Trail 67- Northants and Bedfordshire Twinwood Farm (Part 4)

October 31, 2026October 11, 2026 / Aviationtrails / 2 Comments

Part 3 of this trail saw the arrival of the Americans, a new name being added and a perplexing mystery about to unfold.

A mystery emerges.

In 1944, Twinwood Farm became etched into history as the last place Glenn Miller was seen alive. Miller, the pre-war musician who had revolutionised popular music with his distinctive style and sound, had enjoyed enormous success in America with hits such as In the Mood, Moonlight Serenade and Chattanooga Choo Choo. But after the United States entered the war, Miller was determined to use his music to support the armed forces overseas, while the loss of several key members of his orchestra to military service also encouraged him to find a way of contributing to the war effort.

Maj. Glenn Miller in a relaxed pose. (IWM UPL 28085)

After initially being refused by the Navy, Miller joined the US Army on 7 October 1942. He eventually became involved with the Army Air Forces, where his musical expertise was put to use in developing military bands and entertainment for service personnel.

His eventual deployment to Britain came at the request of General Eisenhower, who wanted Miller to contribute to the Allied Expeditionary Forces’ programme and help maintain the morale of troops in Europe. Miller arrived in Britain in June 1944 and, after a short period in London, moved his organisation to the Bedford area.

On 9 July, Miller and his new band rehearsed at the Bedford Corn Exchange. The performance was broadcast on the AEF network that evening and was a huge success. It was the beginning of a period in which Miller and his musicians would perform at bases across Britain, with hangar dances becoming a popular way of raising morale among war-weary personnel. Miller had become a phenomenon.

But the joy Miller was bringing to Allied personnel was to be short-lived. In December, he was asked to travel to Paris to make arrangements for a forthcoming performance. He accepted an invitation to fly with Lt. Col. Norman Baessell, who was serving with VIII Air Force Service Command and was himself travelling to Paris on temporary duty.

Military driver Edward McCollough drove Miller to Twinwood Farm, from where Miller had departed on previous occasions with his band for concerts. There, he boarded a small Noorduyn UC-64 Norseman with Flight Officer John Morgan and Lt. Col. Baessell.

The aircraft took off from Twinwood at 13:55 on 15 December 1944 in thick fog. It was never seen again. Miller was officially declared missing on 18 December and was subsequently declared dead.

The nature of Miller’s disappearance has haunted historians ever since. His small aircraft disappeared somewhere on the journey across the Channel and neither it, nor its three occupants, was ever found. The absence of any wreckage or bodies inevitably encouraged speculation, and over the decades numerous theories have emerged.

Former hangar now a music venue stage.

These have ranged from claims that Miller never left Britain to suggestions that he was killed in Paris, accidentally shot by American military personnel or even deliberately executed by members of the OSS. Another theory has blamed bombs jettisoned by returning RAF aircraft. There have also been claims from supposed eyewitnesses who said they saw either the aircraft or Miller after he had officially disappeared.

None of these theories has been conclusively established. The disappearance of one of the wartime era’s greatest musicians therefore remains one of the enduring mysteries associated with the Second World War.

Miller’s disappearance is not the only mystery associated with Twinwood Farm, but it is perhaps the strongest link between the airfield and the world of wartime secrecy. The surrounding area was heavily populated with airfields, transmitting stations and operational establishments, some of which were connected with clandestine Allied activities.

Among these were establishments associated with the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Both organisations operated in considerable secrecy, and much of their wartime work remained obscure for decades afterwards. Their activities inevitably contributed to the mythology that subsequently grew around the airfields and installations of Bedfordshire.

However, this is an area where caution is needed.

During the research for this trail, repeated claims were encountered suggesting that SOE or OSS agents assembled at Twinwood Farm before departing on secret missions. Despite extensive investigation, no contemporary documentary evidence has been found to support these claims.

It seems likely that the story has become confused with the well-documented activities at nearby RAF Tempsford, where agents were housed at Gibraltar Farm before embarking on clandestine flights into occupied Europe. Given the close proximity of the two airfields, the American presence at nearby Milton Ernest Hall and Miller’s links with the USAAF, it is perhaps unsurprising that local memories and later accounts have occasionally merged these separate wartime stories.

