RAF Ramridge Park 1939 -1955
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RAF Ramridge Park 1939 -1955
I posted the following on the Nostalgia page but I am taking the liberty of re-posting it here in the hope that there may still be some venerable military flyers around who may have some recollection of Ramridge House but are not particularly drawn to Aviation History and Nostalgia."RAF Ramridge Park was an RAF unit from 1939 until 1957, centred on a Georgean mansion, Ramridge House, set in park land 3 miles west of Andover. During the war it was a Group HQ in Maintenance Command and after the war it was the RAF Officer Selection Centre up to 1955.
I am researching the history of the RAF time there and, in particular, seeking any information on the only legacy now remaining of the RAF’s time owning the house. This is a very fine mural of a Spitfire, painted on the wall of a room in the lower ground floor which may have been the Officers’ Mess bar. A matching mural of a Sunderland flying boat was on another wall but this has long disappeared due to damp penetrating the wall and destroying the painting. The murals were signed “W R Orr, Fg Off, 1944”. I have been unable to discover anything about this officer and wondered if any of the more venerable members of PPrune may know something of him and his career. I would be curious to know whether he painted similar murals, or any similar paintings, in other messes where he served or are the Ramridge ones his sole legacy to posterity. He was certainly a gifted artist and it would be surprising if he had not left similar works elsewhere within the RAF estate.
If any PPruners have knowledge of Fg Off W R Orr and his work, I would be most grateful to hear from them. Equally, I would be pleased to hear from any readers with knowledge of the RAF Officer Selection Centre when it was based at Ramridge House."
I am researching the history of the RAF time there and, in particular, seeking any information on the only legacy now remaining of the RAF’s time owning the house. This is a very fine mural of a Spitfire, painted on the wall of a room in the lower ground floor which may have been the Officers’ Mess bar. A matching mural of a Sunderland flying boat was on another wall but this has long disappeared due to damp penetrating the wall and destroying the painting. The murals were signed “W R Orr, Fg Off, 1944”. I have been unable to discover anything about this officer and wondered if any of the more venerable members of PPrune may know something of him and his career. I would be curious to know whether he painted similar murals, or any similar paintings, in other messes where he served or are the Ramridge ones his sole legacy to posterity. He was certainly a gifted artist and it would be surprising if he had not left similar works elsewhere within the RAF estate.
If any PPruners have knowledge of Fg Off W R Orr and his work, I would be most grateful to hear from them. Equally, I would be pleased to hear from any readers with knowledge of the RAF Officer Selection Centre when it was based at Ramridge House."
Spoon PPRuNerist & Mad Inistrator
Please respond on the thread in AH&N: RAF Ramridge Park, 1939 - 1955
