Talk:Armstrong Whitworth Ensign

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Military history: Aviation / British / European / World War II

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Bonnington Airfield?[edit]

This article mentions a forced Landing by G-ADSU Euterpe at "Bonnington Airfield, Warwickshire" - Does anyone have any idea where this is? - There seems to be no place name of Bonnington anywhere in Warwickshire. There is a modern private landing ground at Bonnington in Kent near Ashford, but I doubt that could be the same place. The information from the article seems to come from an article in Fight magazine (15 Feb 1957) where it says the incident was a "Bonnington airfield near Leamington Spa" - ^[1] There were numerous airfields that could be said to be near Leamington Spa, none called Bonnington. - However, the one nearest to Leamington (near Bishops Tachbrook and Whitnash) was known as Bonniksen's airfield. - I wonder if that could be it? ^[2], Of course, the main Armstrong Whitworth factory was at Baginton on the outskirts of Coventry, but also close to Leamington Spa.

Addition to above - It would seem that the reference to "Bonnington" may be completely wrong. - An article "Cookoo in the Nest" in Air Enthusiast Magazine ( No 51 May/June 1997) by Ray Bonser and Ken Ellis says G-ADSU Euterpe force landed at Chipping Warden (Northamptonshire) and was returned to Hamble in January 1940 "not under its own power". ^[3] The Wikipedia article lists both "incidents" to the same aircraft, in the same month. I think it is inconceivable that such a large aircraft could be damaged in two different incidents in the same month. It's purely conjecture but I think it is possible that the initial accident happened at Chipping Warden. The aircraft was then recovered in pieces to the Armstrong Whitworth airfield at Baginton on the outskirts of Coventry (not that far from Leamington Spa) or "Bonniksen's Airfield" and from there to the AW Ensign assembly site at Hamble near Southampton. Someone saw the "crashed" Ensign at either Baginton or "Bonniksens" while it was there and assumed it had crashed there. Then when the "Flight" article was written nearly two decades later the location was misremembered as this fictitious "Bonnington".

References

^ https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1957/1957%20-%200204.PDF
^ https://www.ourwarwickshire.org.uk/content/catalogue_her/leamington-spa-bishops-tachbrook-airfield
^ "Cuckoo in the Nest" article in Air Enthusiast (quarterly) magazine No 51 May/June 1997

Clearly something wrong and as I would agree it probably only crashed once! - have a look at "Leamington Spa (Bishops Tachbrook) Airfield" which was "A private airfield, or landing ground, opened and managed by a Major J E Bonniksen after WW1. Known locally as Bonniksen’s Airfield, it continued as a private airfield until WW2", it became "RAF Leamington Spa" a RLG during the war. MilborneOne (talk) 17:22, 23 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Think the mystery is solved by a letter by one B. Bailey-Hickman in the "Skywriters" letter column of the August 1979 edition of Aeroplane Monthly magazine commenting on an article in the April edition of the magazine (the article actually has a photo of the overshot aircraft). He says Bonniksen's airfield was being used as a "parking place" for aircraft by both the RAF and the nearby Armstrong Whitworth Baginton airfield and that its confined space made take-off and landings very difficult. The letter seems to confirm it was Bonniksens airfield where the accident happened. ^[1] — Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.173.221.115 (talk) 14:46, 26 September 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Another thing that rules out RAF Chipping Norton as the crash site is that RAF Chipping Warden did not open as an Airfield until mid 1941. 18 Months after the crash. - See Wikipedias own page on RAF Chipping Warden. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.174.138.112 (talk) 14:08, 10 April 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Ricco 2017[edit]

Is cited as a reference, but isn't present in the bibliography so it isn't clear what it is.Nigel Ish (talk) 09:21, 30 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

^ The Aeroplane magazine April 1979 "Ensigns for the Empire" part 2 article by Ray Williams and letter commenting it in August 1979 edition by B Bailey-Hickman, Leamington Spa resident.

[1] ttps://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1957/1957%20-%200204.PDF

[2] ttps://www.ourwarwickshire.org.uk/content/catalogue_her/leamington-spa-bishops-tachbrook-airfield

[3] "Cuckoo in the Nest" article in Air Enthusiast (quarterly) magazine No 51 May/June 1997

[4] The Aeroplane magazine April 1979 "Ensigns for the Empire" part 2 article by Ray Williams and letter commenting it in August 1979 edition by B Bailey-Hickman, Leamington Spa resident.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[1]