As far as the evidence currently shows, the American use of Twinwood was considerably less dramatic. The USAAF used the airfield as part of its wider network supporting VIII Air Force Service Command, with American aircraft using the station for the movement of officers, supplies, equipment and personnel. It was a useful staging and liaison point rather than a major American operational base.

Twinwood therefore remained, fundamentally, an RAF airfield operating alongside an additional American role. Under the USAAF’s identification system it was designated Station 506, or Milton Ernest (Twinwood Farm), but there is no evidence that the Americans took ownership of the airfield itself or assumed exclusive control of its facilities.

The war’s end and hope for the future.

In the summer of 1945, the war came to an end and many of the OTUs, now surplus to requirements, were disbanded. The axe fell heavily, and 51 OTU was one of the units to disappear, with June 1945 signalling its demise.

With its departure, RAF Twinwood Farm was left without any flying units, and only a small number of personnel remaining on site. It remained in this state for several months.

On 2 January 1946, the site was transferred to the Ministry of Aircraft Production, ceasing to operate as an RAF station by the end of the month. This move, however, did not signify the end of Twinwood as an aviation establishment.

In the post-war years, Twinwood’s links with both Thurleigh and Little Staughton would continue through an ambitious plan to create Britain’s foremost aeronautical research establishment, one intended to rival the famous Muroc test facility, later Edwards Air Force Base, in California.

The scheme, first conceived as early as 1944, recognised that the next generation of aircraft would be larger, faster and more powerful than anything seen during the war. Britain needed somewhere capable of developing and testing these advanced designs, requiring extensive flying space together with specialised research laboratories and engineering facilities. After examining a number of potential sites across England and Wales, the Ministry selected the neighbouring airfields of Thurleigh, Twinwood and Little Staughton.

Inside the watch office.

The proposal was bold. Thurleigh and Little Staughton would be linked by an immense runway planned to extend for more than five miles, creating an aviation research runway on a scale never before attempted in Britain. Twinwood, connected by a taxiway, would become the scientific and engineering centre of the establishment, providing maintenance, workshops and the wind-tunnel complex that would support Britain’s rapidly developing aircraft industry.

Although the scale of the proposal would undoubtedly have transformed the surrounding countryside, it never progressed beyond the planning stage. Financial pressures and changing post-war priorities meant the giant runway was abandoned, and the establishment instead developed as separate but closely linked sites. Under this revised plan, Thurleigh became the principal experimental flying airfield of the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE Bedford), while Twinwood became the centre for aerodynamic testing.

Twinwood’s role nevertheless proved to be of national importance. As the war ended, Allied scientific teams moved quickly to secure Germany’s remarkable advances in aeronautical research. British, American and Soviet specialists examined laboratories, experimental aircraft and technical records, recognising that German engineers had achieved significant progress in areas such as high-speed flight, swept-wing design, compressibility and rocket propulsion.

British teams investigated a number of Germany’s principal research establishments, including the Aerodynamische Versuchsanstalt (AVA) at Göttingen, the research facilities at Braunschweig and the extensive experimental centre at Peenemünde. Thousands of technical reports, drawings and research papers were recovered and analysed, providing an invaluable foundation upon which Britain’s own post-war aeronautical research programme could be built.

Although the wind tunnels later constructed at Twinwood were British-built, they reflected many of the lessons learned from these German investigations and embodied the latest understanding of transonic and supersonic aerodynamics.

Within this scaled back plan, Twinwood became the centre for wind-tunnel research while Thurleigh remained responsible for experimental flying. Little Staughton, no longer required, was omitted from the project altogether.

Parts of the former wartime airfield at Twinwood were transformed into a modern scientific research complex containing the High Speed Laboratory, offices, engineering workshops, model shops and five major wind tunnels capable of investigating everything from low-speed handling characteristics to transonic and supersonic flight. Among these was the remarkable Vertical Spinning Tunnel, designed to study the behaviour of aircraft during stalls and spins, one of the principal causes of fatal flying accidents during the Second World War.

