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IMPORTANT NEWS

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Part 11, Around Ely

Mepal village sign

Known as the ‘Ship of the Desert’ Ely Cathedral can be seen for many miles away, and from the air, considerably further. It must have been a welcome sight to many returning bomber crews during those dark days of World War 2.

In the shadows of Ely Cathedral lie two RAF bomber stations, Mepal and Witchford.

RAF Mepal

Mepal was built to Class A specification, as a satellite for Waterbeach further to the North. The A142 ran across the middle of the site, it was closed off for construction and traffic diverted away through the nearby village. It originally had three concrete runways; one of 2,000 yards, and two of 1,400 yards. In addition, some thirty-six hard standings were built along with a T2 and  B1 hangar. The bomb store lay to the north-west, with a range of dispersed sites to the east near Witcham. It was designed to accommodate 1,884 males and 346 females.

Mepal housed only one unit in it’s wartime life, the 75sqn (New Zealand) with Stirling bombers and latterly Lancasters. They remained there for two years, after which training sqns arrived in preparation for the war in the Far East. Following cessation of hostilities, Mepal closed to active units and was held in care until its closure.

In 1957 with the increased threat from the Warsaw Pact, Mepal was chosen to house Britain’s missile deterrent the Thor, and three ‘stations’ were built. By the early 1960s, these were no longer needed, being replaced by more up-to-date weapons, and the site was closed. The main road was reopened to by pass the villages it had once protected and the site returned to other uses. The site is best visited in three parts. Firstly, the memorial in the village of Mepal.

Memorial stone to 75 (NZ) Sqn.

The village has two memorials. The first is attached to the village sign and when entering the village, continue straight on without turning off. The sign is at the far end of the village on your left,

Eastern Perimeter Track.

opposite the school. A small insignificant memorial, this has been recently replaced by a much larger and more improved garden of remembrance. Leave the village sign and then turn right, the memorial garden is in here, tucked away on a small section of garden. A large circular stone, with benches and rose bushes, lay close by to a memorial wall. Here plaques have been placed by family members in memory of those brave New Zealand men who gave their lives in the name of freedom.

Leave the village turning left. Drive along the main road and the airfield is on your left. Here you actually cross the runways and perimeter track. Today the site is largely unrecognisable even though when you pass it, there are long stretches of concrete that you automatically consider to be airfield architecture. Theses stretches of concrete were in fact built later and do not represent the original layout. Enter the site and drive straight up; you arrive at what would have been the threshold point of one of the 3 runways. A power station now stands here. Turn right and stop, you are now looking down what was the eastern perimeter track, now an industrial site. To your left is where one of the two hangars would have stood.  If you look right, you are looking at what was the airfield and the views from the hanger. Behind these units there is a small building best viewed from the main road when you leave.

Location of LE10 Thor missile.

The site was prepared for heavy industrial use with a number of small roads built in readiness for larger industrial units. These have never materialised and so there is still a little of the atmosphere that open airfields offer. The bleak unbroken expanses show why this area of the country was so well designed for bomber activity.

Go back to the entrance and cross over the roundabout. This takes you to an agricultural auction site, again large expanses of concrete suggest airfield architecture. This too is a later addition, and was built where the centres of two of runways would have crossed. Turn right again, go back up and you arrive back near the power station. This gives access to where one of the three Thor missile sites (LE10) would have stood. A little of the hard standing remains, but for the larger part, it was all dug up when the power station was built. The remaining two sites and the majority of the airfield would be to your right, and is now a neatly ploughed field. Small sections of concrete do exist in the long overgrown brambles that have taken over, but little else. Better evidence is actually found at the back of the village across the road and the second part of the tour.

Perimeter track.

Finding your way to the remaining parts in the second section of the visit, is a matter of trial and error. Small lanes that end abruptly are the norm but drive into the village go along and take aright at the garage and you will come to a pile of old tarmac chippings. Stop here. To your left is the perimeter track still evident and in quite good condition. Follow it with your eye and you can make out the runway that traverses south – north. This is now a famer’s track, but it gives a sense of the size and location of the structure. Behind you in amongst the shrubbery, is another part of the perimeter track leading round past the houses. It was along here that a MK II Lancaster from 115 Sqn RAF Witchford crashed following an attack by Luftwaffe night fighters. These Lancasters were powered by Bristol Hercules engines unlike the more common Merlins.

RAF Mepal memorial.

Leave the village and return to the main road and the roundabout. Cross back over to the site and pull over. On the exit side is a further memorial showing the location of the runways, perimeter track etc; a recent dedication to the crews that flew from here.

There is little evidence left of this once busy base that thundered under the roar of engines and heavy bombers on their way to Nazi Germany. What is left is rapidly disappearing. Very soon, the remaining site will be gone and Mepal will all but have disappeared into the history books. A sad ending to such an important part of history.

