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On the 29th of August 1939,
prior to the outbreak of war on the 1st of September 1939, the
British government started to implement the Air Navigation (Restriction
in Time of War) Order 1939. That ordered military takeover of
most civilian airfields in the UK, cessation of all private flying
without individual flight permits, and other emergency measures.
It was administered by a statutory department of the Air Ministry
titled National Air Communications (NAC). On the 31st of August
1939, all flights to mainland Europe were briefly suspended,
later reinstated under the organisation of NAC. By 1 September
1939, most of the aircraft and facilities of British Airways
Ltd (BAL) were transferred from Heston Airport to Bristol (Whitchurch)
Airport, and to Exeter Airport. Similarly, landplanes of Imperial
Airways were transferred from Croydon Airport to Whitchurch,
while others were temporarily dispersed to Coventry (Baginton)
Airport and Exeter Airport. Imperial Airways' flying boats were
transferred from Southampton marine aerodrome to Poole Harbour,
Dorset. All the usable fleets of private air transport companies
were dispersed: Air Commerce Ltd which had been absorbed in to
Olley Air Services Ltd was dispersed to Ronaldsway Airport, I.O.M.
in September 1939. |
