Old English archery laws are recalled by the present day Butts Lane, which is named after the practice ground or butts.   Laws ordered that all able bodied males must practice with the bow on Sundays and Holidays.

According to the North Wiltshire Muster Rolls of 1539, the Parish of Keevil with Bulkington could provide 7 archers and 25 billmen and had in readiness 6 'hurnes' with other small weapons.

The War of the Great Rebellion - our Civil War, records the burial in Keevil of a Richard Spratt 'soldier in 1643'.   It is conceivable that he was a casualty of the nearby Battle of Roundway Down.

Keevil sent five men to the Crimean War and seven to the South African (Boer) War.   The village War Memorial records the names of eighteen who gave their lives during the 1914-1918 Great War and a further two who were killed in the 1939-1945 conflict.

The immediate impact of the 1939 - 1945 Second World War on the village of Keevil was probably greater than any preceding conflict.   The rapid and vast expansion of the machinery of war necessitated the construction of a large number of airfields throughout the United Kingdom.   The work of finding sites, requisitioning the land, surveying, designing and building these aerodromes was enormous and it is remarkable how quickly an adequate number were built.

Precise figures are not available but it is estimated that by 1945 there were nearly 1200 airfields of all types in the United Kingdom;  these islands were truly a huge aircraft carrier.

Construction records of Keevil airfield - the term 'aerodrome' was then in common use - have been destroyed but it is clear that the site was chosen as an Operational Training Unit (OTU), well back from the 'front-line' of the south and east coastal areas.   The geology was not ideal, being somewhat marshy and a substantial drainage system had to be installed.   Indeed an investigation was made in 1944 to see if the runways could be extended.   The report stated that it was not feasible.

The land was requisitioned in 1941 under emergency powers with the intention of returning it to the owners when hostilities ceased.   Fortunately only one dwelling - Mere Farm House was destroyed.   Only small parcels of land were subsequently released back to the owners.   With the Army and RAF needing an airfield from which to mount exercises on the nearby Salisbury Plain, Keevil filled that requirement admirably - and so the airfield continues to be operational and the land still held by the Air Ministry!

The principle contractor for the construction of the airfield was Wates, but a large number of specialist sub contractors were used.   Many workers were drafted into the area and many found accommodation in the surrounding villages, particularly Steeple Ashton and Keevil.   Some families settled here and remain to this day.   The impact on a rural area of such a airfield with a large temporary population would have been substantial.   A loss of farmland, the huge increase in traffic, the noise of the aircraft engines, the worry of having a possible enemytarget nearby, had to be tolerated by villages and hamlets from which, mainly, male population had gone into the forces or factories.   The fear of attack was fortunately not founded, with only one enemy air raid during which bombs were dropped - and they fell at nearby Baldham.   Fortunately there were no casualties.   Conversely it bought some benefits - the village shops increased their  sales, more buses were required, the pubs prospered and the locals knew that they were  contributing to the war effort.  All this, perhaps, is difficult to imagine today.

The airfield and its associated buildings were of a standard wartime construction.   Altogether around 400 buildings and constructions of all types were erected, and accommodation, catering, workstations and services provided for a permanent staffing of 165 officers, 523 senior NCO's and 1854 other ranks.   These figures include both RAF and WAAF personnel.

A highly important and unusual addition to the airfield was an aircraft final assembly hanger - still in situ - from where completed Spitfire fighter aircraft were taken to 'dispersal' for test flying and delivery to Maintenance Units, where ancillary equipment, such as radio and armament would be fitted.

 

It is not intended to give a detailed history of the airfield but rather to concentrate on its more important events.   Keevil's most demanding operational phase started in March 1944, when 196 and 299 Squadrons of 38 Group RAF arrived followed by a large number of Horsa gliders, crewed by Army pilots of the Glider Pilot Regiment.   The RAF Stirling aircraft were crewed by RAF, RCAF, RAAF, RNZAF and SAAF personnel and were engaged in SOE and SAS drops. largely in France, and in glider towing.   Their involvement in the Invasion of Europe (operation 'Overlord') and which we tend to refer to as 'D-Day', and their participation in 'Market Garden', the ill fated Arnhem operation, is well remembered by Keevil and Steeple Ashton villagers.   Casualties of army and air force personnel were heavy and a number of aircraft were lost.   The departure of these units to East Anglia brought Keevil to a training role when in October 1944 No.22 Heavy Glider Conversion  Unit arrived with their twin-engined Albermarle aircraft and Waco Hadrian Gliders.

 They, in turn were replaced replaced in June 1945 by 61 Operation Training Unit converting newly qualified pilots on to Spitfires and, later, on to Mustangs.   61 OTU in due course became 203 Advanced Flying School and moved to Chivenor in Devon in July 1947 and this marked the end of RAF Keevil as a fully staffed and equipped operational airfield.

