Airfield security, post-war

[johnbunting]

It seems amazing, now, how one could wander onto some RAF stations so easily just after the war. I used to cycle off the main road to my room in the NCOs accomodation at Lyneham, where I worked in the met office, without going through any gate or fence. Same at Wittering, where a friend and I flew models on the airfield, without meeting anyone. At Charmy Down, near Bath, in 1947, a hangar had its main doors just open enough to squeeze through, and I found it full of gliders, including a beautiful sky-blue Slingsby Gull. Again, not a soul to be seen.

[WHBM]

This is because this low level of security was not actually a problem, so didn't need varying.

I am given to believe that previously, in WW2, the situation was very different, and that bomber bases in particularly were 100% secure, standard WW2 barbed wire fencing on high reinforced concrete posts. As soon as an announcement was made of what the day's task was, there was total lockdown and the gate guards ensured nobody whatever could go OUT, including any civves who happened to be on base at the time, to safeguard the knowledge of what the target was. Those of any rank who had families in the adjacent villages just had to let them know at the beginning that this was one of those things.

This I got from my father. One winter's day a sudden detail was issued, unusually, around 0700, and the newspaper boy from the vilage, who every morning use to pedal down to the base through the Yorkshire snow of those bitter winters with the newspapers (which the men appreciated greatly, and would reward with a mess breakfast from time to time), was inside. The CO came out and specially authorised his release so he could go on to school !

[johnbunting]

Yes, WHBM: even before the war, I remember in 1938 my father worked at RAF Marham, and we went there one day with an aunt and uncle, in his car, and were stopped on the perimeter track by an RAF corporal on a bicycle, who asked my uncle to 'take the lady off the camp'! However, on another occasion I was taken inside a large aircraft there, in a hangar. I didn't know what it was at the time, but I think it was probably a Handley-Page Harrow.

[sisemen]

Have a look at Scampton on GoogleEarth. Every one of those roads leading off camp to the A15 was open and the only perimeter wire was a three strand plain wire fence.

And then Paddy decided to get rough......