ATTRACTIONS AT SPORT IN DESFORD’S HISTORIC SITE
SPORT in Desford (SiD) is making a significant contribution to Desford’s heritage festival this weekend.
There will be eight different time zones around the village and the SiD/Caterpillar/Neovia site, in Peckleton Lane, has been designated as the Second World War zone as it was the location of Desford airfield, which had a key wartime role.
What is now the SiD site was the sergeants’ mess attached to the northern end of the airfield.
Desford Parish Council bought the site from Caterpillar in 1988 and SiD was set up to manage its development for sport and recreation.
At the time, the mess had already been demolished. It was sited at the south end of what is now the football pitch.
In the late 1930s, the airfield, initially run by a company called Reid and Sigrist, became a training ground for new pilots. They deployed De Havilland Tiger Moth aircraft, which even in 1939-40 were very basic biplane trainers.
During the war, 120 Tiger Moths in four flights were stationed at Desford airfield and were used for initial training of several thousand pilots.
It is recorded that the rookie pilots had a number of crashes into trees and hedges, with one even landing on one of the hangars.
About 60 women from the village were employed at one time to patch up the damaged aircraft to make them airworthy again.
At the southern end of the airfield, in a completely separate operation, it is estimated that more than a thousand Spitfires were assembled, making a major contribution to the war effort.
Many of the pilots who did their initial training in the Tiger Moths went on to fly Spitfires, Hurricanes and Lancasters during the war.
As part of Desford Heritage Festival, SiD has its own programme of activities taking place on Saturday, including the following:
■■RAF Memorial flights, including a Spitfire and a Hurricane will make three flybys over the village around lunchtime;
A low level air display of Tiger Moths, sponsored by Griffen Park Development, will take place early Saturday afternoon, followed by a single Tiger Moth aerobatic display. As this is a low-level display over the field at the back of SID, it will be best viewed from the SiD car park;
■■A display of vintage American vehicles around the SiD clubhouse;
■■Linda Williams Dance Academy will perform wartime-inspired routines from 12.45pm to 2pm;
■■The PSA futsal team will give demonstrations of playing futsal between 12.45pm and 2pm
■■Come and Try it sessions will be held on the SiD tennis courts and bowling green;
The SiD site will be pedestrian only with more than 800 free parking spaces available at nearby Neovia.