Help save RAF bicester
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GOLF BRAVO ZULU.
Halton is still a grass airfield, but I don't think it was as early as 1917, the apprentice scheme started in 1920, the workshops and technical area buildings were built by German POWs, so it might make as early as WW1.
When I passed through as an app in the late 60s there was still the large canvas WW1 hangar on the airfield, also a couple of Vulcans which had flown in, that must have been a sight worth seeing.
One thing sticks in my mind about Bicester was the very very small rooms in the airmans married quarters, airman and their spouses must have been much smaller in the days when they were built.
Best regards,
om15
Halton is still a grass airfield, but I don't think it was as early as 1917, the apprentice scheme started in 1920, the workshops and technical area buildings were built by German POWs, so it might make as early as WW1.
When I passed through as an app in the late 60s there was still the large canvas WW1 hangar on the airfield, also a couple of Vulcans which had flown in, that must have been a sight worth seeing.
One thing sticks in my mind about Bicester was the very very small rooms in the airmans married quarters, airman and their spouses must have been much smaller in the days when they were built.
Best regards,
om15
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In regards to RAF Bicester having no combat history .......
What about the night with the Royal Marines, fire extinguishers and the boys from Crash and Smash in the early seventies ? If that was not combat I don't know what is! Or the frequent offensives against the NAAFI bar staff ?
Those were the days.
'We knew how to whinge but we kept it in the NAAFI bar.'
What about the night with the Royal Marines, fire extinguishers and the boys from Crash and Smash in the early seventies ? If that was not combat I don't know what is! Or the frequent offensives against the NAAFI bar staff ?
Those were the days.
'We knew how to whinge but we kept it in the NAAFI bar.'
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While Bicester may be a good site for a Bomber Command Heritage Centre I have to say that Scampton would be a far better bet. It too is a fine example of an expansion period station and the central core of the unit remains largely as was in WWII. It has the added cache of 617 Sqn and the Dams raid, Niggers grave and of course is in Lincolnshire which is known as Bomber County. The station did recieve some additional building in the 1950s but this too was for Bomber Command purposes being a V bomber station. So for a true tribute to offensive air power Scampton would get my vote.
With Bicester featuring in the Bomber Command Memorial thread, here are two pics taken through the Main Gate to the Tech Site, showing the 1926 Guard Room and Station Headquarters respectively. As with all the buildings in the Tech Site they are boarded up and the whole site fenced off. More shots available if there is an interest. A reminder that the memorial thread is now a sticky on the Aviation History & Nostalgia Forum. Please sign the Downing Street petition there!
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=296590
http://
Looking across the grass airfield towards the two 'C' type hangars and the wartime Watch Office from the peri track leading to the Bomb Stores
View of the Bomb Stores and Blast Walls through surrounding fence.
Thought it might catch your attention Al. As you say, "Ah, Bisto!"
Looking across the grass airfield towards the two 'C' type hangars and the wartime Watch Office from the peri track leading to the Bomb Stores
View of the Bomb Stores and Blast Walls through surrounding fence.
Thought it might catch your attention Al. As you say, "Ah, Bisto!"
RAF Bicester
Fairly sure that several buildings at Bicester were listed by English Heritage 2 or 3 years ago. I have the listing at work, will double check on Tuesday and get back to you.
Thanks for that very important point, brokenlink, English Heritage have identified RAF Bicester as uniquely important both as to age, with many buildings dating from 1926 as well as the later '30s Expansion phases, and to completeness.
This plan shows the extent of the listing by English Heritage from a report by Airfield Research Publishing commissioned by Cherwell District Council ( I hope that covers the copyright aspects, if not I'll gladly remove it!).
This plan shows the extent of the listing by English Heritage from a report by Airfield Research Publishing commissioned by Cherwell District Council ( I hope that covers the copyright aspects, if not I'll gladly remove it!).
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Just my thoughts, straight out of the box. Don't be offended!
...the funny thing is it is always "Lincolnshire" that comes to mind in regards for doing anything in relation to RAF Bomber Command of the WWII period. Nothing wrong with that at all, but Bomber Command personnel operated not only there, or ONLY in the green and not so pleasant lands of Great Britain during WWII. They operated from MANY not very green, and not very pleasant lands around the World, and they were not all in Lancasters!
Before I get slammed, my Great Uncle ( Lanc Skipper, trained under the Arnold Scheme in the U.S) and crew last had their feet on the ground 8 March 1945 at RAF Skellingthorpe, Lincolnshire. They took off at 1743 hours. The oldest of his crew was thirty five...I myself am thirty-seven, non-military...and my golly, did I have a lump in my throat when I laid wreaths to these Men, and for other relatives that had contacted us from RAF 61 Squadron. I have utter respect and grattitude for all those Men, and this of course extends to those that are thankfully still with us today. Like most relatives with an interest, I am drawn to that place....but we need to remember them ALL, whether they served in Lincolnshire in heavies, or Blenheims in the Middle East, and such rememberance should not be tainted by facts like geographical location, special ops, largest amount of ordanance dropped, biggest aircraft. Let us remember them all.
