Norfolk Uncovered: Wartime Relics: RAF West Raynham

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10 жыл бұрын

Norfolk Uncovered is a series of short documentaries about the less-known and less-obvious relics and ruins of the county of Norfolk, in the United Kingdom.
This episode features the former RAF West Raynham airfield, where a number of veterans are ensuring that this part of the county's history shall not be forgotten.
On the 24th of August 2013, we were invited to a reunion which commenced with a meeting reporting on the progress of a memorial fund, which will see the erection of a piece of monumental masonry dedicated to all who served at RAF West Raynham from 1939 to the station's closure in 1994.
Courtesy of site manager Jason Hawkins, we were allowed access onto the airfield to film this short video.
Narrated By: Mike Richmond.
Norfolk Uncovered is filmed on a very small budget, and we make do with the equipment available, so please enjoy and make the most of what you see... Some of the featured sites may not be here in the future...
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Пікірлер: 27

@claveworks 8 жыл бұрын

I was there in the 80s when it was on the front line of defence against the USSR. 85 Squadron was a Bloodhound missile unit, and there was a maintenance and testing system called the MOTE, of which there were four in the large hanger. The whole place was a live, active, front line station with all the trappings of any fighter base such as Coltishall (also sadly gone now) and was part of UKADGE - the United Kingdom Air Defence Ground Environment, which linked radar stations, fighter stations, missiles, and control centres in a coordinated defence system.

@jongiant 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Bill. Check out the RAF West Raynham Association on Facebook.

@vamp507 6 жыл бұрын

I was there in 1974. It was my first summer camp with the Air Training Corps i was 14 at the time. What i remember they had a Gloster Javelin on the gate. Canberra Aircraft painted Green Grey on top and Yellow and Black stripe underside 100 sqn Target tugs who are now based at RAF Leeming Flying Hawk T1's. As i recall they also had Hawker Hunters FGA 9's and T7's also Bloodhound missiles. It's a shame to see it like this it was full of life when i was there, very sad.

@1dragonruler 10 жыл бұрын

My father was the last baby to be born in the original village before it was bought by the MOD and turned into a RAF base. It was a village called Paxfield. He will be 78 next birthday.

@regwildman5148 10 жыл бұрын

Missed you by a bit Michael, I was there 1956 to 1958 Nat service .served with all weather fighter leader squadron (awfuls) sad to see it now.

@jongiant 4 жыл бұрын

Please check out the RAF West Raynham Association. They are an informal group with a reunion here every year. We love hearing all about the CFE here at the tower. We don't get many Javelin stories.👍

@Grayman58 2 жыл бұрын

I Lived here in the mid 60s . At that time the early harrier jets were there it was a off limits area for kids like me and friends with our bikes but we used to watch these planes going up and down a cool technology to see as a kid and also I belive there were HAWKER HUNTERS.

@cspowell420 10 жыл бұрын

Always enjoy your videos, thank you for posting.

@racytrex 10 жыл бұрын

Having been stationed at R.A.F.West Raynham,I feel very sad to see it broken up,as many who were there will.My name is Michael Peet,and I was stationed here from 1954 to Feb 1956,when I was demobbed.Our C.O. was Wing Commander Bird Wilson,friend of the great Douglas Bader.Anyone still alive during that time,I'd be glad to hear about them on this page.

@jongiant 4 жыл бұрын

There's a few chaps. Get in touch with the RAF West Raynham Association. There is a web page and Facebook Group.

@ChrisRichmond 10 жыл бұрын

No worries :-) Thanks for the positive feedback!

@jongiant 7 жыл бұрын

The site is looking much better now. All the grass is neatly cut and several small businesses occupy the original buildings. All the OMQs and AMQs are now occupied.

@magicespo 10 жыл бұрын

Good effort,enjoyed it.Well done.

@fleetmix11 7 жыл бұрын

The hangers have exposed metal framework. On one of the frames is evidence of bullet strikes when the Luftwaffe attacked the airfield early in WW2. Saw these for myself when I did my rapier course in 1984.

@jongiant 4 жыл бұрын

It's still there.

@al66class59 3 жыл бұрын

1:39 I wonder if that siren's still there now. A few other former/derelict RAF sites also have/had sirens, so this base isn't alone. RAF Newton and RAF Coltishall are two good examples. I suppose they were used due to the presence of ammunition at such sites, as I've not heard of many other bases having sirens. Fascinating stuff!

@ChrisRichmond 3 жыл бұрын

The siren is still there. Seized solid though, probably due to corrosion build up behind the rotor housings as the motor is the same as my GP12, which suffered the same issue before I restored it.

@al66class59 3 жыл бұрын

@@ChrisRichmond is that one shown a GP12 then? or some obscure early castle or other similar siren? would be nice if someone restored it!

@ChrisRichmond 3 жыл бұрын

@@al66class59 It is a Carter & Co siren, I believe. The motor is the same as the GP12 though as the siren manufacturers only cast their own rotors/housings, and outsourced the motors from somewhere like Brooks/Crompton/Hawker-Siddeley.

@al66class59 3 жыл бұрын

@@ChrisRichmond aye, few manufacturers (if any) made their own motors. We've got a Secomak GP6 with a Brooks motor (we think, but it didn't have a motor plate when we bought it). Sirens have always fascinated me!

@furiouspez6837 9 жыл бұрын

I'm currently staying on the site if you are interested they are building a solar farm on the old runway

@CaptainJaneway21 10 жыл бұрын

Michael, I am the daughter of Sgt. James McGarity (Jim) and we lived at 76 AMQ. My father was stationed there from 1954 to 1957. I was only 2yrs old when we first went, having lived at RAF Bonn for approx. 18 months. However, I can remember being here and being pushed in my pram until I started school (The Head Teacher was a Mr. Woodcock). I can recall white gates (like old railway crossing gates) and I can still envisage an open-air swimming pool on my right. I can see a rectangular spot on Google Earth where it may have been sited, all filled in, of course. We backed onto the airfield and I have frightening memories of being in bed and my mother telling me not to look out of the window, following the most awful bang. An American plane had crashed and hit a tree, killing an airman. My father was very friendly with a chap called Chas Underwood, whose wife was called Nora (?) and they had two daughters, Santia and Andrea, who went off to Famagusta and we lost touch. Ring any bells? Katherine.

@jongiant 4 жыл бұрын

Catherine, please check out the RAF West Raynham Association on Facebook. The American aircraft was a B-45 from Sculthorpe

@brianlawton6153 10 жыл бұрын

Sadly in time It will be gone and back to farm land or it will be developed into housing estates as the property is to valuable to let sit with just a few old buildings from the past on it, Not like us older folks the younger generations growing up now will not be able to understand or appreciate the history and how important these Airfields was in the Battle of Britain of World War 2 when the theat of German Invasion was possible, I was at R A F Burtonwood , Warrington Lancs, all gone now.