Abandoned air fields in England

[Phantomfixer]

I was just thinking about the first time I flew into Mildenhall AB England, way back in the 90's, ah 1990's. I had read many books on the 8th and 9th USAAF in the England during the war. Almost all talked about the different airfields being stacked on top of each other and how it could be confusing lining up on the wrong runway/airfield. Well as I was looking out the plane window I could see scores of runways in the classic A pattern ie 3 runways at different points of the compass. These were scattered all over the country side. I would fly over one and there would be another coming into view. Amazing. And all that history still there. Some still had hangers or small buildings. Most were in green fields. Any stories from you guys in England?

 

[Spitfire]

You might like to dig into this site:

http://www.controltowers.co.uk/Site Map.htm

Cheers

 

[Phantomfixer]

Awesome Spitfire thanks. A friend of mine told me of a family who bought a WWII tower and converted it into a home. Neat

 

[Dudleydoright]

I currently live in Bury St Edmunds. About 11 miles to the south of Mildenhall AFB. I used to cycle as a kid (30 years ago now) between airfields and down the runways. Most are now torn up sadly but there are a few good museums about in East Anglia to visit.

I still visit them on my motorbike and have escorted vets and vet's families on occassion to various site of interest. Always makes me smile at how the visitors react to the narrow lanes and quaint pubs.

Dave

 

[Phantomfixer]

I really enjoyed your quaint pubs. Darts where fun too. You live in very area.

 

[Stearmen]

9th AAF Fields

You might like to dig into this site:
Cheers

Thanks Spitfire, this is really great! My dad was stationed at Bottesford, which has been restored and Membury, sadly not restored, while he was with the 81 Troop SQ, 436 Group 9th AAF! A friend of the family, who left me his A2 and other WWII personnel effects to me, was stationed at Bovingdon, Alconbury and Podington with the 92BG, 326SQ 8th AAF. I hope to get over there soon, now I know which fields are worth looking up!

 

[Dudleydoright]

Bovie is a tank training area. Poddington is now known as Santa Pod and is used for drag racing and Alconbury is pretty much unchanged since the USAF left back in the early 90's. New cars are stored on the runway. Off air is still used by USAF personnel for accommodation.

I worked at Alconbury back in the late 80's doing runway works and later in '96 it was my site office for some roadworks on the A1(M). I got a full tour that time by one of the security guards. VERY informative . More underground than above.

I was either stationed on or visited for courses Honington, Wattisham, Debden, Bassingbourne, Waterbeach, Oakington, Woodbridge, Watton to name but a few. I've visited pretty much every USAAF base as a hobby.

Dave

 

[cco23i]

PF,
You gotta try playing "skittles", yup, went to Deenethorpe Air station and ended up at Upper Bennifield and had a great time with the town folk and learned to play their version of Skittles. Great game to be drinking and playing!

Scott

 

[Tango Yankee]

Alconbury is pretty much unchanged since the USAF left back in the early 90's. New cars are stored on the runway. Off air is still used by USAF personnel for accommodation.
Dave

This kind of threw me for a moment, as I was assigned to the Tri-Base--RAFs Alconbury, Molesworth, and Upwood. Took me a moment to realize that you meant the flightline only. Yes, as you note, the flightline was returned to the local government in the early '90s. The rest of the base was retained as support for RAF Molesworth and Upwood.

I was stationed there from mid '98 to mid '02. I lived in Sawtry, my office was on RAF Molesworth. I loved that assignment! I miss England, though I must admit that I often wondered how the people who were from there (England) could afford to live there--it seemed to me that UK prices used the same numbers as US prices for the same things, but in pounds instead of dollars so 1.5 to 2 times as much.

The history behind the '80s incarnation of RAF Molesworth was interesting. It was one of a couple of bases that were built specifically to be used as bargaining chips with the USSR as it was designed to store, support, and field ground launch cruise missles. The base gym was formally a maintenance building and above the basketball court was a crane labelled "Max Weight 8,000 Pounds. Max Nuclear Weight 5,000 Pounds." The area that included that building and a number of bunkers that housed the missles and missle carriers/launchers was surrounded by two chainlink fences topped with with concertina wire to create a kill zone between them.