Despite the reduction in scale, the completed facilities still formed one of the most advanced aeronautical research centres in Europe, a status it retained throughout the 1950s and 1960s. This enabled Twinwood to contribute to the development of many of Britain’s most significant post-war aircraft.

Construction of the wind-tunnel complex began in 1948 under Dorman Long & Co. Ltd. of Middlesbrough together with Whessoe*⁷. The project was itself a notable engineering achievement, pioneering the on-site welding of large pre-formed steel plates to create the enormous pressure vessels required for the wind tunnels, a technique that was virtually unprecedented in Britain at the time.

The first of Twinwood’s major facilities entered service in 1955. Although the wider vision of a unified aeronautical research establishment centred on a five-mile runway had never been realised, the completed Vertical Spinning Tunnel represented a major advance in aerodynamic research. Standing 24.4 metres high and measuring 13.7 metres in diameter, it remained one of the most distinctive structures on the site and survives today as a Grade II listed building, recognised for both its engineering significance and its place in Britain’s post-war aviation heritage*⁸,*⁹

The site containing the wind tunnels was sufficiently far from the main airfield not to interfere with any flying that might take place. This allowed Twinwood, in the mid-1950s, to unexpectedly find another new role, this time as a flight-test airfield for gliders.

Engineers and test pilots from Slingsby, used the former wartime station to conduct meticulous performance trials on the company’s latest sailplanes. These experiments, carried out over many months using carefully controlled glide tests and supported by wind-tunnel investigations, contributed to the development of one of Britain’s most successful post-war competition gliders.*¹⁰

This short-lived reprieve for Twinwood did not, unfortunately, lead to any long-lasting aviation revival. In 1983, the Ministry of Defence finally put Twinwood Farm and its land up for sale.

The farm, which had been leased to A. T. Quenby since 1962,*¹¹ consisted of a house, a bungalow and the usual mix of farm buildings. Other buildings remained from the RAF’s days, including a corrugated-iron hangar adjoining Little Oakley Wood, measuring 89 feet by 45 feet, together with a mess room and Nissen huts used as stores, measuring 91 feet by 28 feet.

With that, this small airfield returned to agriculture. The business park was subsequently sold and resold, developed and redeveloped. It remains today, although many of the original buildings have been removed.

The landowner of the airfield site has agreed to allow the watch office to become a thriving Glenn Miller memorial, while many of the surviving huts in the area have become museums documenting wartime life both on and off the airfield.

Another part of the site has become a music venue, staging regular festivals featuring music from the 1940s through to more modern times. It even utilises one of the remaining original hangars as a stage.

Although much of the former airfield has disappeared beneath later development, a small part of Twinwood survives. Through these developments, the memory of both Glenn Miller and the important work of the OTUs has been allowed to live on.

Twinwood’s legacy.

Twinwood Farm was a small and relatively insignificant airfield when it was established. Yet, despite continual struggles with accommodation, storage and the practical challenges of creating an operational station from open farmland, its personnel quietly made an important contribution to Britain’s air defence. Thousands of training sorties prepared numerous night-fighter crews for the demanding task of defending Britain’s skies after dark, while the airfield also supported Army Co-operation duties and became home to a variety of aircraft and units throughout the war.

Its post-war years were no less significant. Ambitious plans to transform the region into a major aviation research establishment ultimately failed to materialise. Although Twinwood established itself as a major centre for wind-tunnel research, its use as an airfield eventually came to an end. Remarkably, from those quiet beginnings emerged first a museum and later a music venue, ensuring that the site continued to attract visitors long after the last military aircraft had departed.

Yet, despite all that Twinwood Farm achieved, this is not the story that ultimately secured its place in history.

It would be easy to remember Twinwood simply as the place from which Glenn Miller made his final flight. But that is only part of the story. By 1944, the airfield had quietly become an important link in the wider logistical network supporting Headquarters, VIII Air Force Service Command at nearby Milton Ernest Hall. While RAF night-fighter training continued, Twinwood simultaneously supported the American headquarters with liaison and transport flights, connecting the administrative heart of the Eighth Air Force with the rapidly developing campaign in Europe.

