• In June 1927, Captain C W Davies, acting on behalf of the Directorate of Lands, a department of the British Army that looked after the purchase of land for the Air Ministry In London, visited the office of Milton Estates in Priestgate, Peterborough to enquire if G. C Wentworth Fitzwilliam would be prepared to sell an area of land to them for an Aircraft Acceptance Park. He made an offer to the value of £18,440.
• In May 1928, the Town Clerk submitted to the Allotments Committee of the City Council a proposal from the Directorate of Land in London, stating that the Air Ministry was to purchase just over 30 acres of land at Westwood. This included taking over G Maxwell's Beaver Farm.
• In 1930, Marshall's Flying School Ltd for Civilian flying was set up on the family farm located within the site. Problems arose with the developments and on 29 September 1931 the Air Ministry agreed to take over nearly 12 acres of land.
• On 2nd August 1932, Westwood Airfield or Westwood Farm aerodrome (as it was then named) was opened. It was to be used for the receipt, storage and delivery of aircraft and equipment for the Home Defence Air Force by No 1 Aircraft Storage Depot rather than flying. The estimates provided for all expenditure of nearly £200,000. It worked similar to a Maintenance Unit.
• In February 1932the Hawker Audax squadron came in as an operational service.
• In 1933, despite strenuous efforts, in response to the tremendous amount of interest shown in aviation locally, nothing came of the Municipal Airport idea at Peterborough.
• In early December 1935, the Depot, which was mainly staffed by civilians though commanded by a Squadron Leader, moved out to Waddington in Lincolnshire to make away for a newly formed Service Flying Training School (SFTS) - No 7 - to train pilots for the now rapidly expanding Service. The 1st course commenced on Monday 6 January and towards the end of March the 1st Advanced Flying Squadron was formed.
• In 1935 it had a total establishment of 22 officers and 390 other ranks including ground staff, administration, security, and medical services as well as instructors.
• In 1936, the RAF Volunteer Reserve was created.
• In 1937, another Hawker aircraft replaced the Audax, the 'Hector' and the Audaxes were relegated to flying training.
• In September 1938, a planned expansion programme was instigated with extra technical facilities, machine gun stop-butts were erected in the airfield and other smaller buildings installed around the site.
• In January 1939, the first monoplane trainers arrived at Peterborough, Airspeed Oxfords (a twin-engine aircraft with dual controls) which were used for training. The course had been extended from 16 to 20 weeks.
• In summer 1939, the School was switched to training Fleet Air Arm pilots and the Oxfords were considered surplus to requirements and were transferred out in October. Around 100 of these single-engine bombers, dual controlled separate cockpits were built for training and around 2,000 battles were performed.
• In March 1939, the first Master had flown but just a handful had entered the Service by the outbreak of the war.
• On 15th June 1939, the 1st intake of pilots, proudly displayed their new acquired 'wings' after a Group Captain, J. Norwood, rather than a Wing Commander now commanded the new Units.
• In January 1940, the establishment of 7 SFTS was increased and it became possible to run parallel courses of intermediate and advanced training. The school had been redesignated a 'Service' Flying Training School and about 30 Fairey Battle trainers arrived.
• In summer 1940, 12 Harts were ordered to be prepared in a state of readiness as part of the Air Ministry's 'Banquet Light' plan, a scheme to ensure that all available resources were ready to counter any German invasion.
• In mid-January 1941, the 15th and last FAA course finished. The School was closed down after a decision was made to transfer this stage of flying training to Commonwealth countries.
• On 1st June 1940, the No 7 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit (AFU) was formed. The intention of these Units was to bridge the gap between the advanced flying training undertaken overseas and the operational training courses. When the Air Ministry recognised that there was an urgent need for such refresher courses, they realised that in many cases the facilities and nuclei of the old Service Flying Training Schools still existed at the airfields; and they could now be fully utilised by these new Units.
• In May 1941 the No 13 School was disbanded and its Tiger Moths were moved to Booker in Buckinghamshire.
• In June 1941, Tiger Moths, which belonged to No 25 Elementary Flying Training School, moved in. They had been specially formed at Hucknall in Nottinghamshire to provide training for Polish airmen.
• At the end of 1942, there were 13 Advanced Flying Units in operation. The No 7 AFU was equipped with Miles Masters trainers, which meant that they would ultimately serve in Fighter Command. The 'Master' was the best-designed single-engined advanced training aircraft of its day having characteristics to both the Hurricane and Spitfire with sliding canopy and high speeds.
• In the summer of 1943, Kings Cliffe was used briefly for night flying due to the influx of trainee pilots.
• In 1944, Sutton Bridge was used for night flying in Lincolnshire.
• In August 1944, Peterborough's satellite airfield was used for night flying with Sibson almost closed down for flying.
• In December 1944, No 7 Service Flying Training School was once again reactivated. It had a heavy bias of French airmen who were being trained for their new post-war air force.
• In February 1945, the 1st French course, 36 pilots, passed out and having been trained mainly on Oxfords but also on some rather old Spitfire IIs.
• In April 1946, the No 7 SFTS moved north to Kirton Lindsey, bringing 11 years of continuous flying training at the airfield to an end. The No 259 Maintenance Unit moved in and stayed for 2 years before the airfield was placed under care and maintenance. The fact that the airfield had remained grassed through its existence, allied to its close proximity to Peterborough, meant it was not considered suitable for post-war flying despite having been a permanent pre-war station.
• In 1947 several of the Bellman Hangars were dismantled and removed, open air-raid shelter trenches were filled in and the machine gun posts lay disused. Sub-site 2 had been de-requisitioned, and many of the sports facilities fell into dis-use, with a general air of neglect falling over the station.
• On 12 May 1948, the British European Airways began a regular mail service from Westwood using Sikorsky 51 and Bell 47 b3 helicopters, however this proved to be too expensive and the scheme discontinued in 1950.
• During 1948, the airfield provided accommodation for displaced persons and other homeless families, many of which lived in total squalor. The situation existed until 1952 when 66 units of emergency housing were erected.
• During the late 1950's the Gliding section of the Perkins Sports Club, using Slingsby T21 2 seat trainers for pilot instruction, used the airfield in the summer evenings and most weekends.
• In February 1964, Westwood Airfield was closed and a debate as how to used the 250 acres and associated buildings was started. Some of the land was sold off before the airfield was closed. The Church of the Latter Day Saints purchased the area of land next to the Single Officers Quarters, formerly the Officers Tennis Courts, to build their new Church. The Married Officers Quarters, later to be used as the Commanding Officers quarters, known as Westerly House became a Student Hostel.
• During 1964 to 1979, the original officer's Mess of RAF Peterborough was leased to Lincolnshire Council as an annexe to the Kesteven College of Education and it is now known as the Peterborough Professional Development Centre. The Centre is now a Training and Development Centre widely used by Peterborough City Council departments and external users.
• In June 1973, a child fell to its death from the largest (and oldest) hangar. A series of fires, vandalism and break-ins strengthened the awareness of the danger of having such derelict buildings close to residential areas. The last hangar to be pulled down was fittingly the 1st built, and was demolished by D G Smith demolition contractors.
• In October 1993, a plaque was unveiled in the old Officer's Mess, now used by Cambridgeshire County Council, to mark its former use.
• In 2008, the airfield today has almost disappeared under housing development, although some of the old permanent blocks have survived and are still used or various purposes. Sibson, which was formally closed in October 1946, is still being used for civilian flying as well as sport parachuting.

