Haunting images of the UK's redundant RAF bases

[Sun Who]

Sad.

Haunting images of the UK's redundant RAF bases (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-28674396)





Sun.

[exMudmover]

TYPICAL BBC - CAN'T EVEN BOTHER TO CHECK THE BASICS.

I've just sent the following email to the BBC:

Dear Sir or Madam

Reference your news item today about redundant RAF sites.

Your description of the 20m dishes at Stenigot as 'radar' dishes is completely wrong. The wartime radar transmission antennae were suspended in the form of dipoles from 350ft steel masts, one of which is still standing.

Ever heard of the Chain Home radar system? It only won the Battle of Britain for us - not very important really.

The dishes which you describe as radar are Tropospheric scatter antennae, part of a military communications system installed at the site around 1959. They have absolutely nothing to do with radar.

It's all in Wikipedia - don't your people ever use it?

Yours Truly

The sooner the Tories sort them out the better.

[Martin the Martian]

Actually, mention is made of the Chain Home system in the article, so perhaps you ought to send an apology?

"It's living history. When you stand at the top of the radar mast you can see the craters where the Luftwaffe tried to knock it out."

Sgt Dean Davies of the RAF's Aerial Erector School, tells students about RAF Stenigot's role in the Battle of Britain.

RAF Stenigot, near Louth, was built as part of Britain's Chain Home Radar warning systems during World War Two.

And unless you happen to live near these kind of antennae or know a bit about them the automatic assumption is that they are radar dishes.

[Hangarshuffle]

They are sad and very evocative places. Personally, I'm glad when they are returned to farming or wildlife, or even to their original owners (although I've no idea how that would work in practice). Breathe new life into them.
Predannack must have been a bleak, desperate place to be stationed in WW2.

[P6 Driver]

It's a lovely summer day - sitting in the garden would be a better use of time than complaining to the BBC, surely. If they change their item with your suggested corrections, please let us know.

PS: How do we know that Wikipedia is correct on all its topics?

[Roadster280]

Surely it would have been more relevant to show that the MOD is making productive uses out of airfields that are no longer required. Lyneham becoming an academy, Cottesmore becoming a garrison, even Kinloss and Leuchars being used as barracks. St Athan houses Special Forces, 14 Signal Regiment is headed there and of course Mr Dickinson is providing jobs there.

Cardington & Stenigot are hardly former core sites of the RAF. Predannack was/is RN, no?

[NutLoose]

Predannack is overspill from Yeovilton and the home of the RN fire training? I think.

[alisoncc]

Cardington ............. are hardly former core sites of the RAFIn 1959 RAF Cardington was the main assessment centre for all those seeking entry into the RAF in the ground trades. Can't remember how many days I spent there doing exams to become an Appy. Successfully as it so happened going on to RAF Locking not long afterwards.

[Wrathmonk]

Have a look at this link and you'll find far more (and similarly depressing) images.....

Military Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk (http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/military-sites.f5)

[melmothtw]

To answer your question exMudMover, no journalist worth his salt uses Wikipedia.

[smujsmith]

Thin end of the wedge gentlemen, and ladies. Recent images of Lyneham, only recently condemned, show how quickly the opportunity to reactivate is denied. We really do live in a land where elected expenses claimants enjoy putting the boot in to the goolies, that only recently they were lauding, on a weekly basis. Perhaps I miss the point though, like our pensioners, this government seem to see the economic benefit of a dead serviceman, as opposed to a disabled one. Sorry for the cynicism, actually, no I'm not, the priorities of our elected servants are being ignored.

Smudge

[skippedonce]

Well, that'll give the scrap metal thieves some new sites to explore!

[Biggus]

A couple of points:

1) This is not exactly "news". According to the BBC article in the OPs link, the MOD withdrew from Upwood in 1995, that's 20 years ago, and it would appear that RAF Cardington closed in 2000.

2) This is not a phenomenon solely found in the UK. I remember a link to a website I saw some time ago, probably on Pprune, which showed some pictures of decaying former soviet Army, Air force and Naval bases, often with huge housing areas of concrete flats slowly crumbling away, ships rusting, etc. There was also an episode of Top Gear (series 21 episode 3) where Clarkson and team drove cars around abandoned Russian submarine and missile bases in the Crimea and Ukraine.

Edited to add:

http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2015/03/10-abandoned-submarines-bases-sub-pens/

http://jalopnik.com/the-ten-most-impressive-abandoned-military-bases-in-the-1527822770

http://io9.com/these-abandoned-tanks-are-rusting-mementoes-of-the-wars-1100567629

[Martin the Martian]

Predannack is overspill from Yeovilton and the home of the RN fire training? I think.

Nutty, Predannack is a very long way from Yeovilton to be considered as overspill. Now if you said Culdrose...

It ceased to be a Royal Air Force station on 15 December 1958 and became RN Predannack, parented by Culdrose as a relief landing ground, a role it still undertakes. It is indeed used by the Royal Navy Fire School, with a number of airframes and purpose built rigs dotted around one of the dispersal sites, and there was talk one or two years ago of moving the RAF fire school down from Manston and merging them into one. I understand that they are able to simulate certain fires and situations at Predannack that they cannot do at Manston; don't ask me which, I'm not a pyromaniac.

The RAF is still in attendance, with the Vikings of No.626 Volunteer Gliding Squadron based on the airfield, and the Shelterbox charity has a training facility on the site as well.

[ShyTorque]

If you really want to see some sad photos of neglected and abandoned military bases, look here:

28DaysLater.co.uk (http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/)

[ShotOne]

"This govt see the economic benefit of a dead serviceman as opposed to a disabled one..." Would you care to substantiate that idiotic statement,?

[air pig]

Nutloose,

Predannack is overspill from Yeovilton and the home of the RN fire training? I think.

It is or was the RLG for HMS Seahawk otherwise RNAS Culdrose.