At the roundabout turn left and head toward Ely and our next location, Witchford.

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RAF Witchford

Witchford is found a few miles East of Mepal in the shadows of Ely Cathedral. Now an industrial estate, a large amount of the site is still in existence (and being used) and freely accessible to the general public. This makes it one of the rarer airfields around in terms of visiting.

A typical triangular airfield, it had two runways of 1400 yards and one of 2000 yards, and was served initially by Stirlings of 196sqn, which were later replaced by the Lancaster to which the business park gets it’s modern name. These Stirlings gradually became obsolete for front line use and moved away to cover glider towing, mine laying and transport duties.

Witchford Perimeter track.

115 sqn moved into Witchford and in August 1941 began trials of GEE, and then in 1943 the Wellingtons that had served so well, were replaced by the Armstrong Whitworth (Bagington) built Lancaster IIs with their Bristol Hercules engines. (My father, the inspiration to my love of aircraft, worked in the AW Bagington site after demobbing). It was with these aircraft that the Squadron dropped the first 8000lb bomb on Berlin during Air Chief Marshal Harris’s bombing campaign against the capital.

Enemy action over this area was commonplace, and on April 19^th 1944 an ME 410 joined the circuit over nearby Mepal (above) and shot down two Lancasters from 115 sqn. When 115 sqn’s war finally came to an end, it had one of the finest records in Bomber Command. A total of 678 operations in all, second only to 75(NZ) Sqn at Mepal. But the price was high, over 200 aircraft being shot down or lost in action.The airfield closed in March 1946 with the withdrawal of all operational units at the end of hostilities.

Original stores building.

Today the site is a business park, with a wide range of businesses working where the main ‘admin’ area of the field once stood. On entering the park, you drive down a long straight road, this is the original perimeter track and on your right is where the main hangers and maintenance area would have been located. If you drive the length of this road you come to a security gate. Just to your right are a number of small huts. These are the original and in remarkable condition. Many are used for vehicles repairs and the like, but their features and layout clearly represent airfield architecture. Tucked away in here, in the foyer of one of the businesses, is a small but significant museum dedicated to the crews and personnel of RAF Witchford and nearby Mepal. It has a fantastic array of photographs, personal items and one the Hercules engines from the downed 115 sqn Lancaster IIs. A free museum, it has a bizarre feeling to it as workers casually walk through between offices while you peruse the items neatly displayed on the walls. Do spend some time here; it is a fascinating insight into life on the base. (Further details are available later in the blog).

RAF Witchford memorial.

After leaving the museum, return back up the road taking the first right turn. On your right is the location of the control tower, now long gone. This brings you onto the remains of the main runway. If you drive to the top and turn back, you will see that it has been cut by a hedge that now separates the runway with the field. To the left of the hedge, you can still see the concrete of the original track. Continue to the top and turn the corner, then turn right.

Witchford diary.

This is the threshold of the runway and joining perimeter and is marked by a superb memorial dedicated to the crews of the airfield. Also on here, is the remarkable ‘factual diary’ of the squadron and makes for very interesting reading. Look back from here you have views across the airfield, along the perimeter track and down the runway; you just can sense the roar of lumbering bombers on their way to occupied Europe.

Perimeter track and runway threshold to the right.

If you now leave the site, and turn left out of the park, follow the road down and turn left. Drive along as far as you can and stop at the gate. Vehicle access is only by permission, but a 'kissing gate' allows walkers free access and walks across the field. Go through. On your right are the entrances to various works stations, denoted by covered brickworks. keep going, and on your left you will see the huts mentioned previously. You finally arrive at the rear of the security gate. Turn right and walk through another gate and you are on the remainder of the perimeter track. From here you can walk around the track, having great views across the field. In a short distance you join where the threshold of the second runway would have been, but now gone. 

In front right, location of T2 hangar.

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Continue walking round the peri track, after a while, you see the track narrows, eventually arriving at a split. Access straight on is not permitted, but you can turn right and in front you will see what remains of the armoury. Walking down this section will eventually bring you onto the main Ely to Cambridge road. If you look straight ahead and to the right from where you are standing, you will see the

location of one of the two type T2 hangers (the other being a B1). To your right and behind, is the bomb store, a significant size in its day, little exists now. This part of the track is well preserved and shows use by the local farmer who now owns the middle. But looking across to the main area, you get a real sense of wartime activity, Lancasters and Stirlings rumbling where you stand, bomb crews reading aircraft and vehicles hurrying from one aircraft to the next. Take in the atmosphere before walking back the way you came. Keep you eye open to the right. Part way along here, you can see the length of the second runway and to the point you stood earlier by the memorial. The original concrete still evident and witness to the many aircraft that flew from here. A poignant moment. Continue back the way you came taking in views across the filed and the stores area.