RAF Bicester is absolutely perfect, in every way. Yes, many buildings have been given Grade II Listings, and Scheduled Ancient Monument Status. PM me if you want to become a Volunteer, and allow the vision of a Heritage Centre DEDICATED to RAF Bomber Command of the WWII Period and formative years to come to fruition on such a site STEEPED with Royal Air Force History. Respond now please, as there is much to do, otherwise much Air Force Heritage will be lost.
For those that want "significant events" at RAF Bicester let us mention the Halibag re-assemble, taxi trials, and maiden flight, SAR "Operations", and if flying over water is not dangerous, let alone "off you go" training I don't really know what is. After the war, well after the War, and actually two days before I was born, the Hendon Lanc began her two year restoration under the expertise of 71 M.U. Any doubters about the validity of RAF Bicester that was under the control of RAF Bomber Command, just go buy/go to local library and grab a copy of Bill Chorley's OTU Losses, it WILL open your eyes to the bigger picture, and you will be moved, by the events within.
And for any other pessimists out there, much is going on, with good feelings in the air...
I rest my case for the defence.
Excuse any speeeling mistokes, tad rushed today.
Before I get slammed, my Great Uncle ( Lanc Skipper, trained under the Arnold Scheme in the U.S) and crew last had their feet on the ground 8 March 1945 at RAF Skellingthorpe, Lincolnshire. They took off at 1743 hours. The oldest of his crew was thirty five...I myself am thirty-seven, non-military...and my golly, did I have a lump in my throat when I laid wreaths to these Men, and for other relatives that had contacted us from RAF 61 Squadron. I have utter respect and grattitude for all those Men, and this of course extends to those that are thankfully still with us today. Like most relatives with an interest, I am drawn to that place....but we need to remember them ALL, whether they served in Lincolnshire in heavies, or Blenheims in the Middle East, and such rememberance should not be tainted by facts like geographical location, special ops, largest amount of ordanance dropped, biggest aircraft. Let us remember them all.
RAF Bicester is absolutely perfect, in every way. Yes, many buildings have been given Grade II Listings, and Scheduled Ancient Monument Status. PM me if you want to become a Volunteer, and allow the vision of a Heritage Centre DEDICATED to RAF Bomber Command of the WWII Period and formative years to come to fruition on such a site STEEPED with Royal Air Force History. Respond now please, as there is much to do, otherwise much Air Force Heritage will be lost.
For those that want "significant events" at RAF Bicester let us mention the Halibag re-assemble, taxi trials, and maiden flight, SAR "Operations", and if flying over water is not dangerous, let alone "off you go" training I don't really know what is. After the war, well after the War, and actually two days before I was born, the Hendon Lanc began her two year restoration under the expertise of 71 M.U. Any doubters about the validity of RAF Bicester that was under the control of RAF Bomber Command, just go buy/go to local library and grab a copy of Bill Chorley's OTU Losses, it WILL open your eyes to the bigger picture, and you will be moved, by the events within.
And for any other pessimists out there, much is going on, with good feelings in the air...
I rest my case for the defence.
Excuse any speeeling mistokes, tad rushed today.
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Hi there Tyres!
I once had one on a CFM Shadow,and my Instructor thought I had forgotten where the rudder pedals were!! So you are in Oxfordshire? PM me if you want to get involved! :-)
Best regards
Tony
I once had one on a CFM Shadow,and my Instructor thought I had forgotten where the rudder pedals were!! So you are in Oxfordshire? PM me if you want to get involved! :-)
Best regards
Tony
A very great pleasure as always to get a post from Bomber Command Heritage! Split as I am between this Forum and Aviation History and Nostalgia where the BC Memorial thread languishes (temporarily I hope) it is of interest that there is a thread running there on RAF Hemswell. If ever there was a quintessential WW2 BC station it was that, especially as it starred in its own contemporary training film. Sad to say though most of the runway surfaces have gone together with much else of the infrastructure, leaving the C type hangars, the watch tower and various other buildings. A complete contrast to Bicester with complete and preserved 20's, 30's and war time build domestic and technical sites. As BCH reminds us BC wasn't just Lincolnshire nor was Lincolnshire just BC. Bicester is an RAF BC gem, easily accessible on the town perimeter from the major rail and road links connecting London and Birmingham. As far as BC crews were concerned, this was where their story began for it was here that they were arbitrarily formed into crews that were fated to survive or not, roughly in equal numbers, in the greatest UK struggle of WW2. Only philistines would let such rich heritage be destroyed. Unfortunately this is no lack of philistines these days!
