terrierman Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 This Hut is in a field near me, Is it a Nissen Hut? What was it used for, rumour has it was used during the war for Polish airmen based at Zeals Airfield as their sleeping quarters. Also that there were more than one of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxy Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Bottom curves in a bit - so not a Quonset , or Romney . IIRC a Iris was a smaller Romney. I suppose the main positive ID is size. Does seem a standard Nissen. I knew a Scout hut & Village hall , understood to be Nissen , but re-planted post WW2 on brick raised foundations & side windows fitted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrierman Posted November 27, 2014 Author Share Posted November 27, 2014 Thanks Ruxy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russell sprout Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 That's a genuine British built 16' wide Nissen hut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeePig Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 Whether it was used for accommodation or not depends on how original that front end is. I cannot remember whether all workshops had windows or not. What you need is some kind of map of the airfield as they mark the locations of the accommodation sites and such. A fine thing, everyone should have one to store their vehicles in! trevor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.O.S. Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 All the huts I've come across which were erected specifically for accommodation had prefabricated timber ends (I think in 3 sections) with small doors. About 4 years ago I found a great big pile of said ends in a yard being cleared which had been well sheltered from the elements by a huge bramble patch. If the large end doors are original, I'd guess that the intended purpose of this hut when erected was for storage. That's not to say it would not have been used as accommodation - who can say for sure? Edit: You beat me to it, Trevor!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAFMT Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 If you can give an indication of where it is in relation, I can try and let you know what it was used for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrierman Posted November 28, 2014 Author Share Posted November 28, 2014 Whether it was used for accommodation or not depends on how original that front end is. I cannot remember whether all workshops had windows or not. What you need is some kind of map of the airfield as they mark the locations of the accommodation sites and such. A fine thing, everyone should have one to store their vehicles in! trevor Its about 3 miles from the Airfield Trevor, I Was told there used to be 3 of them Cant get my K9 In there:-| Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winchman Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 Well that's ideal all I need now is a Nissen hut some land to put it on oh and a vehicle to put in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploughman Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 They get really cold in winter. Went on a bridging excercise at Chesil Beach one february around 1981. We were given 2 of these huts as accomodation. Stove blazing and flue glowing, Blankets laid on floor as a carpet, also hanging behind beds to try and create an insulated space. Still froze over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAFMT Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Couldn't spot anything on Google Maps that matched the plan of the airfield, but without a rough location it's a bit hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrierman Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share Posted December 1, 2014 here is a picture of Zeals Airfield, note the original control tower at the bottom of field and runway running through the fields Zeals Airfield circled and where the nissen huts are is the cross, Would they have had people sleeping that far from the Airfield. Thanks for all your comments John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeePig Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 The main accommodation area for Hawkinge airfield was about half a mile from the airfield itself, I am not sure how that distance compares with your hut. As well as accommodation there were lots of other outlying settlements for defences and stuff, yours could be related to something like that - or perhaps they just wanted to keep the Poles away from the women trevor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Grundy Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 They get really cold in winter.Went on a bridging excercise at Chesil Beach one february around 1981. We were given 2 of these huts as accomodation. Stove blazing and flue glowing, Blankets laid on floor as a carpet, also hanging behind beds to try and create an insulated space. Still froze over. Yes, quite so..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeePig Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 That reminds me that some accommodation / POW camps were used after the war to house people who had lost their homes. Nissen huts were not really ideal for the purpose, it is recorded, as they had poor ventilation and everything would get damp. I suppose they were OK for servicemen who should be out doing stuff for most of the day, but families tend to have people inside for most of the day. I would still like one, though trevor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrierman Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share Posted December 1, 2014 Nissen Hut is about 3 miles from Airfield Geepig, and there is a window at the other end to door Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAFMT Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 Not related to the airfield as far as I can see. Or rather, it may once have been on one of the domestic sites to south of the airfield and moved after the RAF no longer needed it by a farmer who did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.