"Pioneering pilots who died leading the way into Britain’s Jet Age will be given a permanent memorial. Plans have been unveiled for a memorial centre to honour the pilots and crews who died at RAF Westonzoyland in Somerset, which was used as a training base for flying early jets like the Meteor. The base, located between the villages of Westonzoyland and Othery, was in operation from 1926 to 1958 - but only some patches of land covered in concrete and abandoned buildings now remain. Historian Robbert Turner is hoping to build a permanent centre in Westonzoyland, which will also look at the use of the airfield. He said: ‘After the First World War and the inception of the RAF, this would have been the earliest days of that new organisation, and they were scouring the whole part of the southern region of the country looking for a suitable site. ‘After they came to Westonzoyland they didn’t look any further - back in those days there weren’t many trees to worry about, no electrical overhangs. It was a pilot’s dreamland, really.’ The village of Westonzoyland has 13 graves of those who died at the airfield and, according to Mr Turner’s research, another four pilots lost their lives at sea during sorties over the Bristol Channel." http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2332069/Westonzoyland-memorial-brave-test-pilots-died-flying-early-fighter-jets.html#ixzz2Udecb5Qn
