The hangars at RAF Chivenor when it reopened were modern, light, quiet and bright inside - the engineers couldn't believe their luck!
Chatting with a Luftwaffe chum on the way to lunch at their old dining area, we passed the workers who were digging the foundations for the new air terminal...
"If you'd only asked, we could have helped out with a few more craters", I told him, "....oh and if you find anything marked 'Air Ministry Property 1942', it's OK - we won't it back!"
"Ja! But at least we won't have to keep painting the new one every year!" he replied.
"Why do you have to do that"
"Ach, because when the paint fades, an eagle holding something in its claws appears!"
It seems that the original Nazi emblem had been etched into the brickwork and could only be removed by demolition, so they had to paint over it!