Architecture:

Westwood was originally 2 miles northwest of the city has now disappeared under an industrial estate. Earnshaw and Sons of Darlington built it.

The station comprised of a series of extensive buildings including a hangar of steel and concrete construction capable of housing the largest of Service aircraft. It is built outside the fenced area on which the other buildings are, and stands on the edge of a very extensive flying ground. The buildings were:

• Aircraft Shed
• Bellman Hangars
• Blister Hangars
• Married Officers' quarters
• Single Officers' quarters
• Officers' Mess
• Officers' sick-bay
• Station Officers
• Sergeants' Mess
• Barracks huts
• Flight office
• Stores
• Machine-gun range
• Dining room and cookhouse
• Workshops
• Motor transport sheds
• Aviation fuel installation
• Guardhouse
• Fire-tender garage
• Reservoir for 100,000 gallons of water
• Open shelter trenches
• Wireless poles
• Ambulance garage
• Camouflage store
• Air-raid shelters
• Lecture rooms
• Gas decontamination centre
• Practice bomb store
• Pyrotechnic store
• Parachute store
• Battle H.Q
• Sick quarters and mortuary
• Incendiary store

To cope with the planned influx of airmen a large amount of wooden huts, each housing one NCO and 24 airmen, were erected in addition to extra housing for Officers and Instructors. The 5 additional large aircraft sheds, shown on the original plans for the Aircraft Acceptance Park were in fact never built and 6 contemporary 'Bessonneau' canvas hangars were quickly erected on laid concrete bases with a further 3 behind, all connected by concrete taxiways. The Batmans' hut, a single wooden storey building, was the former accommodation for RAF Westwood's officers' batmen and is now used by Peterborough City Council. The air raid shelters, which are now over grown, were located in the rough ground to the South of the 'Air Training Corps' centre.