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|Slightly OT but the next one to get ready to fight for will be RAF Weston on the Green , with the planned development of ''Weston Otmoor'' IIRC new town now in the last 15 of proposed new eco towns as it will almost surround this airfield
the next one to get ready to fight for will be RAF Weston on the Green
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The really old bits of Weston (on the other side of the road to the airfield) are occupied by civilian companies. The old Officers' Mess is a plant/agricultural machinery outlet (I think so anyway - I drive past it every Saturday and Sunday but never look in the window) and what I think used to be part of the SNCO's Mess is 'light industrial units'. I think these date from around 1917. I have 2 reasons for wanting Weston to stay as it is - as a weekend jumper there I dont want to lose the airfield, and as a resident of Bicester I dont want to see the Oxfordshire version of Milton Keynes just the other side of the M40. NIMBYism at its best!
Very interesting thread about RAF Bicester though - after posting my rather negative remark when the thread first opened I am now much more aware of its history and wish the preservation group all the best.
Very interesting thread about RAF Bicester though - after posting my rather negative remark when the thread first opened I am now much more aware of its history and wish the preservation group all the best.
Spectre, thanks for your tribute to Bicester. I sympathise for your concern at the "improvements" planned for Weston. I suspect that they are well founded! Coincidentally Al R has just posted on the Bomber Command sticky on Aviation History & Nostalgia what can only be described as a "vision thing" for Bicester. I commend his post to you and everyone who want the unwarranted slur placed on the Bombing Offensive by the chattering classes in and since 1945 to be reversed. Time to properly acknowledge this costly and bitter prelude to victory over tyranny and enslavement.
We will remember them!
We will remember them!
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Chaps,
Again, think Chuggers, and Al R over on the "Memorial" thread has summed the vision up nicely. Bomber Command Heritage was set up from Day One to do "it's best" for those of the Command, where we feel other organizations have failed to do so, and with perhaps apprehension in todays political climate.
We have followed the plight of RAF Bicester since 2001, and this "Vision" of utilising the Former RAF drome (Tech site and Flying Field incl. Bomb Store area, and adjacent 1945 constructed extension) as a Heritage Centre to the Command of the WWII Period and formative years.
Its not about just saving yet another aerodrome, yada,yada. The place has HUGE siginificance in relation to Royal Air Force architecture in this Country, or more importantly the World.
If you have an inkling of seeing those of the Command remembered in such a fantastic place, come and vote with your feet, and PM me for further details about getting involved. If you have an interest in any subject, be it engineering or social history, etc you can really help make a difference, but we need your help now to make this work. Be part of a fantastic venture to remember those that helped give us our Freedom, that we all take so much for granted these days.
Please also sign the petition on our website. We need your support to make this work, so get spreading the word!
Thanking you all so much.
Tony
www.bc-heritage.org (website to be updated, but copies of archived newletters are available for download)
Again, think Chuggers, and Al R over on the "Memorial" thread has summed the vision up nicely. Bomber Command Heritage was set up from Day One to do "it's best" for those of the Command, where we feel other organizations have failed to do so, and with perhaps apprehension in todays political climate.
We have followed the plight of RAF Bicester since 2001, and this "Vision" of utilising the Former RAF drome (Tech site and Flying Field incl. Bomb Store area, and adjacent 1945 constructed extension) as a Heritage Centre to the Command of the WWII Period and formative years.
Its not about just saving yet another aerodrome, yada,yada. The place has HUGE siginificance in relation to Royal Air Force architecture in this Country, or more importantly the World.
If you have an inkling of seeing those of the Command remembered in such a fantastic place, come and vote with your feet, and PM me for further details about getting involved. If you have an interest in any subject, be it engineering or social history, etc you can really help make a difference, but we need your help now to make this work. Be part of a fantastic venture to remember those that helped give us our Freedom, that we all take so much for granted these days.
Please also sign the petition on our website. We need your support to make this work, so get spreading the word!
Thanking you all so much.
Tony
www.bc-heritage.org (website to be updated, but copies of archived newletters are available for download)
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Support gains momentum!
How the time flies! Just to let you all know, our Campaign is very much going from strength to strength. We have taken many steps forward since my last post three months ago! There is so much work to do, but we are confident that we are heading in the right direction. If that sounds a little too positive, it is because we do not do pessimism on this thread!
Let me also plug the Heritage Foundation's Campaign for a Bomber Command Memorial to be located in London. See the "Sticky" over on the History and Nostalgia forum.
Best regards
BOMBER COMMAND HERITAGE
"...our journey together"
www.bc-heritage.org
Let me also plug the Heritage Foundation's Campaign for a Bomber Command Memorial to be located in London. See the "Sticky" over on the History and Nostalgia forum.
Best regards
BOMBER COMMAND HERITAGE
"...our journey together"
www.bc-heritage.org