It was this little-known dual role that brought Glenn Miller to Twinwood on that cold December day in 1944. Without it, one of the world’s most celebrated musicians would almost certainly never have passed through its gates.

In the end, Twinwood Farm’s legacy extends far beyond the disappearance of a single aircraft. It is the story of an unassuming Bedfordshire airfield that quietly fulfilled many roles, adapted to changing demands and made a contribution to the Allied war effort far greater than its modest size ever suggested.

Sometimes history is not written by the biggest stations or the most famous squadrons, but by places that simply did their job exceptionally well when they were needed most.

The full story of Twinwood Farm can be found in Trail 67.

Sources and further information (Twinwood Farm).

*¹ RAFweb.org. website accessed 1.8.26

*² National Archives Operation Record Book AIR 27/321

*³ Jackson, R., & Ritger, L., P-51 Mustang. Pen & Sword Aviation, 2020.

*⁴ National Archives Operation Record Book AIR27/1563/9

*⁵ National Archives Operational record Book AIR 27/1094/1

*⁶ Bedfordshire Archives Website [ref: WW2/AR/C2/182].

*⁷ Historic England website accessed 27/7/26

*⁸ 28 days later website. Accessed 3/8/2026.

*⁹ Historic England Website. Accessed 3/8/2026.

*¹⁰ Ince, D., Combat and Competition* *Newton Publishers, 1992

*¹¹ Bedfordshire Archives Website. Accessed 8/8/2026.

National Archives: Operational Record Books: AIR 27/1563/9; AIR 27/1085/35, AIR 27/1085/37

IWM American Archive Website Accessed 16.8.26

The Bedford aerodrome website contains extensive material on the current and some historical use of Thurleigh.

The Bedford Aeronautical Heritage Group website (now closed but accessible) contains information about the work and history of RAE Bedford. It has since been moved to the FAST website below.

Farnborough Air Services Trust website offers endless information about the services of RAE Bedford and RAE Farnborough.

Bedfordshire and Luton Archive and Record Service has an extensive collection of Third London Airport material as part of the Bedfordshire County Council archive which includes material for all four original sites. It also has material from BARA.

PPRuNe forum has information, photos and personal information about the research at Thurleigh and Twinwood Farm.

Osbourne, M. Defending Bedfordshire: The Military Landscape from Prehistory to the Present. Fonthill Media, 2021

Jackson, R. P-51 Mustang. Pen and Sword, 2020

Conyers Nesbit, R. Missing: Believed Killed. Pen & Sword Military 2010.

Spragg, D. Glenn Miller Declassified. Potomac Books, 2017

Grudens, R., Chattanooga Choo Choo. Celebrity Profiles Publishing Company, 2004.

The museum website can be accessed at: https://www.twinwoodaviationmuseum.org/

Trail 67- Northants and Bedfordshire Twinwood Farm (Part 3)

October 24, 2026October 11, 2026 / Aviationtrails / 3 Comments

Part 2 of the trail saw Twinwood receive new aircraft in the form of the Tomahawk and then the P-51 Mustang. But that did little to alleviate problems on the base.

Newly delivered, the Mustangs soon found themselves grounded awaiting much need repairs and spare parts, none of which were readily available. But a change was coming, and soon, 169 Sqn was able to depart.

By 15 July, all but one of the Mustangs – which was still awaiting repairs – had left Twinwood and were at their new base at Doncaster. A new era was about to begin for them.

While 51 OTU continued to perform its training duties, other squadrons continued to come and go. The next to arrive was 239 Sqn, another Mustang Mk.I unit, which arrived at the end of August 1942.

The Mustangs had been patrolling the skies along the south coast around Brighton and Beachy Head, and as far inland as Gatwick, their former station. No sooner had they arrived than a small detachment was sent to Snailwell, leaving the squadron split between three airfields: Gatwick, Twinwood and Snailwell.

The Snailwell section took part in exercises and returned briefly in early September, only to transfer to Castle Camps to take part in further Army Co-operation activities. The Gatwick section continued covering the south coast, while those newly arrived at Twinwood practised night landings in their Mustangs.

This fluid movement at Twinwood continued until 22 October, when the entire squadron moved to Cranfield to take part in further exercises. This effectively ended its association with Twinwood.

