Three Derbyshire airfields to be honoured with memorials

Memorials are to be placed at three former Derbyshire airfields.

The airfields, at Burnaston, Ashbourne and Darley Moor, were in use during World War Two but closed decades ago.

The Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust is to erect memorials at the sites between 14-16 April.

The trust's director general Kenneth Bannerman said: "Although these places have been disused in a flying sense for decades, they are still enormously relevant."

Burnaston was for many years Derby's airport and opened before World War Two in 1938.

It was replaced by what is now East Midlands Airport in 1965.

It is now the site of the Toyota car factory and the company has supported the placing of the memorial in their grounds.

"Everyone at Toyota has been very helpful and we are tremendously grateful," said Mr Bannerman. "Our airfields are so important."

The site at Ashbourne - known as Ashbourne II - was used during World War Two as a major training airfield.

It was then used for munitions storage prior to its closure in 1954.

Much of the airfield has now been developed for industrial use.

Darley Moor opened in 1943 and closed, along with the site at Ashbourne, in 1954.

It has more recently been used as a motorcycle racing circuit.

The airfields will be commemorated with a granite memorial, as part of the charity's work to remember, research and commemorate sites across the UK.

More than 200 of the memorials have already been unveiled, with hundreds more being planned.

The charity said it eventually aims to commemorate each known major disused UK airfield.

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