RAF Eastbourne (formerly ''Royal Naval Air Station Eastbourne'') was a Royal Air Force airfield near Eastbourne.

Fowler Flying School

The Fowler Flying School (also later known as the Eastbourne Flying School) was established by Major Bernard Fowler in 1909 at Beaulieu, Hampshire but moved to the 50-acre site between Eastbourne and

Pevensey Bay Pevensey ( ) is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The main village is located north-east of Eastbourne, one mile (1.6 km) inland from Pevensey Bay. The settlement of Pevensey Bay forms part of ...

. His original airfield lies under the present day industrial estate below St Anthony's Mount. In nearby Leeds Avenue an original

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

(RNAS) guardhouse is the sole surviving building from this enterprise and is now converted to a bungalow.

Eastbourne Aviation Company

The Eastbourne Aviation Company was an aircraft factory that was constructed in early 1913 on the Crumbles shingle beach where the Sovereign Centre swimming pool now stands. Despite its proximity to the Royal Naval Flying School which was adjacent to the factory, it did not produce seaplanes, instead producing the

Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was a British single-engine tractor two-seat biplane designed and developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. Most of the roughly 3,500 built were constructed under contract by private companies, including establish ...

and Avro 504. The factory performed some repair work for the Royal Naval Air Service. During World War I, the factory prospered off wartime orders, declining after the war. This led to the eventual closure of the factory and Aviation Company in 1924. In 1917, the factory fielded a ladies' football team from the seaplane sheds, players including Hilda Goudhurst, Mabal icGoudhurst, Mabal icMarchant, Rose Holobone, Marjorie Putland, Lilian Lee, Bessy Brown.

Royal Naval Air Service

The

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral * Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings *Admiralty, Tr ...

had taken an interest in 1913 having leased part of the airfield and helped fund development of various facilities. With the outbreak of war, the site was taken over by the

and subsequently expanded by acquiring neighbouring land. The site served as the Naval Flying School between August 1914 and November 1916, and later between May 1917 and April 1918 to undertake initial flying training. Aircraft based at the school were initially of a variety of types, however, this was not seen as the ideal training environment and eventually, aircraft was rationalised where the airframes by Maurice Farman and the Curtiss Jenny could be found at the school. During the First World War aspiring pilots from all over the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

came to train here. A young trainee

Dan Minchin Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Frank Reilly Minchin (16 June 1890 – disappeared 31 August 1927) was a British pilot of the Royal Air Force. He was declared dead in absentia after his aircraft disappeared in 1927 while attempting to cross the A ...

learned to fly a Bristol Boxkite at this aerodrome and in 1927 attempted to cross the Atlantic in a Fokker V11A monoplane named ''St Raphael''. Lieut Colonel Minchin and two colleagues were lost when the aircraft failed to reach Ottawa, Canada. A plaque on the wall below the 'RAF' window of

Eastbourne College Eastbourne College is a co-educational independent school in the British public school tradition, for day and boarding pupils aged 13–18, in the town of Eastbourne on the south coast of England. The College's headmaster is Tom Lawson. Over ...

in Blackwater Road commemorates the loss of this 'Old Eastbournian'.

Royal Air Force

Following the amalgamation of the RNAS and Royal Flying Corps in 1918 to form the Royal Air Force, the Naval Flying School initially became No. 206 Training Depot Station. No. 54 Training Squadron was transferred to the site from Castle Bromwich and the two units combined to form No. 50 Training Depot Station. The combined units were refocused into training day bomber pilots in a fleet that included the Avro 504,

Bristol F.2B The Bristol F.2 Fighter is a British First World War two-seat biplane Fighter aircraft, fighter and reconnaissance aircraft developed by Frank Barnwell at the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter, ''"Brisfit ...

Airco DH.6 The Airco DH.6 was a British military Trainer (aircraft), trainer biplane used by the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. Known by various nicknames, including the "Clutching hand" and "Skyhook", many survived to be used as a civil ligh ...

Airco DH.9 The Airco DH.9 (from de Havilland 9) – also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 – was a British single-engined biplane bomber developed and deployed during the First World War. The DH.9 was a development of Airco's earlier successful ...

and Sopwith Camel. Trainee numbers at the site decreased in the latter months of the war, and 50 TDS was moved to RAF Manston by autumn 1919. The airfield reverted to its previous owners, however, lack of business ultimately led to its closure in 1920 reverting to agriculture.

Fowler Flying School

Eastbourne Aviation Company

Royal Naval Air Service

Royal Air Force

References

Further reading