At Twinwood, night training was always hazardous, even for experienced pilots. A nearby homestead, Rutters Cottages, was the site of a tragedy on 28 November 1942, when one of 51 OTU’s Havocs crashed close by. Its pilot, Sergeant Leonard James Casey, was sadly killed. A New Zealander from Herne Bay, Auckland, Casey was just 21 years old and was buried in Kempston Cemetery.*⁶

His aircraft, Havoc I BJ501, was undertaking a solo night-training exercise and, at the time of the crash, was carrying out overshoots. As the aircraft pulled away it suddenly entered a dive and crashed. Casey was not killed outright, but was taken to Bedford County Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

The Americans arrive and a reshuffle takes place.

By early 1943, the Eighth Air Force was gaining strength in Britain – the friendly invasion had begun. Lacking experience in night-fighter operations, the USAAF began sending airmen to Twinwood, where it was hoped they would benefit from British expertise, particularly that of the OTU.

One of these American units was the 417th Night Fighter Squadron, which arrived via Scotland on 11 May 1943.

Constituted as the 417th Night Fighter Squadron on 17 February that year, the unit came under the control of VIII Fighter Command, attached to the RAF. Its journey here began at Orlando Air Force Base, before moving to Kissimmee and eventually to Ayr on Scotland’s west coast, where a small detachment remained.

Exposed shelter at Twinwood.

Training in the United States had been undertaken on the P-70, a converted Douglas A-20 Havoc/Boston. The purpose of the conversion was to provide the USAAF with an airborne radar interception capability, something it lacked at the time. With upgraded engines, the P-70 also carried the British Mk. IV radar, specifically designed for airborne interception. Intended as an interim solution until the Northrop P-61 Black Widow became available, only 160 P-70s were ever converted.

Once in the UK, however, the men of the 417th found themselves training on Bristol Beaufighters rather than the P-70s with which they were familiar.

Conversion and training began quickly and progressed well however. Before long, the Americans were ready for their own aircraft and were transferred to RAF Scorton in North Yorkshire, where some twelve Beaufighters duly arrived. Training continued there until August, at which point the squadron was declared ready for combat.

Their theatre of operations, however, was not to be the dark skies of Europe but the warmer climate of Algeria. The squadron would eventually receive its P-61s, but not until March 1945, when it returned to Europe to undertake night-fighter duties protecting Allied bridgeheads as the advance into Germany continued.

It was also during 1943 that a renumbering of training units led to the resident 51 OTU, along with other OTUs across the country, being renumbered. This was connected with Operation Saracen, later revised as Operation Banquet, the contingency plan for countering a German invasion of Britain. Under the scheme, OTUs had 500 added to their existing numbers, redesignating them as squadrons. Thus, 51 OTU became 551 Sqn.

While some units readily adopted their new numbers, many continued to be referred to by their original OTU designations. Consequently, when 51 OTU became 551 Squadron RAF on 17 September 1943, it continued its night-training duties much as before. In practice, little changed and, as with many of these newly numbered units, no formal change in organisation took place, nor were they ever formally recognised as RAF squadrons in their own right.

1944 – winds of change.

Between 5 and 13 January 1944, a small detachment of 164 Sqn, equipped with Hurricane IVs and Typhoon IBs, visited Twinwood. Whilst here, they carried out practice dive-bombing attacks against mock targets, while the bulk of the squadron remained at Fairlop flying armed sorties.

They would stay briefly but return for another short period in February, when further practice flights involved ground strafing and battle-formation flying. The late-winter rain, however, curtailed many of the planned activities, with some days seeing no flying at all.

Although US aircrew had previously been present at Twinwood, no American aircraft had been located there. That changed on 29 January 1944, when during a ferry flight to King’s Cliffe, the right engine of P-38J 42-67873 failed while the aircraft was approaching the airfield. As the pilot attempted an emergency approach, the left engine also failed and a wheels-up landing was made. The aircraft, flown by Harry V. Dulick, was believed to have been salvaged and returned to service.

