I heard from my good friend, that the recently refurbished RAF Grafton Underwood Memorial, has been ‘attacked’ by as yet unknown people or persons and has had the two flags (the Union flag and the Stars and Stripes) that flew on the masts, removed and burnt. 

This is particularly sad as a lot of hard work had gone into the refurbishment after a long battle with local land owners and officials. 

The good news is that the memorial itself was not harmed and that the ‘opening’ will go ahead as planned. Veterans of Grafton will be joind by locals as the memorial is dedicated and officialy opened. A fly past by the B17 ‘Sally B’ is also scheduled to take place at the dedication. 

Why people do such things is beyond me, I can only hope that they are found and dealt with appropriately.  

Great news for Woodhall Spa!

Over the last few days I’ve been posting updates about the work continuing at the Grafton Underwood (Station 106) memorial,  which was home the to 384BG, Eighth Air Force. 

I have now been told that the flags are finally in place and flying proudly over the airfield once more – the first time in 70 years. 

Grafton was home to a number of bomb squadrons, with the 384th  BG there between May 1943 and June 1945. They took part in the ‘Big Week’ bombing operations operating B-17s from this site. Raids on prestige targets such as Schweinfurt, eamed the group a number of Unit Citations, reflecting both the dedication and  bravery of its many crews, a number of which never returned home. 

Grafton Underwood can once again proudly display it’s links with the USAAF, as this little piece of America finally comes to life once more. 



Picture courtesy of Kevin Fleckner the memorial curator. 

I recently published an update on the Grafton Underwood memorial, saying how there was now a parking spot and improvements to the site generally. Well further good news is that two flag poles have now appeared and the Stars ‘n’ Stripes along with the Union flag will soon be flying once more over the former USAAF base. 

It’s been 70 years since the flag was lowered and about time it flew once more! ‘American ghosts’ trail 6 

It’s been a little quiet on the trials, for me, school work has taken over and it’s been difficult to get out and about. But as the year draws to an end, we can see progress has definitely been made and the blog has taken many steps forward in its development.

Each completed trail reveals many little anecdotes that deserve to be researched further and shared. Personal stories of heroism, dramatic tales of sacrifice and tragedy, each one a story of one individual’s life and death.

There are many people out there who share our interests. Before visiting these wonderful places, I like to see what others have seen before. Their records provide a great reference as to the extent of decay and the loss of these historic sites. It never fails to amaze, how quickly not only developers take over, but Mother Nature herself. A powerful force, she very quickly sows her seeds and before long brambles, bushes and trees reduce these old buildings to rubble.

Many of us believe that the historical impact of these airfields should be much better preserved. I for one, appreciate the need for housing and cost of maintenance etc but there must be a compromise so everybody ‘wins’. One suggestion is that with each development contract there could be a clause to restore, renovate and preserve a small element of each site so that generations to come can witness some small part of what happened in these amazingly emotive places. Perhaps our planners could consider all options before the last remaining sites disappear for ever.

There are currently a number of projects around the UK who are striving to preserve remnants of these sites, some with small successes, but it is all an uphill struggle. It is hoped that by raising awareness and sharing the trails, we can do our small part to help keep the memories of those brave young men and women who fought a war, some a very long way from home, very much alive.

Here’s to 2015, more trails and maybe some revisits, thank you to all those who have read, commented and contributed to the blog, it’s great to have you onboard and to share our common thoughts. We look forward to reaching out to many more in the coming months.

I would like to give a big personal special thank you to Marcella who has helped with much of the research, I know it has become a very big part of her life too and together we have learnt so much about those days back in the 1940s.

A merry Christmas and a happy and safe new year to you all.

Andy and Marcella.

LR503 a DH Mosquito that flew more missions than any other allied aircraft in World War 2, 213 missions in all.

The 1000th B-17 constructed at the Douglas Long Beach Plant, USA, number 42-38113, went to serve with the 457th BG at RAF Glatton. Named ‘Rene III’ by its crew, it served its last mission, No. 214, on March 21st 1945 over Hopsten, when it was hit by flak, and crashed. Luckily all but one of the crew, Aircraft Engineer, Sgt William Wagner, evaded capture. Glatton has now been updated and added to ‘American Ghosts‘.

A small active airfield, it was once a thriving community, housing a vast number of American crews and support staff. All that remains is a water tower, sections of the runway and a superbly crafted memorial stone. But, hidden away in the local church, someone is watching out for missing comrades.

Col Luper with ‘Rene III’ the 1000th Douglas built B17 at Glatton, England.

After much planning and organising the Canadian Warplane Heritage Avro Lancaster Mk X (KB726) C-GVRA has finally taken off on her epic once in a lifetime voyage, to join the only other airworthy Lancaster at RAF Coningsby, England.

The two aircraft will fly around a number of airshows and events commemorating the Canadian involvement in World War 2.

The aircraft will fly over the North Atlantic and the crossing will include en-route stops at Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada, possibly Narsarsuaq, Greenland, and Keflavik, Iceland, prior to arriving at RAF Coningsby on Thursday 8th August.

It is intended the tour will last for about 2 months which will include maintenance, hangar tours and displays including flypasts over a further Lancaster at East Kirkby giving a total of 12 Merlins running simultaneously.

A full list of tour dates are available from the website or here.

An incredible achievement that will be welcomed by many people both in the UK and world-wide.