billet. This was probably a corrugated, tin roofed Nissen hut, where he would spend the majority of his off duty hours with several other groundcrew for company. With only a single cast iron 'pot belly' stove for heating, as only a meagre fuel allowance was available, local woodland probably being the main source of fuel to burn for warmth when the coal ran out. In this day and age there would probably be a law against working & living conditions as primitive as that, but this after all was wartime Britain, and shortages of fuel were commonplace. Toilet and washing fascilities were also cold and unheated, these ablution blocks were incorporated into each site.

  Officers and NCO's, enlisted men, and the WAAF's each had their own dispersed site for accomodation and ablutions. Each site was provided with air raid shelters for protection against possible raids from enemy aircraft.

Aircraft Hangers for major aircraft maintenance, were either of the standard T2, or Bellman design at the three airfields on this website. Smaller blister hangars, that held one aircraft each, were in use at Hunsdon and Sawbridgeworth for day to day servicing, and light maintenance only. Most of the time, the large tasks, such as engine changes, were made out in the open, and in all elements of the weather. Other tasks were also performed outside, the arming of aircraft with bombs,  replenishment of ammunition for the machine guns and cannon, and aircraft refueling.

The airfields often had up to three thousand people stationed on them, and required many buildings to cater for supply, logistics, catering, laundry, intelligence support, ops planning , aircraft maintenance and repair. Over 450 individual buildings were constructed at Hunsdon alone; that's without the other buildings in nearby towns and villages, that were requisitioned for use as Headquarters or Administration buildings being taken into consideration. The impact of a large community on the local villages was inherrent, but was mostly for the good.

Bomb and ammunition storage was dispersed around the airfields, normally in nearby woodland. Here, the bombs would be loaded onto special trolleys, fused for use, and safety pins attached. They were then towed out to each aircraft to form it's particular load. Together, all of these services provided the aircraft, and crews, with a self - contained base to carry the War to occupied Europe and Germany.

For some four to five years, these temporary airfields were home to hundreds of air and ground crews from all over the world; Great Britain,The Commonwealth, and the United States of America, to name but a few. In most cases, the sites of these airfields were handed back to the civilian landowners after the war was over, and were, more or less, abandoned, and quickly fell into disrepair. The buildings were removed, if no other use could be found for them . The miles of concrete from the perimeter tracks and runways, was lifted, over time, to supply the hardcore-hungry roadbuilding market, thus releasing land, once more, to be put back under the plough. A ten foot strip showing the basic airfield outline remains today, and has become convenient roads, used by farm machinery. The pre-war, expansion-period airfields, continued in use with the RAF for several decades, certainly well into the 1960's.

It is a shame to see these once proud places, slowly being eradicated from the British landscape. To me, they are probably, just as important a part of Englands heritage as a castle, or old battlefield. For, in reality, battlefields they once were. An army of personnel manned the various services, that provided the support, to make them funcional; and, of course, not forgetting the aircrew that failed to return from the missions flown, or groundcrew involved in accidents on the ground, fast turning propellors claimed quite a few personnel at many airfields while working in close proximity to the aircraft themselves.

Essex became home to the Americans of the 9th Air Force, and the twin engined B-26 Martin Marauder in particular; with many bases including Little Walden, Matching, Stansted, Great Dunmow, Great Saling (Andrewsfield), Wethersfield, Ridgewell, Earles Colne, Rivenhall, Birch, Boxted, Boreham, Willingale, Wormingford and Gosfield.

RAF airfields in the area were at North Weald , Debden, Stapleford Tawney, Hornchurch, Rochford, Bradwell Bay , Fairlop, Castle Camps and Great Sampford. A RAF flight training school was based at Panshanger near Welwyn, and an aircraft repair factory was sited at the former Broxbourne Flying Club field in Nazeing. 

Aircraft factories in the area included deHavillands at Hatfield and Leavesdon and Handley-Page at Radlett.

A few months after the D-Day invasion, many of the 9th Air force bomb groups moved to captured airfields on the continent. The Essex airfields were taken over by the RAF, notably, 38 Group; and, again, saw action as bases for Short Stirlings and Halifaxes, in a glider-tug role. They towed gliders, loaded with troops, taking part in the last airborne forces operations of the war. The most notable of these operations being, the crossing of the Rhine, known as "Operation Varsity". These heralded the last flying operations carried out from these once proud places.