After leaving the site, drive back along the main road away from Ely, you will pass a number of derelict buildings once used by the RAF at Witchford. Indeed one such building is now a small industrial unit, the others overgrown and in a poor state of disrepair. Further photographs are available on the Flickr site.

Runway Looking northerly.

One of the happier stories to emerge from wartime Witchford is that of Sgt. Nicholas Alkemade, who given the choice of staying in his burning Lancaster, to die a terrible death, or jump minus his parachute, to a rather quicker death, opted for the latter. Amazingly for him, jumping from 18,000ft he landed in fir trees and soft snow, surviving with little injury. The Germans, after questioning him, confirmed his story after finding burnt sections of his parachute in the aircraft wreckage. He survived the war and returned to England later marrying his sweetheart.

There are few wartime airfields today that exist in any form let alone accessible to the general public. Witchford has a few little gems tucked away in amongst the now busy business park, none more so than the museum and memorial. But walking round the perimeter track, you do so knowing that many years ago, Lancasters, Stirlings and Wellingtons also rumbled here, and that many a young man left here never to return again. We owe them so much more than a decaying field and tumbled down buildings.
 

Part 10 Swaffham and her neighbours (part 3)

The third and final part of this visit takes in two airfields, Shipdam and Wendling. 

RAF Shipdam (Station 115)

Shipdam's remaining hangers

On leaving Watton (see part 9), we travel NE across the countryside to the Small village of Shipdam. If you miss the turn, you will pass along the main road and a row of memorial trees dedicated to the parishioners of Shipdam who died in both wars. A list of those concerned is on a large board placed adjacent to the road. Turn back, return toward the village and take the left turn toward the site. Opened in 1942, it was the first airfield to receive the Mighty 8th, who named it Station 115. Operating B24 Liberators, the 44th Bomb Group became known as the 'Flying Eightballs' carrying out their first mission on 7th November that year.  They went on to complete 343 missions using six different marks of B24 during this time. Their first Distinguished Unit Citation came on 14th May 1944 in operations against Kiel, an operation that had been officially scrubbed. The message to abort did not reach Shipdam and out of the 17 aircraft that took off, 6 failed to return. They earned themselves a second Unit Citation for action after moving to North Africa later that year.

The CT sits surrounded by industry

The Unit achieved one of the highest mission records of any B24 group for the loss of 153 aircraft. The only 'bad mark' on the record was when they mistakenly bombed Schaffhausen (Switzerland) instead of the intended target Ludwigshafen in Germany.

Following cessation of conflict, the mighty 8th left, and the airfield became a POW camp, closing in 1947. It then remained in care until finally being sold off in 1963. It is now an industrial complex covered with the usual buildings and structures commonly found in this area.. However, flying activity has managed to keep a small part of Shipdam alive with the Shipdam Aero Club utilising part of one of the runways. If you drive round the site to the industrial area, you

Shipdam's runway used for storage.

can clearly see the remaining two hangers through the fence. Behind these, are a small selection of dilapidated buildings from what was the technical site, including the control tower and operations block. The tower now a mere shell and in jeopardy of demolition. For those not tempted to venture further, views of these can be seen from across the fields on the aero club side of the site.Further views reveal one runway covered in farm storage units, but the runway they sit on remains intact.

This is a large site, much of which is now either agriculture or industry, but at least there is a small part of this airfield alive and kicking, whilst the more physical features cling on by their finger nails desperate for the care and attention they deserve.

Amazing and rare original footage of the 44BG taken at Station 115 can be found
http://youtu.be/8JHW8wcjoAg This features B24H 42-7535 'Peepsight' of the 506th crash landing after a mission in which 9 out of the 10 crew members were injured and two of them received Purple Hearts from the Queen.

On leaving the site go back to the village and head toward our next stop Wendling.

RAF Wendling (Station 118)

RAF Wendling, Otherwise known as Beeston from the nearby village,

Runway looking west

was classified as Station 118 by the Americans. Opening in 1943, it saw great activity but only housed one group, the 392nd. They conducted some 285 missions with a high rate of loss, some 184 aircraft in total. They dropped around 17,500 tons of bombs on targets overseas and took part in some of the second world war's most significant aerial battles.

