discussion WWII airfield

[Guest]

every weekend when i bike to work i go through an old WWII airfirled that is now farmland.

would anyone like any pictures of the runway/taxiways and pill boxes for refference pictures?

 

[wonwinglo]

***Yes please,what is the name of this old airfield,I may be able to get some history for you ?

every weekend when i bike to work i go through an old WWII airfirled that is now farmland.would anyone like any pictures of the runway/taxiways and pill boxes for refference pictures?

 

[Guest]

to be honest i have NO idea!!! i know there used to be be one in sawbridgeworth as my "unlcle's" (good friend of the family) dad served there but this one is in-between bishops stortford/much hadham kind of area. if you can find anything out it would be great! in the mean time i will go on a nice bike ride during the week and get some pictures!!!

 

[Guest]

Richard, Any such pictures are worth keeping in the gallery for anyone who may want to refer to them in the future.

Thanks for taking the time to do this for every ones benefit.

 

[wonwinglo]

***Richard,if you can give me the co-ordinates or grid reference I will get the airfields group to check it out for you.

Go to multimap.com and do a screen grab of the location.

Sawbridgeworth had Westland Lysanders on Army Co-operation work.

to be honest i have NO idea!!! i know there used to be be one in sawbridgeworth as my "unlcle's" (good friend of the family) dad served there but this one is in-between bishops stortford/much hadham kind of area. if you can find anything out it would be great! in the mean time i will go on a nice bike ride during the week and get some pictures!!!

 

[Guest]

got some pics of google map (you can see the longitude and latitude at the bottom

the one with the red dots are the locations of some pill boxes, the other one is the general area of the air field although i cant find the taxi ways or runway at all...so either im getting confused on google map or they have got rind of them!

wont be able to know untill i go and have a look and get some pictures as i dont actually go past the runway/taxiway part of it when i go to work but i used to go on bike rides in that area when i was a kid so i know its there....or at least used to be!!

but i def know the pill boxes are there as i go past them. In the picture you will se 2 red dots quite close to each other, the one on the left is a pill box and the one next to it are the foundations of some small building.

hope this helps Barry!

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[wonwinglo]

Richard,this is getting interesting,very little if any signs of a runway there but the pillboxes look as if they are at strategic points,can you give me the name of the area please ? nearest village/town,what did you place into multimap to find these pictures ? thank you.

Certainly reverted back to farmland a long while ago,wonder if it is a pre WW2 airfield ?

 

[Guest]

well its kind of in-between bishops stortford and perry green and green tye near much hadham!

i didnt use multimap i used google map. like what we have on the website but you can download it for free and use it as a program!

http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html

 

[wonwinglo]

Wel lets see what happens,it is now in the hands of the experts at Airfields UK and Ireland group where I have posted it,if they do not know the name of this place then nobody will ? in the past they have identified many relatively unknown places putting a name to them.

I have looked carefully again but still unable to see much in the way of any runways,normally these show as darkened grassed areas.

The farmers were sometimes quick to rip up runways and taxiways on reclaimed land,but happy to retain any buildings of use.

Will keep everyone posted about the results,I think these old airfields are really nostalgic places.

 

[Guest]

Sawbridgeworth had coir matting thats why nothing shows il post up some info on it

 

[Guest]

here ya go if yu need any more let me know

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[wonwinglo]

***Thats true Nigel,but take a closer look this airfield is further North that Sawbridgeworth,almost on the approach to Stansted,I am wondering if it could have been a relief landing ground of some sort ?

Sawbridgeworth had coir matting thats why nothing shows il post up some info on it

 

[Guest]

If you see the lat and long that is on the plan it is the same as the pic so it should be the same field

 

[wonwinglo]

***So it looks as if it is the old Army Co-op Lysander base after all,what stories that could tell,pan in and the ground looks very odd,would the mesh still be in place I wonder ?

If you see the lat and long that is on the plan it is the same as the pic so it should be the same field

 

[Guest]

just as a foot note i have the same mini plans for every ww2 airfield that existed in this country if any one wants any

 

[wonwinglo]

If you have Baginton & Honiley Nigel I would be very interested.

I should like to build a model of the former one,when I worked there,there were signs of bullet holes in the hangars,the Polish aircrew used to shoot birds out of boredom in the rafters,during the air raids on Coventry they wanted to get up in their Hurricanes,but they were forbidden to do so and went beserk.

 

[Guest]

sorry late posting back here but just to assure you it is NOT sawbrideworth.....in fact it is about 7 miles away from sawbridgeworth and about 10 miles away from stansted airport. will go later today to get pictures!!!!

you right about runways...etc leaving darkened areas of grass/mud though so its all quite confusing!

 

[Guest]

Any info on Baldoon in Wigtownshire SW Scotland ? Maintenance airfield ?

 

[wonwinglo]

Could have the answer,there was a WW1 landing ground,take a look at these-

Mathams Wood which became part of RAF Sawbridgeworth at

Grid Ref TL460180 or Lat / Long N5150-E00007

The main WW2 airfield at

Grid Ref TL465178 or Lat / Long N5150.08-E00007.13

WW1 NLG at

Grid Ref TL466173 or Lat / Long N5150-E00007

 

[wonwinglo]

***RJ Information has been relayed,any more leads will be posted here,photograph any distinctive buildings or landmarks.

sorry late posting back here but just to assure you it is NOT sawbrideworth.....in fact it is about 7 miles away from sawbridgeworth and about 10 miles away from stansted airport. will go later today to get pictures!!!!you right about runways...etc leaving darkened areas of grass/mud though so its all quite confusing!