In September 1994 The Keevil Society held a Commemorative Day to mark the 50th anniversary  of the D-Day and Arnhem operations and to dedicate a memorial to all who served at Keevil, especially those who flew from here and, sadly, lost their lives.   It was a reunion occasion for many, particularly the glider pilots, Stirling crew members and a large number of ex-army personnel.   It was gratifying to see a good number of ground based men and women - folk whom we can easily overlook but whose contribution was vital.

The memorial was unveiled by Staff Sergeant W.W. Higgs of the Glider Pilots Regiment.   'Bill' Higgs flew from Keevil on both D-Day and Market Garden operations.

 

 

"We got our gliders lined up in the right positions each side of the runway.   All gliders were loaded under the direction of the glider pilots.   Most of the sixty four gliders were carrying seventeen pounder and six pounder antitank guns, jeeps, ammunition and gun crews, etc.   We were to land just after midnight on the 5th June and get our guns dug in position before daybreak, to protect Pegasus Bridge, which we hoped would have been captured by the gliders and airborne troops gliding over the Cane Canal and the River One.   So good was the job that three got within a few feet of the pillboxes each end of the bridge.   Our job was to protect the bridge from the Panzer, which we knew from information were position in the region of Cane.   We linked the gliders up with Halifax four engine tug planes and at 2300 hours on the 5th June took off in a formation called loose pairs - two planes flying staggered side by side"

"Over the English coast we turned all lights off and I flew keeping position on the four red hot exhausts above the wings of the tug aircraft.   My tug pilot Squadron Leader Rymills was in touch with me all the way through the intercom which ran right along the two rope to the glider.   Halfway across the Channel below us in the half moonlight was the awe inspiring sight of the invasion fleet on its way, stretching as far as the eye could see each side of the glider up and down the Channel.   A Very Comforting sight too I can tell you!"

"As soon as we got over the Pas de Calais, the flak started to come up.   It was frightening to see the tracers between tug plane and my glider, but we could not evade as we were linked up and flying very near the next tug and glider combination.   We were hit several times without  real damage.   My excellent tug pilot told me to hang on if I could and he would take me round the circuit as we had overshot in the smoke from the bombing by RAF planes and bombardment of naval ships off shore.   We went around, got another lot of  anti-aircraft fire, no damage and finally I got my bearing.   I thanked the crew of the tug aircraft and pulled off.   It was heaven to be under my own control at last"

"We could see the Caen Canal and River Orne clearly by moon light.   We also saw the flares which hopefully our landing point and came gliding in through more smoke onto a large open space where the enemy had placed trunks of trees in the ground to stop airborne landings.   We already knew of this hazard and so kept our eyes open for the posts.  I came in and managed to get my gliders nose between the posts, but had my starboard wing completely knocked off.   Eventually we got the gun and jeep unloaded.    We drove through the village of Ranville and pulled out gun into position.   The idea was to get the six and seventeen pounder anti-tank guns covering all round Pegasus Bridge"

"Coming under sustained and heavy attack, the defensive perimeter was gradually shortened under fire.   The new positions were held until the evening of the 6th June, when to the great joy of the defenders the rest of the Sixth Airborne Division started coming in - a sight for sore eyes!   Through that night there was plenty of close quarter action, but we held the perimeter in good order with the bridge intact.   Through the morning mist came the sound of bagpipes and across the bridge marched Lord Lovat and his Commandos.   The link had been completed and we were on our way into France"

Bill Higgs' story is somewhat longer.   He carried an issue folding bicycle in his Horsa glider and was under orders to cycle to the beach-head when circumstances permitted.   Once there he hitched a lift from the Royal Navy back across the channel arriving, with bike, back at Keevil.   Glider pilots were in short supply and badly needed for further operations.

Bill later took part in the Arnhem affair, flying from Keevil.   He landed his glider safely but was later severely wounded by rifle fire, was taken prisoner and, on repatriation, spent two years in hospital.  He married Barbara from Bradford Leigh and settled in Trowbridge - just six short miles from Keevil.

Over 50 years ago the RAF's premier front line fighter aeroplane, the Supermarine Spitfire, was being manufactured in requisitioned buildings and motor car garages in nearby Trowbridge.

It was during the dark days of the Battle of Britain that the traditional local industries of wool processing, farming and brewing of fine ales yielded to accommodate the modern and unfamiliar smells associated with the production of aircraft.   War workers drafted from as far afield as Kent and Cornwall were suddenly faced with the intimidating prospect of leaning the required skills to make wings, fuselages, tail planes and detail fittings of this legendary fighter.

The birthplace and centre of production of Spitfires was the Super marine works on the banks of the River Ichen at Woolaston, Southampton.   An enemy campaign of bombing raids were planned to halt the supplies of new Spitfires to the Squadrons.   After a succession of damaging air raids the Woolaston factory was abandoned and on the 27th September 1940 plans for dispersal production were instigated.   Eventually there were 65 units spread over Southern England of which 46 were directly involved in production with other supplying supporting functions.

