IT was one of the greatest dramas the Hampshire village had witnessed, drawing hundreds of people to the scene.

Leaving cars, motor bikes and cycles outside the main gate, they stood in awe as dozens of firemen tackled the night blaze that engulfed the Fairey Aviation Company’s headquarters in Hamble.

Flames lit up the sky for miles around, with reports they could be witnessed as far away as Corhampton Downs and the Isle of Wight.

Indeed Cowes pier was thronged with spectators and so bright was the glare that local firemen thought a major incident had broken out in the town.

Bizarrely, many of Fairey’s 200 work force were totally unaware of the disaster until they turned up for work the following morning and were shocked to discovered the factory and nine planes had been wrecked.

The blaze broke out shortly after 9pm on October 11, 1932, with the alarm being raised by the night watchman who saw flames in the main office. Among and among the first to arrive was F G T Dawson, a company director who lived in the village.

Hamble Fire Brigade were quickly on the scene, soon to be joined by colleagues from the Southampton and Woolston stations.

“The premises were like a furnace,” chief officer E Haywood told the Echo.

Firemen tackled the inferno from both sides using 50 jets of water but they were hampered by a stiff breeze that fanned the flames and quickly devoured the main building that was split into five bays.

Realising the inevitable, the firemen fought to save the petrol store containinging 1,000 gallons of fuel and the garage. They, which they succeeded and the danger there was averted.

After two hours, the roof of the main building began to collapse and the big crowd standing nearby drew back as the walls gradually caved in.

Sixz firemen directing water into the blazing interior dashed out to miraculously escape being struck by the falling brickwork.

Every so often oxygen cylinders in various parts of the building were heard to explode.

One plane was saved but attempts to secure nine other Fairey 111 F machines from the river end of the compound weerre doomed but the intense heat drove people back. All represented orders from the Ministry and four were ready for delivery.

Despite the tragedy, manager B G Slater, who arrived shortly after the fire took hold, found a few moments to talk to the Echo about the tragedy.

“Everything is destroyed, not a single thing remains,” he lamented. “Nine planes have been burnt out. It is impossible to state the extent of the damage. The position of the work force is now a matter for the directors.”

However he quickly ruled out any question of arson.

“As far as we can say, the fire was caused through the fusing of an electric wire.

“It may have been smouldering for some time and then burst out. The dynamo was shut down about 6pm and a couple of hours would not be any length of time for smouldering to exist.”

Sightseers had drifted away before midnight but firemen remained at the scene overnight damping down.

The following morning, knots of the factory’s workers turned up for work, totally oblivious toof what had happened the night before.

Mr Slater reassured them they would be re-engaged when the factory was rebuilt but urgent work would be transferred to another of the company’s factories at Hayes, near London.