This cache is near the site of the Stirling Aerodrome, hastily developed to counter the threat of the German Zeppelin raids of the period. There is nothing left of the airfield itself, and I have had difficulty in finding information about the site (anyone who can help with this feel free to contact me via my profile!)
Number 43 Squadron was formed here on 15th April 1916 and was designated for home defence during WW1. It developed from the nucleus of 19 Reserve Squadron in Montrose and was initially commanded by William Sholto Douglas. Royal Aircraft Factory BE2’s were flown from here. These aircraft were inherently under-powered so taking off towards the rock face that the castle is on must have been interesting to say the least!! A reasonably good aircraft in 1913-14 the BE2’s were already outclassed in 1916, having been given the title of ‘Fokker Fodder’ in the media of the time.
The squadron took almost a year to reach the Western Front by which time it was flying Sopwith 1½-Strutters were only suitable for reconnaissance work. Following re-equipment with Sopwith Camels in September 1917, the Squadron began to forge an excellent reputation for itself.
The squadron was disbanded at the end of 1919, to be reformed at Hendon on 1 July 1925. Now part of the UK fighter defences, it was equipped with Snipes, Gamecocks (1926), Siskins (1928) and Furys (1931). By September 1939, the Squadron was flying Hurricanes, and during the Battle of Britain formed part of No 11 Group until, after two months in the frontline, it was moved north to regroup.
The Squadron returned south in mid-1942, and took up fighter sweeps flights over France. In November, the Squadron departed for North Africa. After their arrival, Spitfires replaced the Hurricanes, and the unit played a leading role in the air battles over Sicily and Italy before moving on to Austria as the War ended. The Squadron was disbanded in Italy in May 1947.
In February 1949, Meteor-equipped No 266 Squadron at Tangmere was renumbered No 43. In 1954, four years after moving to Leuchars, the first Hunters to enter RAF service were received and these remained on strength until disbanded in October 1967. By this time, the Squadron was based in the Middle East, having moved overseas during 1961. The introduction of Phantoms into RAF service saw No 43 Squadron reform at Leuchars in September 1969, flying this remarkable aircraft until Tornado F3s replaced them in 1990. Since then, No 43 has seen a number of operational deployments notably to the Gulf in both 1991 and 2003
The Sqn was awarded the "Freedom of the city" of Stirling in 2005.
There is a history of flying in the area with an Italian Monk trying to fly to Paris from the battlements of the Castle in 1507. He is reported to have blamed his failure on the use of chicken feathers in the wings strapped to his arms instead of using eagle feathers. The fact that he survived to blame anything at all is fairly remarkable as it’s quite a drop (as can be seen from another cache in the area ‘Stirling Castle Views’ (GC17ZG9))!