RAF Molesworth has the distinction of being the base that launched the first Eighth Air Force mission over German-occupied territory during WWII.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Dudleydoright]

I was at Molesworth for the construction of the bunkers to house the cruise missiles as a young Civil Engineer.

We had to get off base a.s.a.p. on a Friday afternoon as legions of hairy wool sweater wearing lesbians used to descend upon the base and live in makeshift camps to protest.

Happy days !

Dave

 

[Creeping Past]

I was at Molesworth for the construction of the bunkers to house the cruise missiles as a young Civil Engineer.

We had to get off base a.s.a.p. on a Friday afternoon as legions of hairy wool sweater wearing lesbians used to descend upon the base and live in makeshift camps to protest.

Happy days !

Dave

Wearing wool, though, in the great outdoors. Good for them and their organic ways.

 

[Methuselah]

I thought it was an airfield but it wasnt...

Our school was a white washed hall that was taken over by the Fleet Air Arm in 1939, painted camo & used as a training base.

We had lessons in the old barracks (bl**dy freezing), and there was a large bomb shelter. The chapel and gymnasium are still there - complete with air raid sirens, I think they got rid of the other buildings a few years ago.

When we were at school we were always told the 5-a-side pitches were in an old aircraft hangar, which I thought was cool. It was years later that I found out it was really a bus depo! :eusa_doh:

Apparently there was a large dummy ship to practice on, must have been a strange sight in the Midlands.

 

[English Steve]

I work on a disused WW2 airfield at Winkleigh in Devon. Most of the main runway is still traceable and some of the original buildings are standing, including the control tower and the mortuary. Some of the aircraft dispersals can be seen (we use them as outdoor storage). Some very good photographs and info available here.

Regards

Steve

 

[Phantomfixer]

I had a lot of fun at Mildenhall and Lakenheath.Working on them daily was very educational from a historical point of view. Here in Delaware I walk along the dunes and old roads of Ft Miles. A coastal defense base during WWII. I been camping there since I was just a child. Even then I was in awe of the historical meaning to all the hidden bunkers old telegragh poles that are still present in the forrests(that were not there in the 40's).. Neat

 

[PADDY]

Some great old airfields of WWII in Norfolk/Suffolk/Cambs

I've been over a few of them and still find old spent munitions where B17 guns would have been test fired before Ops. You can 'feel' the atmosphere...

 

[Marv]

Great pics Paddy, which airbases were each of the photos from if you don't mind me asking.

 

[Phantomfixer]

agree

Yes thanks for the pictures. I agree about "feeling it". Were the pics taken at a museum? Looks good.

 

[Kitty_Sheridan]

One of my favourite pastimes, trawling around old airfields. Im a RAF brat so was brought up at Leconfield-home of the first Polish Air Force Squadron in July 1940.

Here are a few of mine....I'm in East Yorkshire, so 4 group Bomber Command and some fighter squadrons. We also had Americans flying from Goxhill over the River Humber.

This is an odd one, this is Bottesford but this is a new building! It is an office designed in the style of...(But I love it)

This is from Goxhill, the tower is no more but I took this photo of a friend standing on top of it in the late 90s. We'd been to an RAF do and he was in uniform which makes this photo a little creepy!

East Kirkby in the snow..

 

[Jabos]

Thanks for the pic of Goxhill. My grandfather flew P-38s out of Goxhill with an operational training unit (OTU) when he first arrived in England. He flew cover over D-Day out of Goxhill. So, it is nice to see what it looks like.

 

[Kitty_Sheridan]

No problem,
I did have more from a veterans reunion we did there but I can't find them. One of my favourite things about Goxhill is outside what was the old cinema. All of the guys would come out having eaten an apple inside the cinema and throw it outside the door....so much so that there is now an orchard there!

I went to the pub they drank at quite frequently and the village Hall where they went to local hops.

Brave, wonderful men.

K