The History of Stow Maries

Biggin Hill, Tangmere, and Duxford, became familiar names to many during World War One, but how many would remember Stow Maries, Essex? Home to men of the newly-blooded Royal Flying Corps (RFC)--the field was known by the locals as Stow St. Mary, after the nearby parish church of St. Mary and St. Margaret. The name 'Maries' derived from a marshy area of the parish alongside the River Crouch.

The aerodrome came into being in late 1914 when land was requisitioned from the Turner family at Edwins Hall and the Jones' farm at Old Whitmans. Permanent brick structures began to take shape the following year. Although all the buildings were not completed until December 1918, by the time the first flying unit arrived in 1916 living conditions were good with airmen accommodated in barrack blocks on the western edge of the main site and catering facilities provided by a large canteen.

A mess building for officers was situated on the very edge of the flying field. Other structures included motor transport sheds, fuel stores, blacksmith's shop, generator building and water tower. Married airmen had to find local lodgings for their families -- the provision of married quarters did not come into being until the 1930s Expansion Scheme.

The only unit to occupy Stow (as it was usually called) was 37 Squadron RFC, which had formed in early September 1916 at the experimental establishment of Orfordness, Suffolk, flying BE.2s and BE.12s. The squadron headquarters was established at The Grange, Woodham Mortimer, and by September 15, its flights were dispatched to three Essex aerodromes. Their job was to combat the threat from German airships and aircraft as they attempted to reach targets in East Anglia and as far inland as West London. Upon receipt of orders, 'A' Flight moved to Rochford, 'B' Flight to Stow Maries and 'C' Flight to Goldhanger where it replaced the Royal Naval Air Service, then in the process of moving out.

When 'B' Flight was installed at Stow, under the command of Lt. Claude Ridley, the aerodrome covered three fields to the south of Flambirds Farm plus another three on the adjoining Old Whitmans - hedges were grubbed out to give a total area of 120 acres. Two Bessoneau hangars were placed on the western end of the flying field along with the workshops and other facilities; the accommodation areas being further to the west on the opposite side of a farm track which ran southwards from Flambirds Farm. The main aerodrome entrance was situated on Strawberry Hall Lane on the western boundary, adjacent to the generator building.

Even though some personnel were living in tents on the parade ground and the huts on the technical site were not fully equipped, the aerodrome was basically ready for operation, even down to having night flying equipment. However, it would be some months before operational sorties were flown by 'B' Flight.

Meanwhile on November 28, 1916, Captain K N Pearson of 'A' Flight at Rochford flew the first Home defence Squadron sortie when an LVG C IV was reported over London - it lasted one hour 40 minutes and was uneventful. 'C' Flight at Goldhanger flew its first two patrols on March 1, along with two from 'A' Flight; it is not known how any of them fared.

The first sortie from Stow occurred on May 23, 1917, when Ridley, the flight commander; flew BE.12a A6318 for 3 1/2 uneventful hours. Lt. G D F Keddie also took up a BE.12a, number A6345, but after 1 3/4 hours engine problems forced him to land at Covehithe, Suffolk. Indeed, aircraft from the other flights all landed early, either due to bad weather or mechanical problems. It was originally planned to allocate eight Sopwith Pups to the squadron but these never materialised, five Sopwith 1 1/2, Strutters were received instead.

Patrols Were flown spasmodically throughout the summer of 1917 with varied results. As radio contact with the ground was not attempted until August 1917, 37 Squadron's aircraft were tasked to fly patrol lines at set heights, these being Rochford-Farningham-Biggin Hill-Esher and All Hallows-Rochford-Goldhanger-Easthorpe. Any change in orders was transmitted to pilots via ground signals but the chance of actually making contact with the enemy was unlikely, so patrols were often inconclusive or terminated early.

It was therefore not unknown for an aircraft, say from Stow, to end up at Rochford or Goldhanger for one reason or another and operate from there on the next occasion that raiders were reported. Serviceability of aircraft was a key factor in ensuring results, but for reasons known only to those who decreed them, no engine changes were carried out at the aerodromes. Although workshops (and a garage for the Commanding Officer's car) were located on site, it was the practice at Stow and Goldhanger to send aircraft engines away to The Grange where they were serviced and run up before being returned to the aerodrome for refitting.

