I have a detailed plan of an Expansion Period station to be built near Colchester. I went to the site in the early 1980s, nothing built and the farmer remembered the AMWD engineers arriving to carry out their initial survey but heard no more from them. I guess it was one of the proposed letter coded sites that one reads about in the National Archives and which one gets very frustrated with as the exact place names are never given - only as Station X, Y or Z etc. Cant remember the exact location as its buried amongst several hundred plans that need sorting.
You can tell a builder from an archaeologist by the size of his trowel. Mine is a small one!
Whilst I haven't had the pleasure of spending hours at the NA (be nice though!), a quick look at Dave Smith's "Britain's Military Airfields" reveals over 80 proposed airfields. A few of these did eventually make the grade including, rather ironically, West Raynham (see posts elsewhere).
It would be interesting to see if anyone has any information regarding these sites and whether work was started. Clearly, they were surveyed as candidates but was done? Millisle in Ireland is a classic but does anyone know of anywhere else?
Chris
"We either stand down or blow up - which do you want!"
There is a lot in the TNA on this subject and it makes interesting reading, mainly concerning the mini-exp period of the late 1920s and early 30s, then the various schemes of the exp period proper. Paul Doyle huh, yes I remember him, one of the first ARG members, appalling sense of humour, mainly interested in aircraft with noses that open to allow cars toi enter. Last heard of in Royston, driving a Chipmunk!
You can tell a builder from an archaeologist by the size of his trowel. Mine is a small one!
Seen plans of one tonight called Raf Essendine in lincs.
Two runways were planned and bomb stored but was never actually built.
Grid ref is 130/TF065 130
Seen plans of one tonight called Raf Essendine in lincs.
Two runways were planned and bomb stored but was never actually built.
Grid ref is 130/TF065 130
Essendine is an odd one to call. The village is actually in Rutland but the grid ref puts it just in Lincolnshire. The grid ref quoted puts it just it under a mile from the junction of the A6121, to the east of the village.
Chris
"We either stand down or blow up - which do you want!"
I found these two aerials on Footnote.com and they are labelled as Airfields. One is call Ashton and the other Ellington. Both are dated 1943.
Now I am usually pretty good at spotting possibly landing sites but these stump me.
Are these intended airfields or maybe just Cub strip. Any ideas? The names are not familiar to me. Ashton has some white blobs joined by a track are they decoy sites?
Peter
No Amount Of Evidence Will Ever Persuade An Idiot (probably not Mark Twain)
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