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Old 5th Mar 2010, 12:07
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handsfree
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
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Nearest I've managed to get to any photos is a book called "East Midlands Airport in Wartime" by Geoff Wilkes which recounts his time at RAF CD. Very interesting book but unfortunately no photos of the old airfield as such.

As Atcham Towers says there were 3 runways: roughly W/E, NE/SW and NW/SE. The W/E runway forms what is now part of 27/09 although I believe it was completely dug out and started again from scratch. Parts of the old peri-track on the south side now forms part of the internal road system. I vaguely remember reading that the NE/SW runway was abandoned before the end of the war.

Dispersal was all around the airfield but mainly along the line of the old Diseworth to Kegworth road which now constitutes the internal road (ish) from the Thistle Hotel to round about the Royal Mail facility. There were also dispersal areas near the 'new' fuel farm, to the S/W of the 09 runway and to the north of the W/E runway. Traces of the latter can still be seen if you walk around on the Airport Trail.

The old main entrance and guard house were by what was the back entrance entrance into the airport (off Charnock Crossroads) until about 10/15 years ago (near the maintenance hangars). The airfield technical area was situated around here too along with a T2 type hangar. One or two of the old RAF building still exist tucked in amongst the present day hangars. There was also a B1 type hangar on the E of the airfield amongst the dispersal.

The Domestic Site was to the west of the airfield close to where the DHL buildings are now and the Bomb Stores are to the north of the airfield and east of the now closed road down to Lockington. This area is known locally as 'the dumps'.

There was no ATC tower on the airfield. This sevice was provided from a hut on wheels which was towed to whichever runway was in use at the time.

I've got a copy of the record site plan for the airfield which isn't very clear but I'll try and answer any specific questions.anyone may have.

But sorry I can't find any photos either.
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