The airport in the mid 1980s

In 1936, construction of an airfield at Cranfield commenced, as part of a general response to developments in Europe. This was one of a number in the Midlands and the Cotswolds. Every attempt was made to ensure these constructions did as little damage to the countryside as possible, although it was impossible to hide the giant steel and brick 'C' type hangars which are a feature of Cranfield to this day.

Cranfield RAF Station Headquarters opened on 1 June 1937 , and the aerodrome on 1 July, under the control of No 1 (Bomber) Group. The following month it became the base of 62 and 68 squadrons and their Hawker Hind bi-planes. These were replaced by Blenheim 1's early the following year.

Major work took place during the winter of 1939-40 to replace its grass airstrip with three properly surfaced hard runways. These became the targets of enemy attacks in the late summer of 1940 during the Battle of Britain, which damaged the airfield and local villages.

In August 1941, No 51 Operational Training Unit opened at the airfield, offering night fighter crews courses, mainly with Blenheims. By the summer of 1944, Cranfield provided a visual feast for author Michael Bowyer. "As our Oxford R6350 circled," he wrote, "it was clear that Cranfield was an air enthusiast's paradise.

"Grouped on the south side were 100 Spitfires in varied hues and many forms. Scattered among them were 15 Typhoons and about 50 Mustang 111s, many conspicuously wearing 'invasion stripes'. Towards the north-east corner of the airfield rested Mosquito 11s, the first of which had joined 51 OTU in July. Close by were 10 Beauforts and a fine assortment of Beaufighter 1s and VIs ."

At the end of the war in Europe, No 51 OTU was disbanded, and by the end of June 1945, their last aircraft were flown away. But flying returned to Cranfield within months, when the Empire Test Pilot's School transferred here from Boscombe Down. The first ETPS course began in Cranfield in January 1946, and post-war needs for test pilots in Britain and around the world were increasingly met by its graduates.

However, during 1945, the decision had been taken to create a central postgraduate aeronautical school, which eventually was established at Cranfield in 1946 as the College of Aeronautics. Low and high speed wind tunnels were erected and facilities were provided for in-flight demonstration. Courses ranged widely over project definition, structures, aircraft propulsion and other associated aviation fields. In the late 1950s the College decided it must expand its work into other fields of advanced technology, paving the way for the UK's only wholly postgraduate, research-intensive technological specialist institution of today.

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