A fabulous website gives great information about the airfield, it's crews, buildings and missions, and can be found at http://www.b24.net/wendling/map.htm I recommend a visit. The unit earned themselves a Distinguished Unit Citation on February 24th 1944 for action in the raid on Gotha. The worst day being 18th March 1944 when they lost 49 aircraft (149 crew members) in one raid.Two of these aircraft collided, two crash landed in Switzerland and the remainder shot down over enemy territory. On 12 August 1944 a heroic pilot, John Ellis, following a collision with a B17, managed to steer his stricken aircraft away from residential areas crashing the aircraft near to the A10 road. Unfortunately all on board were killed in the incident and a memorial in their memory, lies in the nearby library at Cheshunt.The 392nd left Wendling in 1945 and the site became dormant until it's disposal in 1963.

Bomb dump buildings

Today, two the main runways, which survive, house turkey farms synonymous with Norfolk. The third is only as a path. The bomb dump is part of a local nature reserve and access to the buildings there is straight forward bar the thorn bushes and roaming deer! Many of the buildings, which are scattered throughout the village of Beeston are used by local businesses or on private land. Some are quite well preserved, but well hidden.Parts of the perimeter track are evident as are some of the path ways to the airfield.

Unfortunately time ran out on this visit and the reducing light forced me to make a retreat and head for home. A return visit is certainly in hand perhaps in the summer months when the daylight is kinder and time less of an issue.Like many other airfields in this part of the country, loses were high, the toll on human life dramatic, both here, 'back home' and of course, beneath the many thousand tons of high explosives that were dropped over occupied Europe. Now a high number of these sites house turkey farms, small industrial units or have simply been dug up, and forgotten. I hope, that we never forget and that they all get the honour and respect they deserve.

On a last note, there is a remarkable memorial in the Village of Beeston to the west of the airfield site. This is in itself worth a visit.Not only does it mention the 392nd, but all the auxiliary units stationed on the base, something we often forget when considering the second world war. A nice and moving end to the trip.

 Do please visit the 392nd BG website, it has a wide range of interesting photos and facts. http://www.b24.net/index.html

Part 9 Swaffham and her neighbours (part 2)

The second part of this trip, takes us closer to Swaffham and away from Thetford forest. Here we see more of the American 8th Airforce and it's influence. Our first stop is a little village called North Pickenham, a station with a terrible tale to tell.

RAF North Pickenham (Station 143)

Bunker of South Pickenham

If approaching from the south, you will pass through South Pickenham first. Follow the leafy road toward the village, but keep a sharp eye open for amongst the trees are a series of bunkers and other buildings laid down as South Pickenham Decoy Site. These bunkers are now well overgrown and visible only by their tell tale air vents and domed shape. This site was developed so well, it that had its own AA guns and attracted a lot of Luftwaffe attention during it's life; some 200+ bombs being dropped on it. Some of these bunkers are easily accessible being a few feet from the road side but as always, caution is the key word when visiting.

Operations block

Moving further on, take a left and you pass a small collection of buildings on the right hand side, These are probably the operations block and the store for the American  Norden M7 bomb sight. In a very poor state of repair, they once played a major role in the American offencive over Nazi Germany and there must be many stories held within their crumbling and decaying walls.

Continue past the buildings and you arrive at a T junction. Turning right will take you to the airfield now an industrial site and turkey farm. Access from here is limited and private. Instead turn left, follow the road along and then join the B1077. Turn right and drive for a mile or two, the airfield is on your right. A suitable parking space allows views across the field where is enormity can be truly understood. Now containing many turkey sheds along it's runways, little of the original site remains.Wind turbines have replaced the

Ordnance sheds marking the bomb dump.

propellers of the Liberators of the 856. 857, 858 and 859th, bomb squadrons of the 492nd bomb group; and latterly the  852, 853, 854 855th squadrons of the 491st bomb group, both of the 8th Airforce. One hanger remains and ordnance huts mark the location of the bomb dumb, these can still be seen in the foreground.The tower was demolished many years ago (http://www.controltowers.co.uk/N/North_Pickenham.htm) but stood opposite you and to the right.North Pickenham may truly fit the description of 'Ghost' airfield, as it's checkered history has one of the worst fatality records of the whole 8th Airforce. Handed over to the Americans in May 1944, it was the 77th and final one to be so. It saw many operations. On May 18th it saw 8 aircraft shot down or blow up in operations on Brunswick.

North Pickenham hanger

In June, the unit formed part of a 1400 bomber raid on Pollitz and Osterburg, and badly protected, they lost all but one aircraft, it only escaping through having engine trouble and returning to base before getting to the target. Finally, in July a further 12 aircraft were downed by enemy aircraft. Along with other missions in August, the group saw a loss of 57 aircraft in only 64 operations, this marking the end and disbandment of the 492nd. In it's place and new to North Pickenham, came the 491st. Quite the reverse, in terms of an operational record, it carried on with great successes to the end of the war. Only on one occasion, November 1944, were losses heavy, 15 out of 27 aircraft being lost to enemy action. The remaining crews

Memorial in the nearby village.

pressed on to the target, earning the Distinguished unit Citation. After the group left North Pickenham, no other flying squadrons were based here either American or RAF, but a brief residency of Thor missiles during the early part of the cold war saw it brought back to life momentarily. Finally a reprieve in 1965 saw testing of the Kestrel VTOL aircraft which of course became famous as the Harrier, used world wide. A memorial to the servicemen who flew from North Pickenham, lays silently in the village on the edge of a new housing development, wreaths from nearby RAF Lakenheath enforce the link between the American Airforce and Norfolk's flying history.