During 1944, Twinwood acquired a second identity: USAAF Station 506. This appears to have been an American administrative designation rather than a replacement for its RAF identity. The airfield remained RAF Twinwood Farm, while its location and facilities brought it into the wider network supporting the United States Eighth Air Force. The official USAAF designation was Milton Ernest (Twinwood Farm), Station 506.

Fire post.

The significance of this American connection was greater than a simple alteration of name. By 1944, VIII Air Force Service Command had become the vast logistical organisation responsible for keeping the Eighth Air Force operational across Britain and, following D-Day, on the Continent. Its headquarters was located at nearby Milton Ernest Hall, and Twinwood provided a convenient airfield for the movement of liaison aircraft, personnel, mail and equipment. The two sites were only a few miles apart, making Twinwood a useful addition to the American headquarters.

RAF activity continued alongside and dominated this American use. The night-fighter training role remained the airfield’s principal function, even after the resident training unit had been redesignated 551 Squadron in September 1943. The American presence was therefore an additional role rather than a complete takeover of the station. In fact, few local residents would have realised that their familiar RAF station was now being used as part of the wider logistical network supporting one of the largest air forces ever assembled.

It was this American connection that would ultimately secure Twinwood Farm’s place in popular history. Without the relationship between the airfield and the nearby headquarters of VIII Air Force Service Command, it is unlikely that one of the world’s most celebrated bandleaders would ever have passed through its gates. Yet, on a cold December day in 1944, the routine departure of a small American liaison aircraft would transform an otherwise unassuming Bedfordshire airfield into the setting for one of the Second World War’s most enduring mysteries.

With the arrival of American forces nearby a new association has begun. But this link, does little but lead to an intriguing mystery that has perplexed historians ever since. In the last part of the trail we see how Twinwood becomes famous and how its post war future looks temporarily bright.

The full story of Twinwood Farm can be found in Trail 67.

Is This the Final Nail in the Coffin for RAF Downham Market?

October 17, 2026October 11, 2026 / Aviationtrails / 8 Comments

More than eighty years after RAF Downham Market opened, another chapter in the story of the former airfield may be about to begin. But this change could also mark the beginning of the end for the remaining evidence of its wartime past?

Recent groundworks and excavations on the eastern side of the A10, around the former technical area, have raised questions about what might happen next. Is this simply preparation for a new industrial development, or could it be the start of something much larger?

The trenches crossing the former main runway. The new memorial is off to the left.

We know from previous developments that these ‘archaeological trenches’ are the forerunner of new developments, designed to establish the presence of any historically important features that may lay buried beneath the surface. And whilst at present, there are no confirmed plans to redevelop the entire former technical area, the available planning information suggests that further change is a real possibility.

A new industrial landscape

The Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk has allocated land at Bexwell Business Park for “employment and industrial use”. This is not a housing proposal. The Council’s adopted Local Plan identifies approximately 20 hectares of remaining land within the wider employment allocation.

The parachute room with heating vent.

In June 2026, planning permission was granted for 14 new industrial units on land west of Karoo Close. The development includes associated access and parking and is intended for industrial, storage and distribution uses.

That is the confirmed position. But the 14 units are only one scheme within a much larger area identified for employment development.

It would be wrong to suggest that permission has been granted to build across all the remaining land. Equally, it would be unwise to assume that the present development will be the last. The town itself has, like many towns across the country, been subjected to huge housing developments, and this is just another part of that process.

The question is now, whether or not these works are the first visible signs of a longer-term transformation of the former airfield.

More trenches. The buildings in the background are on the former technical site.

What will happen to the wartime buildings?

The long term concern is for the airfield, its remaining buildings and what will become of them.

The former technical area was an essential part of the wartime station. This was where aircraft equipment was stored, repairs and maintenance were carried out, and the ground organisation supported the aircrews and their operations.

Much has disappeared since the station closed in 1946, and many of those that are left are crumbling. In some cases walls are separating rendering them dangerous to the public. Yet a number of structures are still in reasonable condition. Of those that are left, they include the former Main Stores, Crew Locker and Drying Room, Link Trainer and transformer installation, together with other buildings associated with the technical site.

The crew locker room. The grassed area is where crews would wait, before a mission, ready to transfer to their respective aircraft.

