Marshall's Airport

A Memory of Cambridge.

I lived at 14 The Homing, Meadowlands, Cambridge which was close to the airport. I was 8 years old in 1955. Often on sunny weekends, my Mum would takes us on a walk over to the airport.

It was a quiet relaxed place in those days. There was no kind of airport security, and you could stroll through the gate and sit down on benches to watch the odd Tiger Moth taxi over to the runway and take off. The pilots would fly over and wave.

I remember watching a Venom jet fighter being started up and all the sudden noise compared to the previous peace and quiet. Occasionally we would walk down by the taxi way, and watch the planes taxiing to the runway apron. Again I remember a jet fighter pilot taxiing down there in a Meteor and waving to us kids. It was so exciting.

I also remember a 3 engined biplane flying out of there. I can still remember what it looked like, but I don't remember its make, (maybe someone else can recall it?) A De Havilland perhaps?

At the other end of the airport, there was a repair/salvage facility. To get to it you had to go down 'The Homing'. Because our house was on the street, often we would see great trailers go by with say a military aircraft's wing on it from a crashed aircraft. It wasn't long after the war, so I guess there were many carcases of planes to be chopped up or salvaged?

I remember my Mum telling me that during the war, my aunt had a man from the RAF lodging with her who cut up crashed planes there. She had to ask for him to be moved somewhere else, as he had a habit of bringing home fingers and at one time a foot in a boot that he had found in various planes. Uech!

Opposite to our house, there was also a field connected to the airport, full of old army lorries. As kids we would slip under the wire and play in these vehicles. I once found a gas mask and took it home to my Mum. She washed it all out for me, so my friends and I could play at soldiers.