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| The
airfield at Manston, located on the north Kent coast near Margate,
is apparently one of Britains oldest, longest, and foamiest (more
later…). First established in 1916 as a Royal Naval Air Station,
it passed into RAF hands from their formation in 1918 until well after
the second world war. During the Battle of Britain RAF Manston played
a key role in the defense of the capital, being a major fighter base
alongside the likes of Biggin Hill and Tangmere. In the 1950’s
the base was transferred to US Air Force control…….
And so to the Easter weekend 2004…. The Manston History Museum played host to a “Wings and Wheels” event, organised by the Museum and Terry Brooks, a man who obviously has useful contacts in the MV world, a warehouse full of CVRTs and APCs, and his own Challenger main battle tank. I duly arrived at the museum to be greeted by Terry offering tea, biscuits, and introductions. A very civilised start to the day that should be copied at all MV shows! Rob Short was already on site with his recently acquired 127 Rapier, having spent the previous night testing its suitability as a camouflaged camper van. Rob has decided to dispense with the 9x9/shower combination in favour of kitting out the Rapier with fold down bed and discretely hidden thunder box. Look out for further enhancements to the vehicles comfort over the course of the season…. The museum itself is located in the old airbase Motor Transport workshops, and in addition to Robs Rapier and my recce 109, the MT yard sprouted a 101 GS, Willys MB, REO, Austin K9 radio body, Scorpion, a couple of APCs, ferret, and assorted other vehicles. The day passed off with a steady stream of visitors to the museum wandering outside to view the vehicles, chat with the owners, and enjoy the barbecue. Right on queue the sun appeared and stayed with us all day – a very welcome bonus, although it did result in a very red face by the evening.
The runway at Manston is one of the longest in the country, according to one of the museum volunteers this is a result of the high number of early jet aircraft crashing on too short a post-war runway. The logical (?) solution to the problem was to keep extending the tarmac until the crashing stopped! Because of its extreme runway length, Manston became the main diversionary base for aircraft in distress, the fire services having the ability to cover the entire runway in fire retardant foam within 45 minutes to reduce the risk to a forced landing. All this is covered pretty extensively by the museum displays and exhibits, and in conjunction with the adjacent Spitfire and Hurricane display is well worth a visit if you happen to be passing by. Today Manston is a major freight hub and the event benefited from a backdrop of at least half a dozen Boeing 747s, one of which decided to taxi across the road 20 yards behind us under its own propulsion – a noisy and impressive display of power which dwarfed the trucks and armour around us. All in all the event proved to be a pleasant and relaxing introduction to the 2004 show season. Next stop MVT Overlord and some grass to pitch the cam netting on! Jamie Wilkinson |