The hangar most characteristic of the Expansion Period was the 'C' type with gabled ends and a deep, sand-filled roof. Wright, Anderson and Co of Gateshead who supplied the hangar steelwork built it. The hanger was facilitated by means of concrete "aprons" - large area of concrete and runways. The landing ground, which originally consisted of several fields under cultivation was cleared and levelled. An LNER railway siding led into the complex where platforms were constructed for loading and unloading stores, fuel and parts.

The main neo-Georgian buildings in the park comprised of extensive store sheds, workshops, headquarters office, warden's and timekeeper's office, canteen, pump-house and reinforced concrete reservoir, petrol installation, fuel yard, and a boiler-house which provided central heating is by hot-water pipes which traverse underground ducts to the different buildings. Both the Sergeants Mess (now part of the British Telecom depot) and the Military Headquarters were built out of red brick in the 1930's.

The expansion in the early 1930's was considered carefully and steps were taken to integrate new airfields into the landscape. The standards designs for each of the component buildings of an airfield were submitted for the approval of the Fine Arts Commission, before being issued by the Air Ministry. Provision was made in the hangars and residential blocks alike for the protection against bombing and against gas attack.

The store sheds and fuel yard are served by a railway sliding communicating with the main line, while a reinforced concrete road runs round the whole park. The former storehouses for RAF Westwood are large brick buildings with loading bays on both the east and the west sides. Much has been altered but the core of the original building may still be intact. The pump house in the park was capable of boosting the supply in case of fire, and the large concrete reservoir for 100,000 gallons held an emergency supply. Hassack & Son of Sleaford were contracted to provide drainage and water supply, with the central heating (referred to on the plans as 'district heating') fed to all of the buildings from a boiler house installed by Barford & Perkins and the Brightside Foundry Company. Gutterage & Co of Peterborough constructed the reservoir, while the aptly named Power Lines Company laid the electric cables. Simmons & Hawker installed the petrol installation and associated pipelines.

Underground pipes were laid to divert a stream, which ran from Water Spinney in the East to the railway lines. Summer, Mayoh & Hayley installed a railway siding from the London North Eastern Railway with platforms for unloading and loading stores, fuel and equipment. The Ministry of Transport built all of the stations roads on behalf of the Air Ministry.

A house was built for the Commanding Officers with gardens and spacious quarters for the accommodation of the other officers. Peterborough City Council as a training centre now uses the former RAF Westwood Junior Offices quarters and mess. Recreation facilities were also created for Association Football, Rugby Cricket and Hockey pitches laid out. Adjacent to the Single Officers Quarters were 2 hard tennis courts with further courts for the airmen near the main gate.

Some buildings still now survive. The Sergent's Mess now lies within British Telecom's yard with traces of the railway sidings alongside. There are still 4 of the old Stores buildings in the yard. The Station Offices are behind the old Passport Office building and are now used by the Driving Test Centre and Ordinance Survey Service. Alongside the building's car park in the area of wasteland are traces of floors that must have been the stores building and the Fire Tender Garage, where a ghost of an airman is supposed to resign. The line of the concrete road running past the Station Main Gate to Westerley House can still be seen. Much of the westerly perimeter hedge is still visible, along with a culvert from when in 1930 the original contractors building the Aircraft Acceptance Park piped a ditch that ran across the airfield, with part of Hartwell Way following the lie of the old concrete perimeter track.

