Project 2 – WW1 Aviation Sites in Ireland – an interactive mapping resource

By Rebecca Milligan

Ireland is rich in World War 1 aviation heritage, including airfields, landing grounds, and training facilities. In some cases these sites are still visible in the landscape, in other cases they have disappeared. This online resource has been created to increase public and state awareness of the surviving aviation heritage of WW1 in Ireland. Using interactive mapping, it can be used to learn about where Ireland’s WW1 aviation heritage is located, what facilities were created during the war, and what of these facilities remains to be seen today.

The online resource is based upon a British military map called ‘Secret No. 120’, drawn in 1918. This map shows the location of British military aviation sites as they were on the 16th November 1918, covering both around Great Britain and Ireland. The map itself was scanned by the Living Legacies digitisation team (CDDA), and is owned by the Ulster Aviation Society, who assisted with the research. The resource derives from a collaboration between the UAS and the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology at Queen’s and was undertaken in summer 2014.

Tied into the Living Legacies centre’s interests in WW1 landscapes and mapping, the online resource focuses on 23 aviation sites shown by the map located in Ireland. The resource contains descriptions of the aviation sites, as well as interactive maps, including pre and post war Ordnance Survey, modern Ordnance Survey and site plans. These show how particular sites have changed since 1918. The resource should be of benefit to all those interested in exploring Ireland’s WW1 heritage, and is linked to the Northern Ireland Environment Agency’s “Defence Heritage Project”.

To access the WW1 aviation interactive resource follow this link: http://go.qub.ac.uk/ww1airfields

Our thanks to the Ulster Aviation Society (UAS) for their assistance and support in the creation of this resource, and CDDA and to the Living Legacies geospatial team at Queen’s.