Huyton Hill 1926-1939
Airfield
Hubert Butler (Flight Lieutenant in WWI) continued his interest in flying by creating an airfield at the school in 1932. Huyton Hill School was thought to be the first school in the country to have its own airfield as reported in Flight Magazine 8th July 1932.
In his book, the “Lost Villages of Liverpool – Part 3” by Derek Whale, he makes note of the presence of an airfield:
“The Headmaster of Huyton Hill Preparatory School was responsible for an exciting pre-war development in Huyton…he constructed an airfield there. The airfield or landing strip as it was then occupied the 25 acre field adjoining the school, where it stood in Victoria Road. The idea was conceived by Mr. Hubert Butler so that his pupils might gather an early knowledge of aircraft.. For its inauguration on 1st July 1932 the name Huyton Hill was laid out in concrete.”
Newspaper articles, postcards and films can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.
Postcards of the school airfield (thanks to Brian Brown).
The following pictures are frames scanned from the films donated by Lucy Butler.
Another of the boys being flown home in a 2-seater bi-plane.
The first occasion on which a boy is flown home.
Also, all the boys in the school were flown to the opening of Speke airport in July 1933 and a school film and Pathe News reel exist of the occasion, donated by Lucy Butler. The films have been scanned and are available to view, click on the image below.
Waiting for the Dragon Moth Airliner to take the boys to Speke airport in July 1933.
The airfield was obviously a great excitement and educational asset to the boys, however it turned out to be a double-edged sword, as it was marked on the German war maps in 1939 as a target for bombing.
Fortunately Hubert Butler evacuated the school to the lake district in September 1939; the school building was indeed damaged by a bomb, as recorded in the Air Raid Warden’s Log (Huyton Urban District Council deposit Reference KA30/0/Z3) that, during a German air raid on 19th November 1940, a high explosive bomb was dropped near Huyton Hill School, causing damage to the school buildings. By 1946 the building had been demolished, a map showing plans for a new school had been drawn.