this is stow maries, the last world war i aerodrome left in europe.ng pilots flew from here to confront the giant german airships that were crossing the channel to attack london. it was the first time that airpower had been used in warfare. so, what was it like for those pioneering pilots and their tiny aircraft, like this one, who were fighting in the skies above britain, france and belgium? among them was a teenager who joined the royal flying corps in 1916. his name was edwin raworth, and he was my grandfather. they got in the aircraft knowing that there was a better than likely chance they weren't coming back. for a new pilot, the life expectancy could be between 11 and 17 days. some people survived and did it all over again. just terrifying, terrifying. until very recently, i never knew my grandfather had been a pilot in world war i. and then my father told me to look inside a dusty old suitcase in their cellar. it's really heavy. my goodness. it is so heavy. incredible. look at that, it's got his initials on it. elr. oh, my goodness. look at tha