Jessie The Jeep Posted December 22, 2009 Author Posted December 22, 2009 (edited) I was away at the weekend in Cambridge and London, but while in Cambridge, popped along to see the memorial at Steeple Morden, to the 355th Fighter Group. Little remains of the airfield except for a few buildings and the memorial. The airfield itself has returned to farmland. Standing in the cold snow covered field, it's hard to imagine the winter of '44, working to try and keep the aircraft flying in those conditions. Edited September 5, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote
Jack Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 Just thought I would bump this thread for our new members who may have seen it. Great work Steve. Quote
MHillyard Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 nice thread Took these last year of Lavenham Airfield Quote
RattlesnakeBob Posted October 28, 2011 Posted October 28, 2011 brilliant stuff...... .....disused airfields are to my mind probably the most evocative of second world war sites.......what was once an absolute beehive of activity, of aircraft and men... .... now lies silent and deserted...with often nothing more than a bit of overgrown perimeter track, a few mouldering huts , maybe a contol tower with no windows and just a bit of concrete runway left........ ......fantastic and yet profoundly sad places to visit on your own I've found....I love just mooching around them... nice and quiet....just thinking to yourself....... Quote
Big ray Posted April 20, 2012 Posted April 20, 2012 I have stood on several old wartime airfields, I can just stand and look down the runway and imagine the bombers lumbering down the concrete runway struggling to lift themselves into the air. There is something about an old airfield that is quite ghostly, I suppose that its the knowledge that lots of young men took off from these fields never to return. I wish that we had made more effort to retain these airfields in their original condition as a memorial to all the young men of all nations that used them in ernest. Quote
diggerdog36 Posted September 14, 2012 Posted September 14, 2012 Great thread, I love the history of the WW2 airfields, it's amazing to think how much they've changed in such a short amount of time!!! Im sure I've seen that B-17 flying in Longhorsley!!! Quote
Jessie The Jeep Posted September 14, 2012 Author Posted September 14, 2012 .......Im sure I've seen that B-17 flying in Longhorsley!!! That's highly likely, along with the rest of the USAAF Team models. Quote
brophy Posted May 23, 2013 Posted May 23, 2013 hi. do u think the landowner would say yes 2 me just taking photos of the surviving bits of runway & thats it? oh saw u & ur jeep on my last visit bout 2 weeks ago...pretty good!! Quote
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 23, 2013 Author Posted May 23, 2013 My Jeep has only been out once this year, to York in mid April, so it is unlikely it was me. You would need to contact any land owner to get access to their land if there isn't a public road through it. Quote
Chappers Posted January 2, 2017 Posted January 2, 2017 The War Diary gives specific losses for the 14th as follows:- 1 94BG B-17 MIA manned by 96BG Crew. 1 388BG B-17 crashed on Take Off, crew safe. 1 305BG B-17 Interned in Switzerland. On return 3 badly damaged 384BG B-17's abandoned over England - one crashed Wakerley, one crashed Blaydon, the third at Chetwode. 1 303BG B-17 crashed near Roseley after crew baled out. 1 92BG B-17 crash landed at Aldermaston. 1 385BG B-17 flown by 96 BG crew crash landed near Bovingdon out of fuel. Are any of these locations ( Wakerley, Blaydon, Chetwode ) near your crash site? Steve Following on from my post from years ago ,42-3347 was abandoned over England on14 Oct 1943,Pilot Emery Chesmore crew...If you write down(Hand writing) Rowington and then Bovingdon they could easily have been misspelled as I've found through other items.If it is this Aircraft,One great suprise I've recently discovered is the waist gunner is still alive and recalls bailing out of the aircraft.Hew only flew one mission with the Chesmore crew and it was the only time he bailed out of an aircraft..I'm at present in contact with his son ...Will post more as I get it.. Quote
Kayliegh Posted December 23, 2022 Posted December 23, 2022 On 4/16/2008 at 9:18 AM, Jessie The Jeep said: Searching the War Diary, there were no 8th Air Force missions on 15th October 1943. The day before, the 8th lost 60 bombers at Schweinfurt, with a further 138 damaged and 7 Catagory 'E' write offs. The 305th and 306th BG's were the worst hit loosing 13 and 10 bombers respectively. 594 men were MIA. The only action on the 15th was a fighter sweep by P-38's and P-47's of the 55th and 356th Fighter Groups. The 8th simply wasn't in a position to launch a raid that day. More likely it was an air test following repaired damage as a result of the raid, and something went wrong on the air test. I've checked a few days either side of the 15th, and again there is nothing mentioned that fits. Steve This man reportedly stating the b-17f 42-3347 will not accept the fact that it crashed on return from Schweinfurt 14/10/1943. I have been bombarded by him stating I have no proof I have a document from the American air museum in norwich stating 8th and 9th losses and this plane is stated as such crash landed 11 rtd . I even gave him a newsletter No and date from the 96thbg and sent a letter from the 385th historical officer but still he says it c/l In Rowington well if so show the proof which he says he can’t because the farmer of the field in crash landed is sworn to secrecy Quote
Chappers Posted December 9, 2023 Posted December 9, 2023 On 12/23/2022 at 7:53 AM, Kayliegh said: This man reportedly stating the b-17f 42-3347 will not accept the fact that it crashed on return from Schweinfurt 14/10/1943. I have been bombarded by him stating I have no proof I have a document from the American air museum in norwich stating 8th and 9th losses and this plane is stated as such crash landed 11 rtd . I even gave him a newsletter No and date from the 96thbg and sent a letter from the 385th historical officer but still he says it c/l In Rowington well if so show the proof which he says he can’t because the farmer of the field in crash landed is sworn to secrecy We now have definite proof a B17F landed in Rowington,/Lapworth . I'n sticking with the theory that Bovingdon was a mistype of Rowington after our latest discovery.. all will be reveled in due coarse. 1 Quote
LarryH57 Posted March 30, 2024 Posted March 30, 2024 The restored Control Tower and Museum at Thorpe Abbots is well worth a visit, but do check opening times before your scheduled visit, as it is run by a team of volunteers, so may close early or not open at all, at less busy periods in the autumn and spring. In the main building they had a good stock of second hand & some new aviation books, which help provide funding for the site. I felt duty bound to 'releave them of about 15 books for not much more in the same number of £s. The Museum is a credit to all who have worked to preserve the site and the memory of those who served here. Quote
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