Beaulieu airfield
[OS grid ref: 3501]
Beaulieu, like Stoney Cross, was a major wartime airfield of the New Forest that saw a large amount of action including Coastal Command. Many anti-submarine operations were flown from Beaulieu, an important role in the airfield's history.
Beaulieu airfield has a strong link to the very first days of flying in the New Forest - the New Forest Flying Club was established in 1910 on the other side of the Beaulieu-Lymington road adjacent to the village of East Boldre. Although that site was used during WWI, the need for a larger airfield for WWII meant that that site was no longer suitable and so the new one was built across the road.
Today the distinctive 'A' layout of Beaulieu airfield is clearly visible from the air, and the very eastern end of E/W (09/27) runway is used by radio control model plane enthusiasts, with the original runway concrete and tarmac still remaining.
Above, Beaulieu today compared with the airfield plan, below.
The only surviving area of runway tarmac is clearly visible at the eastern end, now in use by radio control aircraft pilots. Explore the airfield in detail.
While airfields such as Beaulieu have their own memorial plaques, a much larger wartime memorial dedicated to all the servicemen and women (from home and abroad) of the New Forest airfields was uncovered at Holmsley airfield in August 2002:
This memorial is to be found at the western end of Holmsley South airfield, now Holmsley campsite, just off the main A35 Lyndhurst-Christchurch road. The OS grid reference for the memorial is 212989.
Related pages, resources & references
Beaulieu airfield satellite view.
Friends Of The New Forest Airfields
The New Forest at War