Social History :

• The base for No.1 Aircraft Storage Depot created nearly 200 jobs at a time of unemployment was welcomed by the City.
• For about 20 years virtually all of the service's training aircraft flew from the airfield: Hawker Harts and Audaxes, de Havilland Tiger Moths, Airspeed Oxfords, Miles Masters, Avro Ansons, Hurricanes, Spitfires and American Harvards.
• RAF Peterborough was a World War 2 training base for allied and Commonwealth aircrew. The student pilots arrived from 1 of the many Elementary Flying Schools to start the 2nd and important stage of their flying training to finally get their coveted 'wings'. The Empire (Commonwealth) Air Training Scheme was established.
• Civilian instructors normally housed Service Flying schools on small airfields. Training was more advanced and demanding and had more complex theoretical subjects to study, flying techniques and procedures, navigation, map reading and more rigorous tests to pass. More emphasis was also placed on the physical fitness of the young airmen. The courses took 4 weeks in the summer and 6 weeks in the winter and student pilots had to complete at least 22 hours of dual flying along with 20 hours solo before passing on to the Operational Training Units.
• Students at Peterborough would fly Hawker Auxdaxes and Harts. They were quicker than the Tiger Moths but came from the same era. Each plane was a 2-seater bi-plane with open cockpit. The Hart entered service in 1930 and was a lighter bomber than the contemporary RAF fighters. Its high quality performance led the Air Ministry to develop a trainer mark - Hart Series 2. The Hawker Audax
• During the late 1920's a few new Service aerodromes were being constructed before the rapid expansion of the RAF as the country experienced the dawning of a great awareness that aviation was to be the mode of transport in the future. Sir Alan Cobham along with his company National Aviation Day Displays Ltd pioneered a move to persuade many councils to build their own municipal airports across the country. Sir Alan had become famous in the 1920's for a series of long-distance record-breaking flights throughout the world.
• Student pilots would be trained on a mixture of Hawker Harts and Audaxes and many of the airmen that passed through the School during the pre-war years ultimately served with Fighter Command.
• At Peterborough the 3 well-known as Battle of Brain 'aces' - Flight Lieutenant G. Eric Ball, DFC, Flight Lieutenant Wilfred G. Clouston, DFC and Flying Officer Paddy P.C Barthropp, DFC.
• One of the 1st 7 schools to be transferred to Canada under the new Empire (Commonwealth) Air Training Scheme was the No 7 SFTS. They became part of the No 31 3FTS based at Kingston, Ontario. It really was a by-product of the scheme rather than part of it as it was still operated by RAF personnel. The No 7 SFTS acquired a relief landing ground at Sibson (couple miles west of Peterborough). The 1st personnel left for Canada towards the end of August on the first EATS convoy, travelling on the Duchess of York from Greenock to Montreal.
• After the departure of the No 7 School, the grassed airfield had been transferred to another elementary training school at Cranfield and the airfield became flooded with Tiger Moths of no 13 EFTS, which had moved in from White Waltham. For 5 months, No 13 School operated from Peterborough with the majority of the flying was conducted from the airfield.
• Since 1936, the Miles Aircraft Company, formed by the brothers F.G and G.H Miles, had been building military aircraft. Its most successful model was the Magister or 'Maggie'. The Master II trainer was a development of the Mark I but powered by a Bristol Mercury XX engines instead of the Rolls-Royce Kestrel. Constructed out of wood and covered with plywood, it could reach speeds of 240mph and climb 2,000 feet per minute. It could be adapted so the instructor's seat could be raised for better vision and had the ability to tow gliders. This led directly to the Martinet - the RAF's 1st specially designed target tower. The satellite at Sibson had returned to Peterborough's fold and most of the night flying was conducted from there. When the facilities had been improved and 3 landing strips were provided.
• The Unit originally comprised 4 Flights and was ultimately equipped with 130 Masters, mainly Mark IIs, and just a handful of Avro Ansons, although in March 1944, a Flight of Hurricanes was added to the Unit's complement. The intake of pilots rose steadily from 90 to over 200 at one stage although the average number was closer to 150.
• Attempts to save the airfield for civilian use were spear headed by George Clifton, head of Peterborough and Spalding Aviation Ltd. The company had been formed by 3 local companies: Baker Perkins Ltd, Mitchell Engineering and the Mitchell Construction Co Ltd. On 21 April 1961, Clifton invited Donald Cambell, the World Speed Record holder to fly into the airfield in an attempt to whip up local enthusiasm for the scheme. Various public attractions in and around the city also brought air traffic to the airfield. The majority of air movements came from the Peterborough Agricultural Show, which was held on a site adjacent (now the Peterborough regional College). The size and the tremendous development required was taken into consideration and rejected. The City Council already made an application to the Ministry of Housing for a loan of £265,000 to develop the area for domestic accommodation and it was granted.