Air Ministry Scramble Bell

[Njaco]

A good friend of mine is a collector of antiques and recently at an estate sale he picked up a scramble bell. He at first didn't know what it was but I recognized it. His has '1945' stamped on it and he has a few questions. I told him that I beieve that most airfields in the UK were built prior to 1945 and if it was a new airfield it might have been for the Gloster Meteors entering service - the need for concrete runways. So.....

Does anyone know how many new airfields were built in the UK in 1945?

How rare is the bell?

I've attached a pic of a similar bell, the only difference being the date - but everything else is exact.

 

[Milosh]

On 12 July 1944 the unit (616) became the first RAF squadron to receive jet equipment in the form of Gloster Meteor Mk.I fighters. The first Meteor operational sortie was on 27 July from RAF Manston when it intercepted V-1 flying bombs launched against southern England.

Wiki on the Meteor

Along with Carnaby and Woodbridge, Manston was developed as an east coast emergency landing ground for bomber crews. Each of these airfields had a runway 9000 feet long by 750 feet wide. Being close to the front-line, the airfield became something of a magnet for badly damaged aeroplanes that had suffered from ground fire, collisions, or air attack but retained a degree of airworthiness. The airfield became something of a "graveyard" for heavy bombers and no doubt the less-damaged portions of aircraft landing or otherwise arriving here sometimes provided spare parts for other allied aircraft in need of repair.

Wiki on Manston

Manston had a hard surface runway already.

 

[Njaco]

Thanks Milosh. It was just a theory I had.