Lawson Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 "Grafton Underwood" Station 106 The 384th Bombardment Group (Heavy) "Keep the Show on the Road".......Its tail code was Triangle-P Grafton underwood or known to the airmen of the 384th BG as "grafton undermud" Grafton happened to be the first airfield available to the USAAF and was the first Station in England to receive an Eighth Air Force flying unit on 12 May 1942. Also the first to launch an USAAF heavy bomber operation to Rouen 17 August 1942...Built by George Wimpey & Company Limited, in 1941...originally as a satellite airfield to the one nearby at Polebrook, and was intended to be available in the event of Polebrook becoming unserviceable due to enemy action...On August 17, 1942, the 97th Bomb Group unit dropped the first bombs carried by the 8th Bomber Command on the railway marshalling yards at Rouen, France...Paul Tibbets (then a Major), who along with Ira Eaker, flew 12 B-17s from the 97th Bomb Group on this first mission....Ira Eaker was assigned to organize the 8th Bomber Command (which became the Eighth Air Force). Paul Tibbets also walked the lovely and pretty little lanes around grafton underwood....Paul Tibbets was later to become famous as the pilot of the b-29 the Enola Gay...named after his mother which droped the atomic bomb on hiroshima flying from the little island of Tinian in the marianas and It was to be his responsibility to organize and train a unit to deliver these weapons in combat operations. He would also determine and supervise the modifications necessary to make the B-29 capable of delivering the weapons... At exactly 09:15 plus 15 seconds on the morning of Aug. 6 1945 the world's first atomic bomb was used in combat and the course of history and the nature of warfare was changed forever... So grafton underwood has a lot of history to tell...and is one of the prettiest villages i have ever visited with a stained glass memorial window in the church to the 384th Bombardment Group which by the way if you want to visit you will have to see Quentin from the post office to get the key...Also Quentin is the local airfield historian and really knows his stuff and a really nice guy to..... So here are the pictures I have taken at Grafton underwood.. http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/Picture002.jpg[/img] http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/Picture006.jpg[/img] http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/Picture009.jpg[/img] http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/Picture012.jpg[/img] http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/Picture010.jpg[/img] http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/Picture024.jpg[/img] Main entrance to station 106 http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/Picture031-1.jpg[/img] some old nissan huts http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/Picture061.jpg[/img] http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/Picture051.jpg[/img] The village http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/Picture110.jpg[/img] http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/Picture114.jpg[/img] http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/Picture115.jpg[/img] The church http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/Picture112.jpg[/img] http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/Picture113.jpg[/img] Some original Pictures from grafton http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/wwll-sea_hag.jpg[/img] http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/4.jpg[/img] http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/2.jpg[/img] http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/B1742-30030c1.jpg[/img] http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/aB17202349520SU-R2030.jpg[/img] http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/bFoxyTheatre.jpg[/img] http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/untitled.jpg[/img] http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa281/Lawson67/We_Dood_it.jpg[/img] Some more airfields to come if anyone still wants more?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.O.S. Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 Oh yes, but no rush - it could be a long winter!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeEnfield Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 Please, mate. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abn deuce Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 All military photo's are enjoyed , makes no difference aircraft , vehicles ,battlefields or villages then or now ...they all add to the knowledge of a time and place I ll never know otherwise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawson Posted October 26, 2007 Author Share Posted October 26, 2007 Good glad you are enjoying these memorials pictures...Polebrook will be up next when i have a free bit i time....Lawson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted October 26, 2007 Share Posted October 26, 2007 Laws - keep this up. This is great work and great content. Keep it up and which memorial is it with all of the orbs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawson Posted October 26, 2007 Author Share Posted October 26, 2007 Jack thats glatton airfield...when i went there for the first time it was just getting dark so i by the time i parked the truck talked to a local who was really friendly even though i was blocking his drive..and got into the church yard where at that time the only memorial was i took some pictures of it in the dark....lots of orbs...i will post those pictures in the glatton thread tommorrow if you want??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joris Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Fantastic stuff, where can we put this on the frontpage, Jack? Or perhaps Lawsons corner in the report section? This is too good not to share with the masses!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted October 27, 2007 Share Posted October 27, 2007 Fantastic stuff, where can we put this on the frontpage, Jack? Or perhaps Lawsons corner in the report section? This is too good not to share with the masses!! Yes I agree and needs to be bundled with Jesse the Jeeps work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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