Established in 1914, the construction of the airfield was in response to Britain’s rapid advancement in combat aviation (source: Stow-Maries Aerodrome.com).

I continuously ask myself, “what constitutes militaria?” When I face a writer’s block moment while searching for a topic to present to you all, I find myself chasing my tail as I try to connect the subject to the military. This exercise and subsequent dance can be very revealing for me but it always brings me back to what energizes me about what I enjoy. Plainly speaking, this has always been about history for me.

Since I started writing about militaria for Collectors Quest in 2010 and carried on to my own blog, The Veteran’s Collection, I have tried to keep an open mind with regards to collecting items related to the military. Though I have spent a significant amount of time with naval-themed memorabilia, there have been several posts that delve into other service branches as well as pieces that are related to specific historic events. All of it has merely been a surface-scratching exercise.

This vintage photo shows the original hangars at the Stow Maries Aerodrome in use during the war (source: StowMaries Aerodrome.com).

Several of my topics come out of left field (I would imagine that most of my regular readers know by now that I love baseball with posts like this and this, so sorry for the pun if you are new here) like today’s subject – which is uncharted territory for this blog and definitely a new area for me.

For most Americans, World War I is merely an event that happened a long time ago. Very few of my generation have a personal connection to anyone who served in this war. If one would take a drive through my local military installation (which was rapidly constructed to facilitate troop training for WWI), it would be difficult to find any reminders, such as buildings or other structures, that date back to the 1917-1918 time period. The needs of the ever-changing U.S. Army have kept the base in a constant state of adapting to the mission. What would it have been like to stroll the parade and drill grounds of a WWI military camp? Sadly, it is only imaginable by viewing vintage photos. Archaeologists are now involved in uncovering history as long-lost battlefields are discovered and unearthed.

Set in 79 acres with 22 buildings, the airfield site near Chelmsford, Essex, was used as a base for the 37th Squadron, Royal Flying Corps (source: Stow Maries Aerodrome.com).

What if you wanted to walk the grounds? What if you wanted to see the structures the way they were when they were in use during the war? For a (then, in 2012) cool $3.14M, one could have purchased a piece of historic real estate in Chelmsford, Essex (in the United Kingdom), complete with 22 buildings, a museum and a functional grass airfield. The Stow Maries Aerodrome, home of the 37th Squadron, Royal Flying Corps was constructed in 1914 to train and equip British aviators in the defense of London during the Great War.

Granted, it would be an amazing experience to own such a piece of history, but the maintenance of century-old, hastily built facilities would require considerable financial resources. Regardless of the cost to own and operate the facility, it would be amazing to host reenactments and vintage aircraft fly-ins. Imagine hearing the sound of 2 Rolls Royce Eagle II, inline V-12s of a Handley Page heavy bomber firing up for a flight.

If this property were to return to the market, to whom would I make the check to?