BYLEY is a small village a few miles from Middlewich, but a village that was of supreme importance in the Second World War. But first, we look at Earnshaw Hall Farm, the extensive lands of which were chosen by the Air Ministry to build a large and essential airfield called RAF Cranage. It was to be used by fighter squadrons to protect Liverpool and Manchester and as an RAF Training Centre. Drivers along the M6 will now be crossing the edge of what were the grass runways.
Remains of Byley runway
At the same time, Cheshire was believed to be a safe county; accordingly, it had many airfields and factories involved in the war effort situated in its green and pleasant lands.
Wellington Bomber
One such was at Byley, and it was here that a factory was built bordering RAF Cranage. The factory was to assemble Wellington Bombers. The aircraft company at Broughton, Chester and Byley were to be known as Vickers-Armstrong Chester. The manufacture of parts for the aircraft was farmed out to smaller units. Like for instance, Warmingham Mill next to the Bears Paw pub, after the war it was a small aircraft museum that I visited. Between Byley and Broughton they assembled 5,548 aircraft, and 5,000 people were employed. When the first RAF staff arrived at Byley, it was so cold with deplorable living conditions. It was so bad that some of the men slept in nearby Byley church.
Byley Church
Many pilots were either new or still training, and accidents were common, such as Pickmere, Rudheath, Eddisbury Hill, Cranage and Byley.
RAF Airspeed Oxford plane
One notable accident involved a trainee flight in an Airspeed Oxford plane with a crew of two consisting of Sgt Baker instructing Leading Aircraftman Thompson. Immediately after take-off, the aircraft crossed the B5081, across what is now Byley Coaches. After clipping a tree it collided with the roof of The Old Smithy before crash landing in the rear yard. Both men were seriously injured, and LAC Thompson died shortly after. The roof of the smithy was repaired and has a two-tone roof to this day as can be seen.
The old Smithy with two-tone roof
The Three Greyhounds pub was close by and a favourite of the many RAF personnel. The pub is still going strong and occasionally selling beer named in honour of the planes that flew from Cranage and Byley. During the war, a military hospital was situated behind the pub. After the war, Cranage and Byley operations ceased, and the buildings were sold off if movable, some were put to agricultural and business use and some blown up by Blaster Bates. There are some remnants from the war days in the fields now returned to the farmers.
Believed to be the detonator store on the airfield site
As for the Church of St John the Evangelist, (where I was married), it was built in 1842 to the design of J Mathews and is Grade II listed. In the graveyard, there are 18 military war graves, and, there is a bit of a mystery regarding two graves, a naval petty officer and commander.
War graves at Byley church
Two members of the Royal Navy based at HMS Condor in Scotland. Other than I believe five people in the aircraft were killed when two planes crashed in mid-air over Cranage in 1946. Despite extensive research, I can find no details of the crash. The other graves are for RAF men sadly killed in accidents.
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