Weston-super-Mare and its seaside surrounds are peppered with relics of airborne conflict. Robin Whitlock discovers a rich Somerset seam of aviation heritage.
On the western edge of Hutton Moor, Westonsuper- Mare – a flat expanse that is rapidly being encroached on by new housing – stands a seemingly unremarkable warehouse. This somewhat forlorn structure, set amid a ragged collection of other buildings, perceivably dates from the Second World War era. Collectively, these sheds were once part of Oldmixon aircraft factory, where Bristol Beaufighters were made in serious numbers. Immediately to the east, stretching all the way to the A371 Banwell Road, the large open space now reserved for housing, served as Oldmixon’s accompanying airfield – RAF Weston-super-Mare.
The former aerodrome pre-dates World War Two. Sandwiched between the seaside town of Weston, the neighbouring community of Worle and villages of Locking and Banwell, Hutton Moor was nothing more than a stretch of shifting sands and peat before it was turned into an airfield in 1936. The driving force behind the transformation was
Norman Edgar, owner of Western Airways passenger air service. Western Airways operated from Bristol in the early 1…
