Eighteen Rotarians and their wives met at Larkhill Camp on Friday 30th September on a beautiful sunny morning. Rotarian Don Ross organised the visit where a National Trust Guide outlined the military history of the site.
Larkhill Camp sits within Stonehenge World Heritage Site and was first used as a military camp in 1899 when a tented garrison was established. It became Britain’s first miltary aerodrome in 1910 but was closed in 1914.
The British & Colonial Aeroplane Company built three hangers of which one remains on the site . This is a listed building for being the oldest surviving military aerodrome building in the UK. The British & Colonial Aeroplane Company evolved into British Aerospace and then to BA Systems today.
The Royal School of Artillery was established at Larkhill Camp in 1919 where together with 32 Regiment Royal Artillery and 14 Regiment Royal Artillery Training Regiment are still now based.
As an aside to Modern History the group were then taken to the Stonehenge Cursus which is a 3Km long, 100 m to 15o m wide track which predates Stonehenge itself.
Needless to say the group finished the day at a local hostelry .It had been a warm day.
