Memories & Recollections - a meeting with Commander Geoff Pell
Commander Geoff Pell served on HMS Daedalus between 1993 and 1996, and continues his interest in aviation to this day. Commander Pell has worked on a number of publications relating to the history of Daedalus and he plays an active part in several aviation societies. A number of interesting facts that came to light during an interview between Imran Bannister and Commander Geoff Pell in April 2008 can be found below.:
Cmdr. Pell was responsible for handover of the base to the police, especially on the administrative side. He specialized in missiles and gunnery but had close contact with the military aviation on site.
Cmdr. Pell is now a member of the Lee Flying Association, which seeks to preserve general aviation on the airfield, as well as the Gosport Aviation Society, which was responsible for organizing an extensive exhibition in 2001 on the history of Daedalus (and the airfield's other names) from 1917 to 1996. The A3 copy of the display boards is held at the Gosport Discovery Centre in a blue book titled Aviation at Lee-on-the-Solent, Gosport Aviation Society, 2001. It can be found on the top floor and is held in a locked glass cabinet. Many of his personal experiences and knowledge of the base is documented in this book.
Before the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) there was the Royal Flying Corp (RFC, army) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). The two combined to become the RAF in 1918. IIn 1939 the Navy got control of some aeroplanes and the FAA was formed. The FAA was allocated 5 bases, one of which was HMS Daedalus. Lee was one of few that remained continuously open; it was open and operational non-stop between 1917 and 1996. With the increased dominance of fixed wing aircraft it became and aerodrome in 1934 and the hangers by the sea front are the most complete collection of sea plane hangers in the country.
During the interwar period there were 874 different identifiable planes operating out of Daedalus. During the 1930's M class submarines were used which had aircraft hangers on the deck. Aircraft would take off from the submarine, land on the water and the lifted back in. Other interesting facts about the site is that Frank Whittle, the inventor of the jet engine, conducted catapult tests from the converted coal ship HMS Ark Royal; a number or world record flying attempts were also held at Lee; and Laurence Olivier was based at Daedalus during WWII.
During World War II the US Navy would fly spotter planes from their ships but needed something more efficient for D-Day. 17 reserve spitfires were brought in for use by US Navy pilots, who were taught how to pilot the planes at Lee. They flew for a few weeks and once the aeroplanes were no longer required returned Spitfires and flew back to their ships in their planes. On D-Day itself, Lee was the busiest air base in the UK.
