RAF Bluntisham Scruffs Decs

[cold_harbour]

A friend and I popped into RAF Bluntisham Mess the other day for a bit of a nostalgic visit, and were very disappointed to see what has happened to the Scruffs Bar. All the Canberra (and Tutor!) Sqn insignia and aircraft outlines have been painted over with plain magnolia, and almost all the pictures have been removed. :(

All it needs now is a filing cabinet instead of a fridge and the transformation will be complete... :ugh:

[spectre150]

Hmm I thought the Bluntisham Mess was the Green Man in Bluntisham village. As I recall they did not serve Van Dwellers (pity, it was my favourite tipple). Seriously though, many happy blurred memories of the Scruff's Bar in question - great shame it has been desicrated (painted over). It nearly burned down in 1982 when I set fire to my head at a dining-in night but thats another story ..........

[Wessex Boy]

Is this Bluntisham in Cambs?

[spectre150]

yes wessex. Bluntisham is a village near RAF Wyton in Cambs. I assumed from the reference to the Canberra that the RAF Bluntisham referred to in the first post was Wyton, but I could be wrong ........

I am doing well today - I havent been called a sanctimonius tw@t yet today. Still it's early yet......

[TheHogwartsBEngO]

I live in Wyton and am a member of a local amateur theatre group in Bluntisham - I had no idea that there was ever a base in Bluntisham. Then again, I've only lived here 18 months and I have been called an Arse already today...

[FJJP]

I've lived in the area for over 20 years and never heard of RAF Bluntisham - at least as an airfield. Also, this very good site lists a shed-load of airfields that most have never heard of and even they don't list Bluntisham:

http://content-delivery.co.uk/aviation/airfields/

Perhaps a detailed description of how to get there, or some pics or a ref for Google Earth [which doesn't show anything resembling an airfield round the village].

I'm puzzled and intruiged...

[On second thoughts - RAF BLUNTY sham eg Wyton? If so, I claim the prize and declare it to be a jolly good spoof!]. Some people have no regard for history.

[aw ditor]

Used to be a wartime' grass "airfield" at SOMERsham also near Wyton. The Lysanders' from Tempsford used it for practice night landings by the light of a couple of torches or a warm Frenchman. Excellent Pub' The Windmill does £5 lunches.

[windriver]

Presumably RAF Bluntisham is Wyton... but at least someone has actually flown from Bluntisham.


MC : I touched down a little before 6pm in the village of Bluntisham. For a whole ten minutes I was the British Paragliding distance record holder.

http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/midflight/COOKCARTERAug94.htm

[Wessex Boy]

Took Mothers/in Laws to the Windmill for slap-up feed yesterday!
There was also a Base at Warboys, part of the pathfinders force (Lancs then Mossies).

The SOE had a training establishment at Somersham hall, so the Lysanders used to pop in there to pick up operatives to take them on their foreign jaunts

[TheHogwartsBEngO]

My Grandfather (Lancaster Tail Gunner) was at Warboys and then joined 156 Sqn (Pathfinders) at Upwood.

I am currently sat at my desk in an office adjacent to one of the old hangars at RAF Upwood - apparently this particular Hangar was converted in 1990 to be a giant morgue ready for the expected (US) casualties from GW1.

[Selfloading]

Blimey I've lived in Somersham six years and never suspected such things went on, anybody know exactly where the airstrip was, I know that there was a Q site over Pidley way.

[aw ditor]

Wessex Boy
Glad you enjoyed The Windmill, (good Greene King IPA) I'll print this off' and claim my £5er' from them. Warboys I believe became a Bloodhound' base. Book by Bowyer' in the Action Station' Series gives excellent potted history, though Bluntisham not covered for some mysterious reason? Too Secret?
Ditor'

[aw ditor]

Self Loading
Grid Ref TL350770 "South of Village": also used by Hudsons' for training?
Ditor'

[Wessex Boy]

AW Editor: No worries, we have eaten there often, the food is good, and the service is improving. It is on a similar par with the Crown at Broughton, but substantially better priced!

I believe Warboys was a Bloodhound base briefly, before they got moved to Wyton. The runway was dug up soon after the war and the road re-instated (it was closed from where the new roundabout on the A141 is to the Clock Tower end of the village when the runway was extended to take the Lancasters)
The Lancasters moved from Warboys to Upwood when the Mosquito Conversion Unit moved in (1655 MCU I believe)

The Ramsey Model Aero Club still flies from the remains of Warboys, and the Farmer has 2 Microlight landing strips there.

[TheHogwartsBEngO]

Slightly off-topic: I'm quite fond of the Windmill. Had a couple of very nice meals there on Anniversaries In-laws visiting etc. Was a little disappointed with the service on my Birthday though - we were sat for up to 30 mins with dirty plates in front of us (tsk tsk). It was the same night that they opened up their spin-off 'Surf and Turf' place in St Ives tho.

Had some frankly excellent Sunday lunches there.

[Selfloading]

Thanks aw I'll have to investigate further. :ok:
It seems it was the Q site amazing, some local history:
In World War II, there was a grass airfield near here to the
south west. Originally designed as a decoy airfield, a
dummy to deflect enemy attacks from the operational
airfields nearby. Later in the war it was used for practicing
night time landings and take-offs in enemy occupied
Europe

[windriver]

Based on aw ditors ref .. I`ll add this as a probable...

http://www.content-delivery.co.uk/aviation/airfields/Bluntisham.html

[Selfloading]

I've got a map copied out of a book somewhere round here, but it shows the dummy airfield on the other side of the St Ives road.