They are not Nissen Huts, I think they are curved Turners Asbestos Huts. The corrugations don't look right to be nissens, they are too small and not big enough if that makes sense.
I remember these photos. It always struck me as very "farmy". Next to the "nissens" is an open barn with tents inside so it seems to support the farm building theory. If there are plans from this period then I assume they would be marked as something other than Nissen?
The only plan I have is dated 1944 and shows peritracks & blisters etc. If they're ministry buildings then I guess there must be a plan, if they're farm buildings probably not.
Last edit: 18 Mar 2018 17:25 by netcompsys. Reason: broken links removed
I would like to review what I have said previously, having carried out more research on Nissen huts. Nissen huts were available to the AM in 1940, though not in great numbers as most went to the army. At Fowlmere, there were Nissens in 1940, only a handful (these are shown on the site plan without drawing numbers), while the later Nissens are shown on the plan with drawing numbers and these are part of the massive drive by the Air Ministry to adopt the Nissen as the standard prefab hut and as the main replacement for the temporary brick hut.
To re-cap, pre-1941 Nissen huts do not have drawing numbers, they are rare but they did exist.
Whilst underground Nissen air-raid shelters were promoted by the company, in the months leading up to WW2, its quite likely that the underground 'nissen's as built at Kenley, Northolt, Duxford and West Raynham etc are all in fact 'Summers' shelters and not Nissens, though they do look similar (but in reverse as the vertical corrugations are inside not just outside as on the true Nissen).
Hope this helps and sorry about the confusion.
You can tell a builder from an archaeologist by the size of his trowel. Mine is a small one!
No confusion and certainly no apologies needed! I find this all very helpful and interesting and take my hat off to you guys who research it all and take the time to post, I hope I can offer some info back sometime.
I'll leave the huts in the Fowlmere model then but have removed them (and the blast shelters) from the other airfields.
Excellent work, and great idea crafting the airfields at a particular point in time.
If you're ever interested in doing wartime St Athan, Llandow or St Mawgan give me a PM.
Just working my way through a whole host of subjects cos i've just joined but would like to add that YES they are Nissen huts; you can tell by the corrugated IRON, not asbestos covering. Plus the door and two window arrangement in typically Nissen. FWIW
It is usual to refer to Nissen covering as 'corrugated iron' when it fact it was corrugated steel. I don't know how this misnomer came about but it is was probably coined very soon after the material became available.
OK. Just found that the material was invented (in Britain) in early 1800's and was - originally - made from wrought iron.
But then, at one time, all vacuum cleaners were referred to as 'Hoovers' and all ball pens as 'Biros'!
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does anyone have any info on these buildings? are they 'official' ?
I find this all very helpful and interesting and take my hat off to you guys who research it all and take the time to post, I hope I can offer some info back sometime.
