question Bekesbourne Air Field

[Pete Ashby]

This is a bit of a left field question but perhaps some one can help.

 

I'm interested to know if any army units (Canadian or British) were stationed on or around the air field around the time or immediately post the date of the Dieppe raid 19 August 1942.

 

I know the RAF were not using the airfield by this stage of the war but the infra structure such as it was was still in place

 

thanks

 

Pete

[armouredfarmer]

Google earth imagery for 1940s shows a large number of what look like long Nissan huts on the site, so it looks like it was used for something other than flying.

[Pete Ashby]

Google earth imagery for 1940s shows a large number of what look like long Nissan huts on the site, so it looks like it was used for something other than flying.

 

Indeed, that was the conclusion I came to, as there appeared to be much more covered accommodation than would be required for the Lysander squadron that was based there in the summer of 1940. The RAF ceased operations from the field soon after the withdrawal from France so it must have been used for something else.

 

My interest was raised by an entry for 22 of August 1942 in the war diary for my Fathers unit 10th Army Workshop RAOC currently in the process of forming up at Rushmore Arena prior to taking part in the Torch operations.

 

Three sections (one of which included my Father) and an 'F' lorry (this is a house type electrical or instrument repair workshop) were sent on detachment to Bekesbourne Canterbury; some time before the 1st of September however the detachment had returned to Rushmore.

 

Nothing particularly remarkable about any of this except it struck me as interesting that a detachment should be sent all the way from Aldershot to Canterbury to carry out less than 8 days work, it begs the question why couldn't a closer unit carry out the work and what were they doing at an an abandoned grass airfield. What ever it was it obviously did not make an impression on my Father as he never mentioned it at any time in any of his recollections.

 

Pete

[David Herbert]

Could it have been a future POW camp? Or as accomodation for allied invasion forces? Or even a dummy instalation to confuse the enemy?

 

David

Edited July 15, 2016 by David Herbert

[Pete Ashby]

Fair point David, however at that stage of the war I'm not sure we had too many PoW's, in fact they had rather more of ours than we had of theirs I fear :undecided:.

The only thing of note at the time was that the abortive Dieppe raid had taken place three days before, but I can't see how there could be any connection with three sections (about 20 men and two junior officers ) of RAOC, having said that there must have been some driving force to initiate travelling over 100 miles east when there must have been other units closer.

Small personal mystery for which there never be an answer I fear.

 

Pete

[RAFMT]

Movement for movements sake?

Still a fair amount of paranoia, so it could be a "false" movement in the run up to the operation - send lots of units out to different places and it could disguise the movements of the actual raiding force.

[Pete Ashby]

Movement for movements sake?

Still a fair amount of paranoia, so it could be a "false" movement in the run up to the operation - send lots of units out to different places and it could disguise the movements of the actual raiding force.

 

Hmm, no I don't think so, the party didn't leave Rushmore until three days after the failed raid.

 

I rather have the feeling that they went to do a job of work or perhaps attend a relevant course but why only 20 odd men out of 230 in the unit?

The men who went were all MT fitters and what ever they were doing warranted the CO driving there and back to Rushmore on the first day to oversee something????

 

I rather hoped that there would be a RAOC field Depot on the redundant airfield but so far I haven't found any reference to anything of that nature there.

 

Pete