BBC Secret Britain and 161 sqn
 

Last night's episode of Secret Britain contained a piece about a place in East Anglia, on the Broads, called Heigham Holmes (or possibly Higham Holmes). It is effectively an island within the Broads, behind a berm, and hidden from view. They said it was used as a sort of ALG by 161 sqn (the guys that operated from Tempsford delivering SOE operatives). I can't think of the advantages of the place (other than being very hidden), given it would have been further away from France and possibly the Low Countries too, than Tempsford or Beaulieu.

I had never heard of this place before. It does not feature in my copy of Action Stations, nor the Google Earth RAF overprint, nor in the Wiki entry for 161 sqn.

Anybody know more about it?

Skua

It all sounded pretty fanciful to me. On-going chat here -

Heigham Holmes

I wonder if it might have been used as a remote training site for both aircrew and agents to practice difficult arrival and departure procedures?

Very plausible, John. Presumably only for the Lysanders, since I would have thought the unprepared ground was too soft for Hudsons, and anything bigger.

regards,

Skua

I'd find it hard to believe it was used for anything much; even as a satellite. It would be very difficult to transport fuel and spares there, and recovering a bent aircraft would be a nightmare. Anyway, 161 Squadron didn't seem to be too secretive about its main location; 50 miles North of London and almost in sight of the A1.

Then again - :hmm: A WWII 'When I were a lad' story here. Last posts.

Norfolk Broads - The Forum - Martham Ferry Boatyard

Oh really?
 

One of the references quotes a 'six thousand yard' runway......

It seems a strange place to have an airfield, as there used to be RAF Ludham a few miles away, with perfectly good concrete runways. The same reference mentions a Lysander making a forced landing looking fo fuel. Could this have lead to an another urban myth growing up?

I'd go for urban myth. I have Hugh Verity's book in front of me, 'We Landed by Moonlight'; Secret Landings in France, 1940-1944. A war-time history of Lysander Ops if you like. There's a very detailed index with all departure airfields mentioned, and many diversions. Not a single mention of Heigham Holmes.

Hugh Verity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

RAF Heigham Holmes
 

I to have been puzzled by the lack of information on Heigham Holmes airfield and looking through my library has not revealed much so far.

We do know that the airfield existed, as proven by that excellent 1944 RAF PR photo shown previously, and the reference to it being a secret airfield used by SOE Lysanders to ferry agents to occupied Europe between 1940 and 1944. Ref www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk NHER 25538.

John Farley makes an interesting suggestion that it might have been used for training pilots in SOE operations, good point, but I have reason to believe that a field at Somersham, to the North of Tempsford, was used for this purpose. I do note that a certain Flt Lt Farley was instrumental in setting up the original SOE Flight Operation; any relation John?

Looking at 161 Squadron ORB in the National Archives does not show any reference to Heigham Holmes but neither does it show any Lysander operations to Holland, of which there were quite a few, the records appear to have been conveniently lost or destroyed.

Our knowledge of the SOE flights stem mainly from the valiant acts of those directly involved, there is plenty to read and enjoy about the daring deeds of French section and also most other country sections but very little reference to the Dutch section.

After the War our Government put an embargo of 60 years on matters relating to the Dutch SOE fiasco that was effectively delivering all Dutch agents into the hands of Herr Giskes of the German Abwehr,I recommend reading 'Between Silk and Cyanide ' by Leo Marks to get a good appreciation of that story .

The Dutch I understand have an embargo until 2042 on the subject.

My gut feeling is that anyone connected with the Dutch section SOE flights would have been officially denied access to records and discouraged from writing about the details ,upwards of 50 gallant agents went on a one way trip and never to return,or indeed to survive the war .

All of this leads me to conclude that Heigham Holmes was possibly a satellite airfield to RAF Tempsford for Lysanders enroute to Holland, rather like RAF Tangmere was for Lysanders enroute to France.

Similarly the ORB (Operations Record Book) for 138 Squadron is also incomplete .

The history of RAF Heigham Holmes has yet to be discovered and will take some finding, all that I would hope is that should a definite link be established with the SOE Dutch section then a suitable Memorial be erected to those brave souls who lost their lives .

I would strongly second that last proposal, if more information shows that to be appropriate. In my last job I knew (Sir) Alan Boxer, a colleague of Hugh Verity's. The eulogy at Alan's funeral writ large the bravery of the aircrew and the agents they delivered and recovered

AVM Sir Alan Boxer ,what an interesting career.As Flight Commander of both 161 and138 Squadrons in 1942 and CO of 161 Squadron at RAF Tempsford in 1943 he would have been the man to ask about Heighton Holmes.

Midnight Retired

I have a feeling the SOE files now in the National Archives at Kew, some of which I've read, mention Col Giskes and his very successful (for the Germans) "Englandspiel". NA file series HS 6 refers.

...also a bit more here: Real History. However at the end of this page there is reference to some files still being witheld, but why I suppose we'll never know. They are now over 67-years old and it appears odd to be keeping back information after all this time.

Warmtoast

Many thanks for that information, all pieces of a jigsaw that may one day fit together. Apart from the lost documents the main players in this saga ,I presume ,have passed on by now as their contribution would have been invaluable.

Midnight Retired
 

Do you happen to know the exact location of this airfield in Somersham ?

I live locally and would be interested.

Arron O'Dickydido.

TL350770 south of the village, according to Action Stations Vol 1. A search on the Airfield Information Exchange site may bring up more about it.

Regarding the fiasco in Holland, reccomend "London calling North Pole" by Hermann Giskes, the Abwehr mastermind, and "Inside North Pole" by Peter Dourlein, a Dutch agent who ,after arrest, escaped via Switzerland and Spain, only to find himself suspected of treason when he got back to London. A story of incompetence or betrayal-no-one will ever know. A lot of SOEs files were lost in a fire about 1945/6 -conspiracy theory here?-and , as a previous poster says, some are still closed.As for the Dutch ones, rumours at the time and since involved people in high places, so not surprising that they are still closed . (Dear moderator, please feel free to delete last para.)

AODD

Further to Atcham Towers useful reference on RAF Somersham you might like to try www.abct.org.uk/airfields/Somersham-probable-location.php This should produce a birds eye view of the field.
I understand that Somershams old village hall was also used by SOE.

Regards

MN

midnight

Sorry no relation - or I might have been able to do more than just make a suggestion!

JF

Thanks for the clarification John.

I have rejigged the email address for the Somersham site birds eye view.
Apologies to anyone trying the original link.

Heigham Holmes
 

A facinating clip from the Anglia Tonight ITV programme about the secret island may be viewed on the following link :

www.itv.com/anglia/secret-island-open-day22682/

Peter Dourlein - thread drift
 

Dear robmack,
In a previous existence I worked with the daughter of Peter Dourlein.
After some adventures Peter was arrested on the instructions of Anthony Blunt, the well known traitor. Strangely Anthony Blunt was known as a
communist sympathiser by my now long dead uncle back in those wartime days, of course he told me long after the war.
Someone will correct me I'm sure.

john