Building the Great West Aerodrome at Heath Row began in earnest in 1929 and was to continue through the Second World War, much the annoyance of Churchill who grudged the use of so many construction workers who might have been more use to the war effort. In order to push through his plans to build an international airport during wartime Secretary of State for Air (Sir Archibald Sinclair) suggested that such long runways were needed to accommodate USAAF Boeing B-29 aircraft.