31-7-98 The Fa SOC Changing ce of Wigram in its heyday, 1962, with twin engined de Havilland Devons and North American Harvards on the tarmac. Both types of aircraft were used principally for training. Long history of flying at Wigram Another force played a major role in the growth of Sockburn the development of an airbase at Wigram. In August of 1916 Hon Henry Francis Wigram called meetings advocating the establishment of a flying school in Canterbury. Much deliberation and planning went into the task and later in the year over 40 hectares were purchased next to Plumpton Park in Sockburn. Ironically at this time no name was put forward for the flying school, but work began in earnest - gorse hedges were dug out and burnt, sod cottages razed and the poplars removed. In April of 1917 The Lyttelton Times reported "The flying ground has undergone a transformation in the last week or so. It is a vast expanse of shortcropped green grass sloping almost as evenly as Brighton Beach. Possibly nowhere Canterbury could a better flying ground be found." Even before the establishment of the Canterbury Aviation Company was mooted, Henry Wigram had taken steps to purchase aeroplanes and search out a flying instructor. By the end of December 1916, soon after the company's establishment, 40 pupils had enrolled and a further 30 had made tentative inquires. It wasn't until June that the first pupils moved onto the base and February 1918 saw 32 of these men graduate. The early years saw many pilots gain their wings as well as much political debate about the field in general. Offer These deliberations came to a head in March 1921 when Henry Wigram delivered a blow to the debate that ultimately secured the future of the field. His imminent departure to England spurred the Government into action. Henry Wigram made an offer of a 10,000 pound gift if they • took over the airfield and used it for the purpose for which it was formed — the training of airman and mechanics for the defence of New Zealand. In April 1923, Cabinet gave approval to the acceptance of Henry's offer and on May 14 of the same year the field was christened Wigram Aerodrome. The year is now 1998, and as you look around at this thriving community you come to grasp the importance of the first settlers of the area. The tram lines are long gone, as are the horse and carts, Wigram Aerodrome has also had its day in the limelight but Sockburn, now a part of Christchurch City, is a thriving industrial, manufacturing and residential area.