Ship/Place/Originator: SiskinL-R Peter Pinnock (with ‘aeroplane’ badge) and Dave Jones (with ‘camera’ badge).
HMS Siskin was in Portsmouth harbour at this time, but the picture was not taken on the ship. Does this mean that the two phots. were based on the ship, or at an establishment nearby?
Some history of the locations around Portsmouth harbour, found by doing a search on HMS Siskin.
Opened in 1914 after runways were laid to the north and west of Fort Grange and Fort Rowner. After brief naval occupancy, it became a Royal Flying Corps base in Jan 1915. It was under RAF control from Apr 1918 when the service formed. Its original (short) runways were laid during the early 1930s for deck landing practice but were extended in 1940.
After WWII, it transferred from RAF 16 Group and commissioned as HMS Siskin (RNAS Gosport) on 1 Aug 1945, although an FAA maintenance unit had been based here since May 1940. At this time, the Aircraft Handling, Safety Equipment and Firefighting School was established here. It became famous in May 1947 as the location of the first Royal Navy exclusively helicopter equipped squadron. The airfield closed on 31 May 1956 and by 1985 the runways had been dug over and covered by housing.
The article where this information can be found using a search engine if you want to know more by typing in HMS Siskin – or copy and paste this link:
https://www.helis.com/database/gps/Gosport_UK/
Date / Date Range: c1952
Submitted By: Peter Pinnock
Now Held By: Peter Pinnock
Date Added:
Historians Number: Hist 406
Original Website Link