HE YEAR 1950 was a typically busy
one for the peripatetic John Stroud,
who managed to pack in trips to France
(see Open Wide! in TAH21), Belgium,
Holland and Canada as well as a
number of flying visits to airfields the length and
breadth of the British Isles. He also found time
to spend a weekend at Butlin’s holiday camp at
Skegness on the rugged Lincolnshire coast.
There was little time for sandcastle-building
and lounging around in a deckchair, however;
John was at the North Sea resort for the fourth air
rally to be held at the tiny airfield at Ingoldmells,
directly adjacent to the first holiday camp
established by entrepreneur Billy Butlin in 1936.
Another camp at Clacton-on-Sea in Essex
was opened in 1938, before the outbreak of war,
for the duration of which Butlin converted his
holiday centres to training camps for troops.
He also built new troop camps at Filey in North
Yorkshire, Pwlhelli on the Llŷn Peninsula in
Wales and Ayr on Scotland’s western coast, on the
proviso that he retain ownership of the sites after
the war for redevelopment into holiday camps.
In 1946, with the war over and the population
eager to make the most of its newly found
peacetime leisure opportunities, Skegness and
Clacton were reopened as holiday camps, with
Ayr and Pwlhelli following in 1947.South African-born Butlin, a keen proselytiser
for aviation, established his own fleet of aircraft
in the immediate post-war years, including
four Fairchild Arguses, a pair of de Havilland
Rapides, an Airspeed Consul, a Percival Proctor
and even a 1930-vintage Southern (Miles)
Martlet, G-AAYX. Described in British magazine
The Light Plane as a “good friend to all flyers”,
Butlin saw an opportunity to add the glamour
of aviation to his resorts and, on September 20,
1947, opened Broomhall Airfield, adjacent to the
Pwlhelli camp, with a view to offering pleasure-
flying services for the campers, using the fleet
of Arguses. Boasting two grass strips, full
hangarage and maintenance facilities and ample
stocks of aviation fuel, Broomhall saw more than
40 aircraft fly in for the opening day, providing
the locals and guests with an entertaining
display of light aviation.One of Britain’s most respected aviation writers, John Stroud (born April 3, 1919) joined Imperial
Airways aged 14. He later became a freelance aviation writer and in 1963 was appointed General
Editor of the Putnam series of aeronautical books. John contributed articles to the British aviation
press until his death in March 2007. In 2014 part of John’s archive, including numerous rolls of
35mm film, was acquired by A Flying History Ltd and forms the basis of this regular TAH TAH TAH series seriesIn August 1950, taking a break from his international travels, John donned a knotted
hankie and headed to the Lincolnshire coast for a weekend at Ingoldmells, the recently-
opened airfield built by Butlin’s to serve the company’s famous holiday camp at Skegness.
NICK STROUD (no relation!) chronicles the origins of the airfield and its early air rallies
Off
One of Britain’s most respected aviation writers, John Stroud (born April 3, 1919) joined Imperial
Airways aged 14. He later became a freelance aviation writer an
Editor of the Putnam series of aeronautical books. John contrib
press until his death in March 2007. In 2014 part of John’s archive, including numerous rolls of
35mm film, was acquired by A Flying History Ltd and forms the basis of this regularOffOff
One of Britain’s most respected aviation writers, John Stroud (born April 3, 1919) joined Imperial
Airways aged 14. He later became a freelance aviation writer an
Editor of the Putnam series of aeronautical books. John contrib
press until his death in March 2007. In 2014 part of John’s archive, including numerous rolls of
35mm film, was acquired by A Flying History Ltd and forms the basis of this regularOffOff
to