and for many this was the event which made them realise that Civil War was a reality and both sides now realised the importance of maintaining communications up and down the country.
Because of the influence of the trades unions, many GPO workers chose to fight against the forces of the right as epitomised by the BUF and Moseley’s government realised that this could compromise any use of the telephone system, so they began to make extensive use of motorcycle despatch riders and aircraft.
West Middlesex and it's four airfields, the RAF base at Northolt, and three civil aerodromes at Heston, Hanworth and Harmondsworth (also known as the Great West Aerodrome) were an important part of this plan.
Heston only had small aircraft manufacturing facilities, but was a important airport in its own right, second only to Croydon. Hanworth was the home of GAL who during 1936 had built Hawker Fury II fighters, and was actively managing another large contract for the RAF while Harmondsworth was the flying base for the Fairey Aviation factory in Hayes, and was the place where the new Fleet Air Arm strike aircraft – the Swordfish – was assembled and test flown.
Northolt, an active RAF station, remained loyal to the crown from the outset, but as unrest spread throughout late 1937, security of Hanworth and Heston aerodromes passed quietly into the care of the local police, some of who were armed. Before a similar operation could take place at Harmondworth the airfield was occupied by the Middlesex Volunteers LDF. Taking their lead from Lord Richardson of Sipson, their plan was to return the airfield to its former owners and then to agricultural use. Over Christmas they were joined by factory workers from newly formed the West Middlesex Workers Militia and having declared the whole hundred a fascist-free zone, began planning to turn part of the airfield into a communal market garden for the use of the workers.
Soon after Christmas newly raised Police auxiliaries from Hounslow attempted to take possession of the aerodrome at Harmondsworth. They pulled up short however, when they came to a roadblock at Heath Row Hall. They made one half-hearted attempt to dismantle the barricade and press on, but were driven off when they were stoned by a mob.
The following Saturday the local BUF organised a march from Hayes to Feltham in support of the government. In reality this was a thinly veiled attempt to oust the workers at Harmondsworth and by the time the march reached Heathrow Hall the BUF were looking for trouble. The confrontation quickly degenerated into a running brawl across the airfield. Apart from the inevitable sticks and stones, this time three marchers and two workers militia were killed and a dozen injured by shotgun blasts.
Harmondsworth was deemed too valuable to leave in the hands of the mob, not least because there were a number of brand-new Swordfish at the airfield waiting to be delivered to the Fleet Air Arm. At dawn on the 20th the Hounslow Battalion of the BUF, supported by an armoured car detachment from Hounslow Barracks and another of armed mounted police were sent to take control of the aerodrome.
