WWII USAAF Building Numbers?

Following on from this photo by REF of the Link Trainer building at Kimbolton:



I've noticed the same type of numbers stencilled on other 8AF station buildings in period photos. Here's a few examples from Thurleigh:







Slight variation on the Guardhouse at Molesworth, although the US-prefix is just visible over the longhand version lower down the wall:



So far they only seem to be on the earliest stations assigned to the 8AF, I'll carry on chugging through the archives to see if they also appear at later ones too. (None noted so far at Deenethorpe or Glatton for example)

Does anyone know what they signified?

All the best,
PB

Slight amendment to the above, I've now seen a couple in wartime photos of Deenethorpe.

PB

Not the AAF station number, I see. Intriguing. Best start trawling through Footnote to see what else can be found!

Chris

I can't help with this question, however when I had my first airfield visit earlier this year I met PB. He had been described as a bottomless pit of information which has proven to be quite accurate and one of the questions the long time members of this forum had was what is the question that PB can't answer. Well guys it looks like Paul even has the answer to that question!

Har-blimmin-har...

PB

These US soldiers are part of a military police unit. Note the "MP" armband on their left arm and the cross-chest strap of the cal.45 pistol they carry.

-Ed Blanchard (USMC, ret.)
Gilbert, AZ

Thanks for that info, Ed, and welcome to AiX.

Pete

Once-hidden numbers on Building 25 at Alconbury:

is that stencilling done with a brush or sprayed on, just wondering as iv some stencilling to do and wondered is it easily done (dont want to get any paint runs !)

Stencils were usually available in sets (alphabet, some symbols and numbers) by size. For instance 1 inch, 2 inch. he individual letters were thin metal, usually brass, each having the LH vertical edge folded over so that a 'word' could be made up by joining letters together by sliding one into the other to connect them.

A brush was almost always used for containers and when re-identing aircraft decals at Flight Line level and that was a special brush with short stiff bristles resembling a shaving brush. Runs were avoided by using a lightly loaded 'dry' brush and stippling perpendicular to the located stencil.

Later came a hand operated machine loaded with sheets of consumable liquid resistant thin card into which the operator could punch the required decal.

If you have stencils and an airbrush or fine jet spray gun with the correct paint consistency it is straightforward but practice makes perfect.

What are you stencilling?