Castle Bromwich Aerodrome
| Castle Bromwich Aerodrome | |||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Aircraft manufacture | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Vickers-Armstrongs | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Castle Bromwich | ||||||||||||||
| Built | 1914 | ||||||||||||||
| In use | 1914-1958 | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 52°31′02″N 001°47′12″W / 52.51722°N 1.78667°WCoordinates: 52°31′02″N 001°47′12″W / 52.51722°N 1.78667°W | ||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||
 Castle Bromwich Aerodrome
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Castle Bromwich Aerodrome was an early airfield, situated to the north of Castle Bromwich 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 I:
After the war, Imperial Airways started a service from London. In the inter war years, the aerodrome had a dual military and civilian function. In September 1922 the airfield was used as a staging point for the first round of the King’s Cup air race.Air pageants were held in the 1920.
In 1930 the first scheduled airmail service was operated by Imperial Airways. During the rail strike in 1919, the RAF and Vickers Ltd had flown mail and newspapers from London to Castle Bromwich aerodrome. After World War I, workers from Fort Dunlop, the Dunlop factory on the other side of the Chester Road, used some of the bungalows at the airfield due to a housing shortage.
From 1920, and every year into the 1930s, the British Industries Fair (the forerunner of the National Exhibition Centre), was held in buildings built on land adjacent to the aerodrome and Castle Bromwich railway station.
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