In the case of our Scribe Bro Garry Sunley, the 3 B’s in Bridlington’s crest stand for “Bridlington Born and Bred”. And yet a radio news item referring to RAF Hunmanby left him bewildered. He had never heard of it. His researches led to this talk which included the history of the camp and some of the recruits who passed through.

Bro Garry’s old map marked with Hunmanby Moor hinted that somehow this talk was linked to the Butlin’s Filey holiday camp. He related Billy Butlin’s eventful life story up to the passing of plans for the largest holiday camp in the world on the site.

The Bridlington Rural District Council was unsure they had the resources to deal with this and so the coastal strip from Hunmanby Gap towards Filey was ceded to the Filey Urban District Council.

In 1939 the half completed camp was taken over by the War Ministry. Originally called RAF Filey, it was renamed RAF Hunmanby Moor.  This was to avoid confusion as other military bases, discussed by Bro Garry, were created in the area.

In 1942 the camp became an RAF Regiment training depot where new recruits were introduced to the equipment used to defend RAF airfields. Sir Michael Beetham, who became Chief of Staff during the Falklands War, was one such recruit.

Bro Garry spent some time on the personal stories of five other airmen, some of the 4000 West Indian recruits who passed through the camp.  They looked so young in the photographs.  Local friendships were forged. Many of those who returned to the West Indies after the war came back on the SS Empire Windrush.

Bro Garry concluded with the reopening of the camp by Billy Butlin, its heyday, and eventual demise.

Bro Keith Kaye’s vote of thanks praised the speaker’s research on this topic of local social history.