On leaving the desolate views of North Pickenham, we travel South East toward Watton.

RAF Watton (Station 376)

Part of the peri track.

RAF Watton sits on the edge of Watton town and was once a large bustling airfield with a quiet but distinguished history.

Built in the late 1930s, Watton originally housed Blenheims used for training bombers, coastal patrols and the ill fated day-light raids. 82 Squadron was one squadron that suffered greatly from this. On two operations, all but one aircraft were lost and this helped lead to Blenheims being withdrawn from front line service. Watton was then reduced to mainly training operations. Then, in the mid part of the war, the USAAF took over, renaming it Station 376. This required extensive redevelopment to be able to accommodate not only the large bombers required to reach Germany, but for the

The fence crosses a hard standing.

3rd Strategic Air Depot. They had the unenviable task of recovering both crashed aircraft and repairing those damaged in battle. Primarily B24s, the task was so great that the site became an airfield in its own right and was renamed by the Americans as Neaton (Station 505). Today, HMP Wayland sits on this site and there is no visible reminder of its activity.

Watton became synonymous with reconnaissance, surveillance and Electronic countermeasure (ECM) activities. A visit by the famous 'Carpetbaggers' the special operations group designed to support French resistance operations saw the black Liberator's fly regular missions from here. Later B26 Marauders operated from here dropping 'Chaff' and conducting other reconnaissance operations.

Housing is taking over.

This ECM activity continued post war too. For some 20 years, a variety of aircraft including: the B17, Mosquito, Wellington, Domine, Lincoln, Anson, Proctor, Canberra, Meteor, Sea Fury, Firefly, Venom and many others resided here in the development of ECM and radio research and training. Also, during a short period 1959 - 1963 Blood hound missiles were located here as part of 263 Squadron for airfield defence. Eventually, during the 1970s the airfield fell into decline with active units being pulled out and moved elsewhere. Eastern and latterly Border Radar became the only 'operational' activity on the site and even these were moved in the early 1990s signalling the demise of the airfield as an active base.

Part of the Eastern Radar complex

Today the perimeter tracks, runways and hard standings support nothing more than housing. Only a small amount of the track remains with a small wire fence being the only defence to the onslaught of development. The original 4 "C" type hangers have been demolished as were the two control towers, one of which was built to support the new jet era with the traditional glass top.  Some minor buildings remain surrounded by the housing, but these are few and far between, and even their future is uncertain.

Accommodation buildings

Driving round the site, you notice how every road is named after an aircraft, Liberator, Maurder etc synonymous of those operating from here. Various concrete remains poke through the undergrowth and make this part of the site rather untidy - how long before they too disappear.

The site is split by the main road with much of the admin buildings (NAFFI and accommodation blocks) remaining on one side and the airfield the other. Some of these buildings are in use by civilian operators and as such have been well preserved, others such as the technical site, have not been so lucky and have become very run down and in high states of disrepair. As for the airfield itself, two small memorials 'guard' the entrance to the development.

Blenheim memorial.

On the one side a bent propeller recovered from a crashed Blenheim (R3800) shot down over Aalborg on 13 August 1940, and the other commemorates the 25th Bomb group USAAF. On the housing site itself, a further memorial commemorates the 455th AAA 'The Rabbs' who were given the task of defending Britain's airfields against the Luftwaffe.

Memorial to the 25th Bomb group.

Owned by STANTA for a period of time and used for air mobile training, the odd Hercules or Army helicopter might have been seen here. However , the current status is unknown, but I'm sure it wont be long before any of these remaining remnants are lost beneath the developers digger.

Dilapidated buildings still stand.

NB: There is a museum commemorating the lives of the Watton personnel open on limited days only, details can be found at: http://www.rafwatton.info/SHQ/Whythis/tabid/57/Default.aspx Further technical information can also be found at: http://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/watton

Part 8 Swaffham and it's neighbours (Part 1)

One thing that has struck me since starting this project, is how quickly developments take over and any remnants of our heritage disappear. However, deep digging often finds small reminders of those dark days of World War II and the people who's lives were touched by them.The differences between predecessor's visits from only a few years ago and today, can be quite stark.

