Bye bye Brampton
 

Found these videos of the demolition at Brampton. Love or hate the place it's a sad thing to see. Another housing estate inbound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDvo1bZmdOw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZKm39Ddos8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tspUcAYBQJY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mOaeAfOxG8

Some of us remember the Great Fire of '85.

Always thought the fire was an excessive response to my posting notice, but had a happy three and a half years in Command Accounts, plus the birth of youngest son.

Has every building been cleared? Including the old country house that was the core of the Mess?

The OH certainly does. Her office was a couple of doors down from where the fire started!

Our OMQ was down near the OM in Sandwich Road ... and she slept through all the overnight activity. It was only during her short walk to her office that she realised it wasn't there any more ;)

(I was a weekend commuter, serving at HQ 11 Gp)

Has 48 Sparrow Close gone too? Had the interesting (??!!) experience of living between on one side a wife who accused husband occupant of other side of indecent assault. For a few months it was like living in the core of a nuclear weapon about to explode

Have the MQ's been flattened too?

The MQs on the south side still exist as does what was the Regt Flt building, This is now 73(Huntingdon)Sqn ATC. However the main site has totally gone.

AFAIAA Brampton Park Officers' Mess is a Grade II Listed Building.

"BPOM" ... that's a blast from the past!

Weren't they going to turn the officers' mess into a hotel?

I spent many years living at Brampton as sprog. 22 Sparrow Close and then South Road. Folks still live in the village.

BPOM is going to be a "Private Residence" apparently.

I wonder whose?

"Stop Start"

My parents lived in #22 also! 71-73ish.

3P

Ha! Magnificent :) it was in fine order when we got it!
I see you're Chippenham based - ex EGDL perchance...?

A recollection from the aftermath of the fire ... a VSO sifting through the ashes of his office to find his wife's jewellery, which he kept there for safety ;)

Great Fire of Brampton!
 

I was on the Supply Staff at the time of the fire. I recall that the fire started on the inside of the hollow square building, so by the time that the flames were visible the building was well alight.

Rumour had it that one of the AOs called the guardroom to report the fire, but the duty Cpl thought it was his mate messing around and was a little less than polite!

At the time I was recovering from a broken leg, and was getting a lift from a old civil servant. When he picked me up, I told him that the HQ had burnt down, and he didn't believe me! We also were giving a lift to a Wg Cdr who also said that the HQ had burnt down!

When we arrived at BPOM chaos reigned, as Supply had been located in the Annex, our offices were intact. So at the insistence of one Gp Capts, all of the Supply filing cabinets were moved to Supply Sqn, and we next saw them weeks later as all of the other filing cabinets were then also added.

We then had the joys of working in portakabin city as the Senior staff took over the Annex.

Deep joy!

Understand some MQs being kept as 'rentals', not being sold off. To help out as Wyton MQs? Best of luck with the Huntingdon Ring Road during peak flow times!

Ahhhhhh Huntingdon...
Where the people of the former East Germany go for a touch of Nostalgia

The Idler book of Crap Towns! The 50 Worst Places to Live in the UK

S-D

48 Sparrow when youngest was born in Hinchingbrooke and baptised in Brampton Parish Church. He is 29 this October