Sadly this historic base in Lincolnshire has closed. It is being gutted for “ other purposes” . This includes the total wrecking of Guy Gibson’s private rooms and office where the infamous Dambusters Raid was meticulously planned😢😢😢
617 squadron dambusters base to close
- Thread starter Dustydog
- Start date
This seems to be live.
www.ahleducation.org.uk
Is it not the right place?
John
RAF Scampton Historical Museum – Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire Education
www.ahleducation.org.uk
Is it not the right place?
John
WW2 bomber bases covered much of Lincolnshire - most are now "surplus to requirement" and should be returned to agriculture or developed for modern industry.
RAF Woodhall Spa claims a big connection to 617 Squadron as they moved there after the Dambusters raid, the Petwood Hotel being used as Officers Mess and the Blue Bell Inn being the "other ranks" pub.
RAF Woodhall Spa claims a big connection to 617 Squadron as they moved there after the Dambusters raid, the Petwood Hotel being used as Officers Mess and the Blue Bell Inn being the "other ranks" pub.
Scampton has a long bend in the A15 to go down the east side of it with originally a Lancaster bomber as the 'gate guardian' at the main entrance subsequently replaced by a Hawk jet when it became the home of the Red Arrows early this century.
RAF Waddinton, is having an Out of Season practice, between 28th to 30th March, for the Red Arrows if anyone wants a free air display.
Where we live in Wiltshire it’s amazing how many WW2 bases there were. How air traffic control managed shows the professionalism of everyone involved from the base staff to aircrew. I guess 617’s rooms could have been dismantled and moved. The squadron now serves on HMS Queen Elizabeth flying F35s.
Wiltshire? I know the area quite well - we CL in the area when visiting out daughter and family in Bath - and there are quite a few but try two books:-
Yorkshire Airfields of the Second World War
Lincolnshire Airfields in the Second World War. There were over 50 airfields in Lincolnshire alone!
I think there is also one about East Anglia - but all are fascinating reading!
Also look up FIDO - as system for burning off fog so returning bombers could land. Originally only two stations had it - Manston in Kent and Carnaby near Bridlington. It is reported one night returning aircraft from a 1000 plane raid had these two airfields as their only option and Carnaby took over 500 of them. A 500ft(?) wide runway with Lancasters (wingspan 130+ feet) landing in a corridor between other Lancasters already parked down the sides of the runway.
Carnaby is now a large industrial estate/business park and home of a well known chocolate cake maker.....
I can remember way back in the fifties my uncles who were farmers used to light huge fires to burn off the fog in the valley. Being under 10 at the time we believed them, but obviously know different now and it was nature taking its course. 😂 😂
As well as widened runways, the emergency landing fields had a parallel wide area of grass to allow damaged aircraft to softly crash-land without blocking the main runway for normal use, typically if the undercarriage wouldn't come down.
As a generalisation, RAF bomber squadrons were based in Lincolnshire while USAAF squadrons were based in East Anglia.
Woodbridge in Suffolk was the third emergency landing ground where FIDO was installed, some 4,200 aircraft making emergency landings there.
I've played snooker on the table in the Petwood!
Near me they are digging up the remnants of the runway that was at RAF Harwell, from where Horsa gliders were launched in support of Operation Overlord (D-Day). There is a memorial stone marking the location, but time moves on.
One mile from me is the old RAF Blakehill Nature Reserve . The concrete runways are still present. The Canadian Airforce used it during WW2 for towing gliders and troops to the Normandy Landings. A permanent WW2 War Memorial stands at the entrance. Every Remembrance Sunday we join a contingent from the Canadian Airforce and lay wreathes
That’s a nice nature reserve and there is a wildlife rescue centre where we have taken underweight hedgehogs found as winter comes in. They look after them and if they survive we collect them and then return them to our garden from whence they came.
That’s the one. Clive.
we go there monthly, with a bag of dried dog food and newspapers..One of the happier sides of life with all their great work👏👏
That's odd. Google satellite view shows the placement of the runways but they are very green with cattle on them!
Many now-disused WW2 airfields had the concrete removed and used for hardcore but their alignment will still be clear on satellite images.
It's next door to my storage (you can probably guess where). I was reading up about it only a couple of days ago. I was going to have a walk around there in the summer, but no sadly doggies allowed. I noticed you can still see the runways on Google aerial view. Wasn't there also a decoy airfield nearby? Haven't spotted that.
It fascinates me all these old air fields about the country. I live in Grove nr Wantage. We used to have a rather striking Dehavilland vampire mounted on a pole on the edge of the old air field. Sadly it got blown down and wrecked during a gale. Despite it being very popular amongst locals, there doesn't seem to be any plans to reinstate it with a mockup.
Give me a wave if you ever see me passing. I'm quite conspicious. You might spot my green X-Trail with a massive CB aerial with or without the Zenith on the back!
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The nature reserve is lovely in spring through summer. Worth a visit. Not all areas of the airfield are accessible. Near the entrance is an information board.
www.rafblakehillfarm.co.uk
RAF Blakehill Farm
www.rafblakehillfarm.co.uk
We both appreciate memorials like this as it is both as important part of history but also something which we should respect as most families have a member who fought in a war, this one not withstanding. If we are ever in your neck of the woods we will spend time visiting this as it sounds a special place to see and experience.
A lot is grass covered but plenty of concrete still there, the access roads, old taxi ways are riddled with deep pot holes!
Chris , I know your storage well. I don’t use it myself but a neighbour does. It was for years run by the sheep farmer Rowland who died a few years ago. His family continue. Across the road , nearby, is a goat farm. If you fancy some goat meat visit their on site shop.😋
The best curry is made using goat meat, but we have never been able to source it in the UK. Wife used to make curry the old fashion traditional Indian way where you use mainly the leaves and not the powder. Very flavoursome. Sadly you cannot buy the curry leaves in the UK. She was shown this method in Durban by an old Indian lady.
You won’t believe this🙈They’ve had to close due to increasing costs 😢Sign of the times🤬
CONTACT - Just Kidding
cotswoldkidmeat.com
That's a shame. I really enjoyed the West Indian goat curry made my step sister's in-laws at her wedding reception. I was considering a visit.You won’t believe this🙈They’ve had to close due to increasing costs 😢Sign of the times🤬
CONTACT - Just Kidding
Was the USAF based there after WW2 as the USAF was only founded in 1947? I am thinking of the cold war saga for them to be basesed in East Anglia. Prior to that it was US Army Air Service as it was part of the US army air corps for some strange reason.
There's a subtle different between the US Army Air Force (USAAF) and US Air Force (USAF) - during WW2 the USAAF was part of the Army but became independent in 1947 and renamed as USAF. The units in East Anglia immediately post-WW2 transferred from one to the other.
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