Whilst visiting the Swaffham (Norfolk) area, this was perhaps more prominent than in many of the other places I'd been. Like other sections, this area was predominately American in nature, forming the back bone of the USAAF, fighter and bomber squadrons of the 8th Airforce.Our first stop is RAF Methwold. 

RAF Methwold.

Located between Downham Market and Thetford, Methwold is a small rural setting on the edge of  Thetford Forest. It's village sign and memorial, remind the passer by of it's strong airforce links - a Lockheed Ventura taking off over the village church. Methwold was actually built as a satellite for RAF Feltwell and as such, had no initial squadrons of it's own. Being of grass construction, Wellingtons would be dispersed here, for safety, from nearby RAF Feltwell and were often seen as a result. Two squadrons of Venturas finally arrived in 1942, 464 and 487 sqns, comprising of New Zealand and Australian crews. The

One of the T2 hangars.

Venturas earned themselves some unsavoury names due to their poor performance, and losses were often high. On a diversionary raiding party, eleven out of twelve (one retuning due to engine trouble) were lost over enemy territory and one surviving pilot, Squadron Leader Leonard Trent, was taken to Stalag Luft III where he participated in the 'Great Escape'. On his return to England at the end of the war, he was awarded the Victoria Cross for his action. Later in the war, concrete runways were built upgrading Methwold to a heavy bomber station in preparation for the forthcoming Lancasters and Stirlings of 149, 218 and 207 squadrons. A quantity of Horsas were also stored in probably in preparation for D-day.

Perimeter track looking south

Main runway looking NW

Today, Methwold is agricultural, with some of the buildings being used for farming purposes or light industry, The airfield is split by the main road, B1112, with the industrial units (stores and huts) being on the northerly side.A large T2 hangar stores equipment and other farm related products and the main runway, built later in the war, is also used for storage. The perimeter track allows access to the runway past the hangar to an area of development further south to where the turret trainers and the Gymnasium once stood. Factories have replaced further T2 hangars but little else is left visible. Local information and further detail is available from the local Methwold history group. http://www.methwoldhistorygroup.org.uk/mhg_raf_methwold.html 

Desert Rats memorial.   On leaving Methwold, I travelled through part of Thetford Forest and came across a memorial that I didn't know existed. A (Churchill I believe) tank sits proudly at what was the entrance to the camp where the 'Rats' were stationed prior to the D-day landings.

Desert Rats memorial

This, according to the plaque, is the only time they were stationed in the UK before being amongst the first to land on Gold beach on that fateful day in June 1944. A map guides you round the camp on concrete pathways pointing out notable points of interest, buildings etc that still exist today. A poignant reminder and worthy of a short break on the journey today.

Desert Rats memorial

RAF Bodney (station 141)

Currently an Army training base, the site of RAF Bodney is in a corner of the STANTA grounds and therefore off limits to the public. Signs warning of MOD activity are everywhere but some evidence of the airfield can be seen from the adjacent B1108. The original water tower and pump still serve the camp, a few bunkers exist but there are no hard surfaces left. Another airfield that was designed as a satellite, it saw a range of RAF aircraft dispersed across it's grounds. Blenheims (from Watton) and Venturas (from Methwold) were often seen amongst the trees. It wasn't until 1943, when the USAAF took over bringing in P-47s of the 352nd fighter group for long range fighter escort, strafing runs and ground attack duties, that the field was heavily used.

Original water tower

In 1944 these aircraft were exchanged for the infamous P-51 Mustangs. The group had mixed fortunes during their time here. Whilst acting on escort duties for a raid over Brunswick, they shot down 27 enemy BF-109s and FW-190s with the loss of only one aircraft. This action earned them a Distinguished Unit Citation. At one point, the US 8th airforce highest scorer, Major George Preddy flew from here until he was shot down by friendly fire on Christmas day, 1944.

Bodney bunkers

A further tragedy was to bestow the unit on D-day when a P-51 piloted by Lieutenant Bob Frascotti struck the tower killing him in the process. A new tower was built in a different location which existed for some considerable time (and may even still be there today). The unit gained themselves the unsavoury name "The Blue nosed bastards of Bodney" because of the blue nosed Mustangs they flew with such determination and fever. Many of the buildings were pulled down in 2013 due to vandalism and increased use for Rave parties, little now stands visible telling the incredible stories of this forgotten airfield.  

N.B. A P-51C was assembled at Duxford in May 2013 for a tribute flypast to Frascotti, a video of the  memorial fly past is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AviMh1Vrvow There are also links to the the 352nd at http://www.352ndfightergroup.com/ with a link to the superb 'Bluenoser' magazine.

