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| spudfan Member Since: 10 Sep 2007 Location: Co Donegal Posts: 4712  
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This should be of interest to a number of people who frequent the site.
https://forgottenairfields.com/ 1982 88" 2.25 diesel 1992 110 200tdi csw -Zikali 2008 110 2.4 tdci csw-Zulu 2011 110 2.4 tdci csw-Masai |
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17th Jun 2020 5:44pm |
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| spudfan Member Since: 10 Sep 2007 Location: Co Donegal Posts: 4712
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I have checked some sites on the site and it is very good, giving marked outlines on photos etc. 1982 88" 2.25 diesel
1992 110 200tdi csw -Zikali 2008 110 2.4 tdci csw-Zulu 2011 110 2.4 tdci csw-Masai |
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17th Jun 2020 5:57pm |
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| donmacn Member Since: 06 Nov 2017 Location: Nth Scotland Posts: 1845 
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Definitely! Thanks for putting that up. I knew of most, if not all of the ones in my neck of the woods, but that's an interesting site where you could lose 5 minutes or an hour or two! Donald
1994 Defender 300Tdi 110 SW - owned since 2002 - 230k miles and going strong (The 'rolling restoration' or tinkering thread: http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic58538.html ) 2000 Range Rover P38 4.0L V8 in the past.. RR classic - fitted with 200Tdi 1984 RR classic - V8 with ZF auto box 1993 Discovery 300Tdi not to mention the minis and the Type 2 VW camper... |
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17th Jun 2020 6:00pm |
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| spudfan Member Since: 10 Sep 2007 Location: Co Donegal Posts: 4712
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Or load up the Land Rover and go searching! It would be an interesting way of planning a few days away. Next step is to ask the Mrs for some diesel money.... 1982 88" 2.25 diesel
1992 110 200tdi csw -Zikali 2008 110 2.4 tdci csw-Zulu 2011 110 2.4 tdci csw-Masai |
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17th Jun 2020 6:11pm |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17453  
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I had an evocative ride round the perimeter runway (now a concrete bridleway) of Tarrant Rushton the other weekend, 76 years to the day after hundreds of brave ordinary young men left in their C47s and Horsa gliders to capture Bénouville Bridge over the Caen Canal and Ranville Bridge over the Orne River, and thus begin the liberation of Europe.
It was late afternoon, completely deserted, and although I don't believe in ghosts I can understand why people do. A powerful and moving place. |
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17th Jun 2020 6:54pm |
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| seriesonenut Member Since: 19 Nov 2014 Location: Essex Posts: 1224
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Our nearest but not on the list is RAF Bradwell Bay (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Bradwell_Bay) right on the coast. Unusual in as much that although the airfield closed in 1946 by the mid 1950's it was chosen as the site of a Nuclear Power station. As a consequence although disused much survives to this day including the control tower, main runway and blister hangers now used by farmers. I along with many locals learnt to drive on the runways and part of the perimeter road is a highway and takes you past the control tower. However its future is far from certain as plans are under way for Bradwell B Nuclear site which will cover the whole airfield site (and thats huge) - https://bradwellb.co.uk/ 1984 One-Ten CSW
2010 XS USW (sold) 1957 Series One 88 diesel 1958 Series One 88 4x2 |
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17th Jun 2020 7:13pm |
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| Barneyboy Member Since: 19 Nov 2014 Location: Exmoor Posts: 1626  
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Hi I used to live on an old airfield in Lincolnshire ( Ludford Magna ) but sadly it’ doesn’t appear to be listed, my Aunt and cousins owned and ran a pig farm on there in the 80’s and I lived there for a couple of years had great memories of my eldest cousin in his TR7 and me and his younger brothers racing down the strip on our KX80
 cheers Paul |
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17th Jun 2020 7:18pm |
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| wyvern Member Since: 13 Dec 2009 Location: Cornwall Posts: 2117 
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Cant believe that they missed the cornish jem of Davidstow airfield - it was a F1 racing circuit too !!
