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James Woodcock
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 21 September 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 8270
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| Posted: 18 December 2025 at 10:40pm | IP Logged | 1
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My son turns 16 today and his sister has bought him a flying experience -
small prop plane, gets to pilot it for an hour or so.
The airfield is Half Penny Green airfield (pronounced Ha’penny Green), just
outside Wombourne (where I lived for 10 years), just outside
Wolverhampton. And the inspiration for Tu’penny Green airfield in COLD
WAR.
Your mum worked there didn’t she JB?
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 135403
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| Posted: 19 December 2025 at 12:30am | IP Logged | 2
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Never heard it described that way, but sure!
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Bill Collins
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 26 May 2005
Location: England
Posts: 11489
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| Posted: 19 December 2025 at 7:41am | IP Logged | 3
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Pre-decimal money! Seldom hear those old colloquial names
for two pennies and half a penny now. Lived in The Black
Country all my life and never heard Ha'penny Green
pronounced any other way! It reminds me of the saying
"Stupid Ha'porth" which means stupid half penny worth,
meaning you're a bit thick. Coincidentally James, my
brother had a flying lesson there for his 60th in May! Hope
your lad enjoyed it!
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James Woodcock
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 21 September 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 8270
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| Posted: 19 December 2025 at 12:27pm | IP Logged | 4
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Thanks Bill, I hope he does too.
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Brian Miller
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 28 July 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 31774
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| Posted: 19 December 2025 at 1:12pm | IP Logged | 5
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Speaking of ha’penny, how is it pronounced? I brought it up in conversation
a couple of days ago and I said it like “half Penny” with the “a” making the
same sound. A colleague then said it but with the long “a” as in fade. Was I
wrong?
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 135403
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| Posted: 19 December 2025 at 1:14pm | IP Logged | 6
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I’ll mention that when my parents and I went back to England in 1965, for a vacation, we drove out to Ha’penny Green, the first time my mother had been there in twenty years. It was sad. The base was abandoned, or at the least not well tended, and everything was falling down and overgrown. Long grass was growing thru cracks in the runways. It looked like a set from TV’s AVENGERS.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
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| Posted: 19 December 2025 at 1:37pm | IP Logged | 7
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I will mention too that Wolverhampton is where my great grandfather, James Augustin Daniel Byrne, settled when he moved to England from Ireland. I’ve not been there, but I am amused by the “Wolver” connection.
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Bill Collins
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 26 May 2005
Location: England
Posts: 11489
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| Posted: 19 December 2025 at 2:18pm | IP Logged | 8
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Brian it's pronounced "Haype knee" but if you're local
you'd likely drop the "H"
Would you believe J.B. that when "The Wolverine" movie was
released Wolverhampton railway station was renamed
"Wolverine Station" for the day!
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Dave Kopperman
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 27 December 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 3841
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| Posted: 19 December 2025 at 2:38pm | IP Logged | 9
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Abandoned military bases have the heaviest post-apocalyptic vibe of anywhere I've ever been, and they always make for great 'place of last resort' shooting locations. I can't find confirmation on this, but I think the same base was used for Andor and the recent Down Cemetery Road, all utilitarian concrete spaces that seem to come in two flavors; cosmically huge hangars or underground complexes so tight they make your palms sweat even if you don't suffer from claustrophobia. And of course, delamination is omnipresent, giving the damp relics of British military might the impression of being less well-built than those of the Romans two thousand years earlier (which they were).
Edited by Dave Kopperman on 19 December 2025 at 2:39pm
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Brian Miller
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 28 July 2004
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| Posted: 19 December 2025 at 3:43pm | IP Logged | 10
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Brian it's pronounced "Haype knee" but if you're local you'd likely drop the
"H"
****
Fascinating
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
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| Posted: 19 December 2025 at 4:51pm | IP Logged | 11
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Would you believe J.B. that when "The Wolverine" movie wasreleased Wolverhampton railway station was renamed"Wolverine Station" for the day!••• I was informed about this at the time. Hi-larious!
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