Part 7 - North West Norfolk

The American and RAF Bomber command influences extended far beyond the boundaries of the Midlands. Norfolk saw a huge influx of aircrew, staff, troops and associated hardware. Many of the airfields built in East Anglia were destined to last only a few years, basically as long as the war would last. However, like their midland counterparts, many would go on beyond that time and have a lasting effect on the locals and the landscape of Norfolk and Suffolk.

This trip goes to the area of North West Norfolk, with the boundary of Cambridgeshire. Starting on the fringes, there is a little known airfield, yet its history is one that should never be forgotten. Not only did many bomber crews leave here never to return, but not one but TWO crew members were given the highest award for bravery in the face of death. It is of course RAF Downham Market (Bexwell).

RAF Downham Market.

Located in the corner of the now A10 and A1122 little remains of the airfield bar a few technical buildings used by local industry. Originally opened in 1942 Stirlings from 218 squadron and Mosquitos from 608 squadron were based here, along with other several other units until the base closed in 1946. At it’s peak, Downham boasted seven T2 hangers, none of which survive today. The three tarmac runways were dug up to supply hardcore for the A10 but if you look carefully, odd parts of the perimeter track can been seen as roadways or paths. Certainly from the air, the general outline is partially visible. 

View toward the peri track.

At ground level, the discerning eye and a general appreciation of airfield structure and layout, suggest a presence of something more interesting. Huts, whilst in very poor condition, poke through overgrown trees and bushes and provide shelter and storage facilities for the local industry. The condition of windows and brickwork suggest that time is gradually running out for this once thriving airfield. The original fence, always a bit of a give away, rather precariously surrounds the area, and concrete roadways lead the eye to what was the perimeter track and the runways of yesteryear. The RAFs pathfinder group, 635 squadron, flew daring missions in Lancasters, and a site dedicated to the crew and personnel of the squadron can be found at http://635squadron.com/. A superb collection of photographs and personal accounts bring their memories alive.

The end of one runway, North.

Further examination reveals what would have been the location of the end of the North / South runway. Now built upon, some original buildings still remain in use albeit only just and for the time being.

Dilapidated buildings

Across the road from the airfield is Bexwell church. Here a small memorial is placed telling the stories of two heroic and brave crew members. Flight Sergeant Arthur Aaron, who whilst severely injured, unable to speak or use his right arm, managed to assist the bomb aimer in landing their stricken Stirling in the dark with the undercarriage up.He later died from his wounds. The second, Acting Squadron Leader Ian Bazalgetts, flew his stricken Lancaster as ‘master pathfinder’ to successfully mark and bomb their target. He managed with enough strength, to successfully land the plane after allowing some of his crew to bale out. Unfortunately fate dealt a terrible blow and his plane exploded, killing him. Both men were posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions.

Memorial plaque.

Whilst standing reading these dedications, two Tornados from the nearby RAF Marham, flew over, a fitting tribute, to a station originally built to serve as a satellite for the very same airfield.

 

RAF Barton Bendish.

On leaving Downham Market, travel East toward the A47 and Norwich. A few miles along, is a field, unmarked and to all intense and purposes, insignificant. It was however, believed to have been served by 26 and 268 squadrons for a brief time. Little exists about its existence or purpose other than recordings in the writings of RAF Marham personnel. Rumours state a ‘huge military (HQ) bunker’ and hard standings, but these are thought to be farmers concrete pans, abundant across the area. http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?uid=MNF20129 No physical buildings (other than pillboxes) were ever thought to have been built and the airfield it was thought, was a ‘scatter airfield’ designed to store arms from the parent airfield (in this case RAF Marham) in case of attack. No other signs or records seem to exist of the airfield. Another case of an airfield disappearing!

RAF Marham.

Hidden away.

 No journey of this nature would be complete without stopping at an active airfield. In this case RAF Marham. An abundant amount of information and photographs exist about Marham and I won’t dwell on it here, but for the enthusiast good photographs can be taken from a number of sites around the airfield, with care and caution. Currently home to the RAF’s Tornado squadron, American built F-35s are soon to be stationed here replacing the Harrier as both RAF and Naval strike capability. I will leave you to decide the merits of that one.

On leaving Marham, continue East joining the A47. Driving along the road you enter the preserve of the USAAF. A huge number of airfields exist here, both bomber and fighter. Today we visit one that opened as a satellite to Swanton Morley, June 1941 and was home to Bostons of 2 group. Station 120.

