Video footage of planes taking off from Llandrindod Wells before the Second World War has been unearthed, and can now be watched by visitors on their mobile phones.
Many people, including some local residents, may be unaware that the spa town once had its own aerodrome, beside the river Ithon.
The HistoryPoints project created QR codes for display in nearby Rock Park – overlooking the aerodrome site – which anyone can scan with a smartphone or tablet to see a web page with a brief history of the aerodrome.
Now the page on the HistoryPoints.org website has been augmented with footage taken by Thomas Charles Price, a Rhayader chemist and amateur photographer, thanks to his daughter Sylvia Turner. He was an aeroplane enthusiast and served in the Royal Observer Corps in the Second World War.
Sylvia didn’t know what the aerodrome footage showed until local aviation historian Phillip Jones identified the location. He had previously instigated the HistoryPoints QR codes for the aerodrome site in 2017.
Anyone who views the web page while visiting Rock Park can now watch the film clip and compare today’s tranquil scene with the bustle when biplanes took off from the meadow below. The web page, including the clip, can also be viewed by anyone browsing the website at home.
Phillip, who works at the Radnorshire Museum and has published a book about aviation in Radnorshire, said: “I was pleased when we put up the QR codes at Rock Park because it’s a surprise for many people to spot them and discover that we once had our own airfield in Llandrindod.
“Having this unique video footage available, alongside the words and still images, adds another dimension, making it easier for people to visualise the scene in the days when it was possible to fly to London from our town.”
Sylvia said: “My father sold photographic equipment and materials in his shop in Rhayader. He felt it was important to have personal experience of operating cameras, so that he could advise his customers. He was one of very few people in the area who owned a cine camera and projector before the war.
“I’m delighted that his film of aeroplanes is now helping to pass history on to generations who never saw the aerodrome at Llandrindod.”
Phillip’s book, Early Birds and Boys in Blue, A Century of Flight in Radnorshire, is available from local bookshops or from the publisher, Logaston Press.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here