it has easy access and open to all - the tower is there and has a great museum on the site ..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Davidstow_Moor Poppy - TDCI (Puma) 110XS 2.2 - Camper conversion - see the build here - https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic56530.html Elgar -TDCI(Puma) 110XS Dormobile - now sold Devon & Cornwall 4x4 Response - DC126  |
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17th Jun 2020 7:24pm |
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| Rashers Member Since: 21 Jun 2015 Location: Norfolk Posts: 3518 
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Great website, spudfan. Thank you
My local is Attlebridge, which actually isn't very near the village of Attlebridge, but that's what it was called. It was home to the Americans in the War. There is still a roadway called 'The Broadway'. I suppose it bought a little piece of home to their airfield. We used to go up there and pick mushrooms on the fields as my Grandparents knew a local farmer when I was a kid. Bernard Mathews put Turkey Huts on it after the war and it is now home to several thousand PV panels and a couple of wind turbines. This website has some great photographs. |
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17th Jun 2020 7:58pm |
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| Procta Member Since: 03 Dec 2016 Location: Sunderland Posts: 5197
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One air field that was in Stratford Upon Avon, had two scrap planes and some old sheds. The site also had a drag strip too. The full lot was sold off i believe back in 2018, to become a very large housing estate. Defender TD5 90 ---/--- Peugeot 306 HDI hatch back
Success is 90% Inspiration and 4 minutes Preparation # you can make it! |
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17th Jun 2020 8:12pm |
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| TJ101 Member Since: 30 May 2007 Location: Taunton Somerset Posts: 3750  
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Done quite a few rallies on disused airfields inc Tarrant Rushton ( Ran just once iirc in 84 ish ?) and Davidstow California F1, 75th 110 "Kermit", 50th Ann V8, 90 V8 Hybrid, 55 Series 1
Main Brian James Trailer Dealer for South West UK |
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17th Jun 2020 8:16pm |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17453
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Small world. For many years my grandparents owned a cottage just a stone's throw from RAF Swannington, very close to Attlebridge. I spent many happy hours there as a sprog. |
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17th Jun 2020 8:54pm |
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| Bluest Member Since: 23 Apr 2016 Location: Lancashire Posts: 4218 
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Was that Shakespeare County Raceway? I went there to wart he the drag racing once. It was a good day out. 2007 110 TDCi Station Wagon XS |
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17th Jun 2020 9:14pm |
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| Rashers Member Since: 21 Jun 2015 Location: Norfolk Posts: 3518
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Small world, blackwolf
Swannington isn't on this website, but I googled it and it was the last airbase to be built in Norfolk in 1943. Being stuck out in the North Sea, Norfolk and East Anglia had more than its fair share of airfields due to our closeness to Mr Hitler. My Great Grandfather owned one of the two garages in Lenwade (Great Witchingham). During the war they only allowed one petrol station to carry on trading. His forecourt got shut down and was taken over by the Americans to supply fuel for their trucks. My Great Grandparents and Grandparents got really friendly with many of those serving at Attlebridge. A few years ago (I'm talking pre 9/11) Channel 4 were carrying out research for a television programme about the GI's and my Mum got interviewed and had to take the researcher around the public roads that surround Attlebridge Airfield. One of these is Wood Lane, the road between Honingham and Weston Longville. It dissects the end of one of the smaller runways. After she had finished with the researcher she took me back and parked in what is now a gateway onto the site. I had driven past here hundreds of times, and she had probably many more times than me. She got me to look up at the strip of concrete. AT the time it was covered in turkey sheds, but we were both taken back at just how big this runway was (in both length and width). This was about two thirds the size of the longest. It was quite an eye opener. The TV programme never saw the light of day. It makes you realise that we didn't just build Attlebridge airfield, or just Swannington, where blackwolf's Grandparents lived, we built dozens of these airfields for the war effort. It must have been an enormous project. It makes building a few Nightingale Hospitals look small fry. It is great testament to the Guys who built them (a lot were built by a company called WF Pointer) that the concrete, nearly 80 years old, is still in pretty good shape, well better than the concrete I have round my bungalow  |
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17th Jun 2020 9:19pm |
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