CO of 37 Squadron, from its formation until November 1917, was Major W B Hargrave, and it was during his leadership that Lt. L P Watkins, operating from Goldhanger, made the squadron's most famous 'kill' of the war. On June 17, Zeppelin L48 was part of a force of four attacking London -- 32 sorties were flown by Home Defence Squadrons against the two airships that reached their target, but only L48 was attacked and then by only four aircraft.

A BE.2c flown by U E W Clarke from Orfordness carried out an unsuccessful attack. An FE.2b with U F D Holder and gunner Sgt. S Ashby followed by a DH.2 with Captain R H M S (later Air Marshal Sir Robert) Saundby then took up the chase. Although Saundby set the airship on fire he was not credited with the kill; Watkins in BE.12 6610 subsequently finished off the airship which crashed at Holly Tree Farm, Theberton, Suffolk, killing all but two of the crew.

In July 1917 'A' Flight left Rochford and moved into Stow. More 'Strutters arrived to increase the squadron's potential, then on the night of March 7/8, 1918, the last active sorties were flown.

In June 1918 the station headquarters moved onto the aerodrome so that all three flights could be coordinated more effectively. Sopwith Pups came on strength and the squadron was officially classified as a night fighter unit, even though it had been operating as such for the previous 15 months.

In October 1918 Sopwith Camels were received but they were never used in action as the war ended before the conversion training could be completed. As part of the gunnery training, the silhouette of a Gotha bomber was marked in chalk close to the southern edge of the aerodrome in view of the Officers' Mess but recent investigations and aerial surveys have failed to reveal any trace of it. However, traces of cinder tracks are still noticeable from the air-- they lead away from the hangar bases onto the flying field and were used as aircraft parks or taxi strips.

By December 1918 the last of the planned buildings were deemed to be complete, others of a secondary nature were abandoned or demolished to foundation level -- a batch of Sopwith Snipes also arrived. On February 20, 1919, Major J Sowrey took over from Major F W Honnett as CO and that same day 'C' Flight arrived at Stow.

For the first time since its formation all three flights of the squadron were on the same airfield, personnel strength being 300 (only 11 of which were pilots). A total of 24 aircraft were present, encompassing Camels as the main type along with the Snipes and 'Strutters, however this was only a prelude to moving to a new station. On March 17, 1919, the squadron flew to Biggin Hill where, on July 1, it was disbanded and renumbered as 39 Squadron.

The memory of 37 Squadron lives on at the parish church, where three of the Stow pilots are buried. An Australian, 2nd U R W Mouritzen, died on June 5, 1917, after colliding with the aerodrome steam roller. Then on April 22, 1918, 2nd Lt. E G Muddow (who, for reasons unknown, enlisted as C L Milburn and is buried as such) was caught out when his BE.12's engine failed during a spin and crashed on a part of the aerodrome known as Moonshine Fidd-- a similar accident claimed the life of 2nd Lt. E C H R Nicholls on September 20, 1918, whilst he was flying a Camel.

Another squadron fatality (but not locally) was Captain A B Kynnock, who took-off from Goldhanger on the night of March 7/8, 1918, in a BE.12 to do battle with invading Gotha bombers. During the engagement he collided with an SE.5a flown by Captain H C Stroud from 61 Squadron at Rochford, and entangled together, both aircraft took their pilots to their deaths, crashing near the railway line at Shotgate, Essex. Both are remembered by memorials at the site but, whilst Stroud is buried in St. Andrew's Church Rochford, Kynnock's final resting place is in Golders Green, London.

At the parish church Mouritzen and Milburn are buried next to each other. Originally they both had cross headstones but Mouritzen's was pulled over by a grazing horse and replaced by the familiar Commonwealth War Graves Commission stone of Arras marble.

Nicholls is buried near to the lych gate, as is Claude Ridley who died in 1942 when a Wing Commander. Ridley was so taken by the area around Stow that he frequently visited the church and in 1931 provided an illuminated cross to be placed on top of the spire -- to mark the gift, a memorial tablet was unveiled by the then Air Marshal Sir Hugh Trenchard.