RAF Attlebridge (USAAF. Station 120)

Hard runways were not built here until 1943, and in March 1944, the airfield

Bomb shelters hidden in the shrub.

became home to the 466^th Bomb group operating the 784th Bombardment Squadron (code T9), the 785^th Bombardment Squadron (code2U), the 786th Bombardment Squadron (code U8) and the 787th Bombardment Squadron (code 6L). Blenheims, Bostons, Mitchells and Liberators all played a role from this airfield over a period of time. It passed hands between the American and British forces on several occasions as units moved on elsewhere. The main runways and perimeter track of the airfield are very much evident and in good state. The three extensive concrete tracks now used to store turkeys. As this is private ground, access is not permitted, but good views across the

tracks can be gained from the road. There were minimal visible signs of buildings, but the control tower was extended and used at one point for the management of the site. http://www.controltowers.co.uk/a/attlebridge.htm More careful probing may reveal more than broken huts and bomb shelters laying waste amongst the trees. 

Looking along one of the runways.

It is possible to drive round the entire site, being only feet from the perimeter track at any time. Amongst these trees evidence can be seen of the airfields outer ring. Odd derelict buildings lay swamped by vegetation and trees. At entrances to the site,

good views along the runways give perspective of the size of the place. Hard standings and concrete pans lay on either side of the road, now used to store sugar beet and other produce from the local farmer.

As with other sites, its easy to picture a bustling base, aircraft rumbling along preparing to take off on what may be their last flight. Where man once stood, turkeys now breed, a sense of irony if you dig deep enough. Driving round, located at the south western point between the ends of the two longest runways, is a memorial dedicated to the personnel of the airfield who served and gave their lives.

A well kept memorial, it portrays a Liberator of the 466^th, 2^nd Division, 8^th Air force, the ‘Flying deck’ and the badges of each of the four bombardment squadrons. It tells of the 231 combat missions over Normandy, France, the Rhineland and the Ardennes. Dedicated in 1992, 50 years after the end of hostilities, a little reminder of those brave souls, whose home is now a turkey farm and who gave

Memorial to the 466th.

their all from this small part of Norfolk. After leaving Attlebridge, we move to a more recent closure and one of the RAF’s biggest airfields. RAF Coltishall. 

RAF Coltishall.

Built in 1939, Coltishall was originally designed as bomber base, but turned to house fighters soon after it’s creation. Used by 66 squadron, it played a major part in the Battle of Britain. Being home later to night fighter Defiants and Mosquitos, a role it continued well into the cold war with Venoms and famously the Jaguars. Again there is much information about Coltishall around and it’s history is both

Station badge.

interesting and well documented. At present, it is in generally good condition, although buildings are starting to deteriorate and nature is fighting a hard battle. The government have since opened a prison on the site (HMP Bure) and access is not permitted, (the man on the gate is very helpful and polite), but views can be found from various points around the field if persistence is strong enough.From one vantage point near the top end of the runway, you can see the runway lights, distant buildings and structures that form the airfield blocks. Standing by the crash gate, looking down the length of the runway, you can imagine the Jaguars and fast jets being practice scrambled and roaring off into the skies of Britain in search of invading soviet aircraft. I remember well seeing Jaguars and Phantoms racing across our skies, but at Coltishall it’s a sight I won’t unfortunately ever get to see. The Control tower now stands idle, overlooking the single runway, whilst further up you can see the main hanger and admin block (I believe) with the proud lettering ‘Royal Air Force Coltishall’ still prevalent. Along side are the badges of some of the squadrons based there. The front of the base used to be dignified, grand and over seen by an E.E. Lightning. Now they are all gone, even the guard room is falling into disrepair. A small metal sign says ‘Welcome to former RAF Coltishall’ as poor recognition of Britain’s flying history.

At the northern end of the runway, just out side the perimeter, is a small chapel dedicated to the people who gave their lives whilst at Coltishall. A small, peaceful place, that holds some surprises. Within the military headstones, there are several German headstones. Crew members shot down  during those terrible years of the Second World War. A stark reminder that causalities occurred on both sides, and that their ‘young men’ died over foreign shores as well as ours. 

I found this 25 minute video, made to celebrate the history of RAF Coltishall, I thought you may like it, or even know someone in it. http://www.eafa.org.uk/catalogue/209623

From Coltishall, there are many more places worth a visit, within  a stones through numerous bases still lay dormant, regrettably, all quiet and fighting nature rather than some foe from far across the waters. Gradually our flying heritage is being lost, and it would seem, that in this part of the world at least, they are being ‘preserved’ through secondary use. A fate better  than total decay.

Footnote: from here, I also visited the City of Norwich Aviation Museum based on the outskirts of Horsham St Faith (Now Norwich airport) itself a former RAF base. A delightful little museum with many relics, pictures and stories from around the area. It features many of the bases and units mentioned above and is well worth a visit, http://www.cnam.co.uk/ . There is also a second museum, Norfolk and Suffolk Air Museum within easy travel from here http://www.aviationmuseum.net/ , it too houses aircraft from around the area and is well worth a visit. 

More pictures from the above are supplemented on Flickr search for 'halfpintpictures'