Castle Bromwich Aerodrome

Castle Bromwich Aerodrome was an early airfield, situated to the old south-west of Minworth in the West Midlands of England. The site now falls within the City of Birmingham.

A large piece of Warwickshire grassland (Castle Bromwich playing fields) became the privately owned Castle Bromwich aerodrome, when Alfred P Maxfield flew the first aeroplane in the Birmingham area in September 1909. In 1911, Bentfield C Hucks flew a Bleriot monoplane and gave passenger flights. The Midland Aero Club established itself, and a hangar was built for the aeroplanes. It became a stopping place during early air races. At the start of World War I the War Office requisitioned the airfield for use by the Royal Flying Corps and flying schools in 1914, when proper roads and buildings were established. In 1915 No. 5 Reserve Aeroplane Squadron was formed, later becoming the No 5 Training Squadron. Nine other Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force squadrons resided at the airfield during and just after World War 1.

As World War II approached, the Air Minister, Kingsley Wood, asked Lord Nuffield if he would establish a new shadow factory to produce aeroplanes. This was to be built between Fort Dunlop and the airfield. Construction commenced on 14 July 1938 and an initial order for 1,000 Spitfires was placed on 12 April 1939. Castle Bromwich Aeroplane Factory was then the largest of its kind in Britain; it covered 345 acres (1.40 km2) and employed 12,000 people. The site plan shows main offices, drawing offices, tool rooms, stores for finished parts, areas for the assembly of wings and fuselages, and covering of tailplanes and fins, drape shops (for covering of parts including petrol tanks), canteens, surgeries, sports and social clubs, and power-generating plants. This Spitfire Mk IIA, now owned by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, was built at Castle Bromwich During March 1940, Vickers-Armstrongs was placed in charge of the factory. The factory built somewhere between 11,555 and 11,939 Spitfires, over half of the total number produced. Often fifty Spitfires a week were made with a peak of 320. In 1941, 200 Avro Lancaster Mk II bombers were ordered, by the end of the war 300 Lancaster of various marks had been built. Fifty Seafire 45s were also made. In 1943, a bomb was dropped on the factory, causing some production to be dispersed to other sites around the Midlands. There had been a fatal bombing at the factory on 13 August 1940, in which six workers were killed. When aircraft were completed, they were towed across the main Chester Road to the airfield where they were flown by test pilots and delivered to the RAF by Air Transport Auxiliary pilots. Alex Henshaw was Chief Test Pilot from 1940 to 1945, personally putting more than 10% of the aeroplanes produced through their paces, and providing some spectacular air displays with Spitfires. Henshaw became a celebrated flyer before the war by winning the King's Cup Air Race, and also by completing a record breaking solo flight to Cape Town and back. The airfield was only used by one squadron which was No. 577 Squadron RAF which formed on 1 December 1943 and used the airfield until 15 June 1946 when it was disbanded. A variety of aircraft were used but the main aircraft were the Hawker Hurricane IIC/IV and the Airspeed Oxford I/II before being replaced by Supermarine Spitfires VB/IX/XVI.[16] The airfield was visited by many famous people. Winston Churchill (Prime Minister) and Mrs Eleanor Roosevelt (wife of Franklin D Roosevelt – President of the United States) visited on 26 September 1941. The King of Norway also visited during the war. 

Postwar, the airfield reverted to being a training station. Various units used it and there was an annual display to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Civilian flights returned, including the first scheduled helicopter service from London. The aeroplane factory was closed in 1945 and became a car factory. It was first sold to Fisher & Ludlow, which was acquired by the British Motor Corporation in 1953. Later, it became part of Jaguar. Part of the original site was also bought by Dunlop to extend its premises, and house its research programme.