The building of a new airfield at Keevil presented the opportunity to assemble, test and deliver aircraft to the squadrons less than 10 miles from the production centres.   An assembly and flight test hanger plus various offices were built on requisitioned land on the airfield boundary together with dispersal and taxi ways on the main airfield.   The aircraft were completed and engines tests run before being prepared for their maiden flights.   Test flights were usually undertaken by Company or seconded RAF and Fleet Air Arm pilots, some whom later achieved fame during the heady post war jet aircraft development - John Derry and Mike Lithgow in particular.

At the height of Spitfire production almost 1000 men and women in the Trowbridge area were making between 10 and 15 aircraft a week.   Many of the workers had no previous engineering experience but quickly learned the required skills to manufacture something foreign to them - in doing so they made an invaluable contribution to the Allied war effort.   Almost 600 aircraft of both Merlin and Griffon engined variants were dispatched from the Keevil hanger.

There are eight, possibly nine, surviving Keevil built Spitfires world wide of which four are located in the UK.   Four of the survivors were discovered in India during the 1970's as derelict hulks lying forlorn on perimeters of old airfields.

Notes:   On Wednesday 20th September 1944 the Stirling MkIV flew from Keevil on a re-supply mission to drop 24 containers and 4 panniers.   The aircraft was badly hit and was on fire over the drop zone.   The crew all bailed out successfully.

When we were hit I used a fire extinguisher to extinguish a fire in the main port wing, through a gap in the fuselage we had made with a hatchet.   As the smoke cleared, I thought this had been successful but our pilot remarked it was quite serious.   We were still flying through flak and our two RASC despatchers continued to drop their panniers.   The smell of cordite was strong and bits of shrapnel were hitting the fuselage like rain, coming through the floor hatch opening and wizzing around inside the aircraft.   Luckily, not one of us were hit.

The pilot had feathered the port inner engine and climbed away from the main Arnhem battle area.   We climbed to approximately 5000 feet on three engines, when the pilot gave the order 'bale out'   I had to go forward to my station to pick up my chute, so I checked that the pilot had gone and that the auto pilot "George" was still operating efficiently.   I went to the rear hatch, clipped on my Irvin chute and checked it quickly.   The Australian, Ft/Sgt Alan Yelland Wop/AG watched me safely away and then he followed.   Fortunately, it was a fine, sunny day and my descent was quite peaceful.   We landed two fields apart.

As I neared the ground, I thought I should make a good landing, but the last few feet came up very quickly and I was carried to a tall hedge - with the parachute draped over it and my feet in a small wet ditch.   Then I noticed a man running towards me across a ploughed field - dressed in a blue denim, peaked cap and boots, I briefly wondered if he was a German soldier.   He gesticulated up and down with his arms and shouted "You fly, you fly!"   He was all smiles and then a whole crowd of locals came through an opening, kissing us and hanging flower garlands across our soldier.   By this time F/Sgt Alan Yelland had joined me and received the same treatment.   We were eventually taken on the back of two bicycles to a farmhouse, where we were given a cooked meal.

Two hours later, we were introduced to a resistance patrol who were going to lead us to an Army patrol if possible.   Ft/Sgt Yelland and I were then told that the resistance group would help us to make contact with the British Army (30 Corps) who were pushing their way towards Nimegen.   After a while, we were in contact with an army officer in a scout car - and whilst seemingly not overjoyed to meet us, remarked that we could join him but with no guarantee that we would meet the rest of the crew.   After an hour or more, we did eventually make contact with the rest of the crew.   We were in a small town which our pilot believed was Battenburg, however, I thought it had a different name.

We were then in the charge of the army and practically on the front line.  We enjoyed a meal with them and had some wine - I shared a bottle with a Major who said " drink the wine, you'll sleep he better for it tonight"

We travelled in an Army lorry to Eindhoven, which had only been liberated in the last few hours.   From Eindhoven, we travelled to another transit camp to stay the night.  Nearby, villagers were celebrating their liberation with coloured lights and illuminated plaques, showing their loyalty to Queen Wilhemina.

We were now on the road, reaching Brussels late in the afternoon and were booked into an old monastery which the army had taken over.   We were to sleep there for the night but they allowed us a pass to visit Brussels during the evening.   We found a nice dance hall and I was able to dance quite well in my new army boots.

This was our fourth day away from Keevil and seemed a lot longer.   We were taken to Brussels Airport to await our turn for an air passage to England.   A few hours later, we boarded an RAF Dakota, complete with nursing orderlies and were flown to Broadwell.   At Broadwell, we were received by a most efficient Adjutant - our first encounter with a female WAAF Adjutant!   She telephoned communications, this apparently the first news they had about us, since we had been posted missing.   A Stirling was immediately laid on for our return to Keevil.

The airfield today appears deserted, and the only noise is the singing of the birds.   This could be your first impression, but a chat with the locals will tell you otherwise.   With few air traffic restrictions, it is an ideal training ground, which RAF Lyneham use for practising their  ultra low level airdrop techniques from Hercules aircraft.   The "Fat Albert" is a familiar sight and sound to the villagers of Steeple Ashton and Keevil.