After closing down in 1919, it is surprising to many that the aerodrome was not re-opened to serve during World War Two - with its facilities still in place it could have fulfilled a useful role quite readily. Air Ministry surveyors inspected Stow early on in 1939, but the powers-that-be decided to update another World War One aerodrome, Rochford, some 12 miles to the southeast.

Stow stayed under the plough - buildings on the technical site were used to house farm workers and the remaining structures provided storage and maintenance facilities for farm implements.

No attempt was made to camouflage the site or obstruct the old landing areas, consequently it still resembled an active station from the air. This most likely contributed to it receiving its share of bombs and missiles during World War Two.

The most notable of these occurred on April 20, 1941 when a pair of parachute mines dropped near to Flambirds Farm. They caused extensive damage to five of the technical site buildings lived in by farm workers and partially destroyed the northern aeroplane hangar. The farm workers were rehoused and the hangars finally taken down after the war, the timber being sold off locally.

The only known aircraft arrival at Stow during World War Two was on September 7, 1940, when P/O Dennis Crowley-Milling of 242 Squadron force-landed his Hurricane P3715 'LE-M' on the field after sustaining a damaged radiator in combat. The aircraft's undercarriage was damaged and it was dismantled for recovery by road.

The site was once again surveyed for military purposes, and in 1942 it was proposed as a possible location for one of the six airfields in Essex to accommodate the expanding 8th Air Force in England. Designated USAAF Station number 163, the technical and accommodation sites were laid out on Old Whitmans farm and the airfield site took in most, if not all, of the World War One aerodrome. The land was requisitioned in August 1942 and further acquisition was well under way by the end of September, but in December 1942 construction was postponed indefinitely as it became more urgent to upgrade existing airfields than start new projects. Detailed plans for the Cold Norton (Stow) site were prepared but, like most of those proposed, they are not readily available today.

When the war ended, Stow returned to its rural role as the airfield provided useful land for grazing and cultivation. The scene did not change until 1966 when flying returned to the area in the form of the Anglia Model Flying Club which moved onto the aerodrome after being forced from its Great Baddow flying ground by an impending housing development.

Further flying of a larger kind was mooted in 1992 when an application was made to the CAA for adjoining fields on Old Whitmans farm to be used as a gliding site for an off-shoot of the Essex Gliding Club from North Weald. Negotiations are well advanced, and it is hoped that the newer breed of fliers can be accommodated - without compromising the activities of those who have been on site for many years.

So what remains at Stow Maries from the days of World War One? Quite simply it provides the most complete example of a permanent aerodrome of that period. Its buildings have, almost miraculously, survived the vagaries of the English climate although the interiors of some barrack block buildings have suffered from their proximity to farm animals and vandals have left their mark in the Officers' Mess washrooms. Thankfully, because the adjacent lounge area is now being used regularly by the aerodrome resident as a garage, the period fireplace built from Dutch bricks remains intact.

The 'other ranks' canteen is now a corn batching and storage area, so its future seems assured, whilst in the very centre of the technical site some buildings are inaccessible due to the ever-encroaching undergrowth. The water tower also still stands proudly erect, surveying all around it.

The Senior NCO's quarters became a form of air museum in the late 1960s, mainly concerned with wreckology, as is evident from the remains of a V2 rocket engine venturi still lying in the grass nearby. Later it became the outdoor activity base for the local Scout group but since this came to an end the building remains empty at the edge of the field.

How much longer the aerodrome will remain as a memorial to the gallant fliers of the embryo Royal Air Force cannot be determined. For now at least Stow Maries remains a place for which time itself has stood still.

(Acknowledgement: In the course of preparing this article many reminiscences were elicited from local people and the Author is most grateful for the time given by farmers Hugh Turner and Stephen Jones, historian Beryl Board, aerodrome resident John Pegrum, author Katherine Peyton and lvor Dallinger of the South Woodham Ferrers Police. The Author is a member of the Airfield Research Group, a society which maintains interest in all aspects of airfields and associated sites. Details of membership can be obtained from: John Nicholls, 220 Woodland Avenue, Hutton, Brentwood, Essex CM13 1DA. )

Captain K N Pearson MC
Believed to be at Stow Maries - note upward facing gun for shooting at Zeppelins

Captain K N Pearson MC in Martinsyde Elephant G102

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