Today, some stand within or alongside the modern business park. They may no longer look like parts of an RAF station, but their historical significance, design and shape has not disappeared.

There is currently no evidence that these surviving buildings are being cleared for demolition as part of the approved 14-unit scheme. Nor have I found an official proposal to demolish the technical area as a whole. However, there is also nothing to say they won’t.

Nevertheless, if further industrial development comes forward on adjoining land, the surviving buildings and other traces of the station could face increasing pressure. New buildings, roads, parking and infrastructure may change the setting of the old structures, even where the buildings themselves remain.

What are the excavations telling us?

The recent groundworks have also raised the question of archaeology.

Archaeological investigation is often required before major construction begins, particularly on land with a significant history. Excavations can identify buried foundations, concrete surfaces, drainage systems and other features that have survived beneath later development or agricultural use.

The former RAF station is certainly a site where such remains may exist. There may also be evidence of activity from much earlier periods. We know from previous excavations on other areas of the airfield that have now been developed, that Anglo Saxon and wartime artefacts, were discovered but were deemed as insignificant.

However, I have not been able to establish conclusively that the particular excavations currently visible are the archaeological work required for the new industrial units. Their appearance alone cannot prove that connection.

Inside the crew locker room. The far door is a modern addition.

It is reasonable to think that the work signals preparation for further development, but we must wait for documentary evidence before stating that this is what is happening.

The end of an era?

RAF Downham Market was an important part of Britain’s wartime air effort, later becoming associated with the Pathfinder Force and No. 635 Squadron. The station’s crews and ground personnel formed part of a much larger story of operations, sacrifice and service. Two airmen based at Downham were each awarded the Victoria Cross, almost unprecedented in wartime history.

Today, the landscape is very different. Fields, roads, businesses and modern development have replaced much of the airfield that wartime personnel would have recognised.

The surviving technical buildings are therefore more than old structures. They provide a physical link to the station’s working life and help us understand how the airfield operated.

Industrial development is not unusual on former RAF stations, and the needs of a modern community must be recognised. But there is also a responsibility to identify and record the historic remains before they are lost.

The current situation presents an opportunity to do that properly.

The wider allocation makes further development possible, but it does not establish exactly where or when it will happen, or which historic buildings might be affected.

So, is this the final nail in the coffin for Downham Market’s remaining wartime airfield?

It is too early to say. There is no evidence that the technical area is about to be demolished, but the landscape is changing and further industrial development remains a possibility.

For those of us who value the history of RAF Downham Market, the important thing is to watch what happens next, establish the facts and ensure that the remaining evidence of the station is properly recorded.

Once a wartime building or archaeological feature has been lost, it cannot simply be replaced.

Is the writing on the wall for these historic buildings?

The airfield has already surrendered much of its past to the passage of time. Whether the surviving remains can continue to tell their story alongside the new industrial landscape is a question that deserves attention.

Sources and further information

Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk – Adopted Local Plan: https://www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/homepage/257/adopted_local_plan

Planning application 25/00262/FM – Land West of Karoo Close, Bexwell Business Park. Search for the application number through the Council’s official planning portal: https://www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/info/20077/planning_applications/111/view_and_track_planning_applications

Borough Council – Local Plan examination documents: https://www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/local-plan-review-examination

This article reflects the information available in October 2026.

Trail 67- Northants and Bedfordshire Twinwood Farm (Part 2)

October 10, 2026September 13, 2026 / Aviationtrails / 3 Comments

in Part 1 of this trail, Twinwood was identified as a satellite airfield but gradually, as it grew, it became a station in its own right. However, development was slow, and it remained poorly equipped and overcrowded – it was not a pleasant place to be stationed. As we return in Part 2, things just get worse.

More personnel arrive and conditions worsen.

This use of Twinwood as a temporary airfield continued well into 1942. The first unit to arrive that year, transiting from Doncaster, was 613 Sqn, in early April. The advanced party travelled by road, leaving Doncaster at 09:00 hours on 10 April. The main party followed the next day, also by road, led by F.O. Adcock. They arrived at Twinwood that evening after a long ten-hour journey. A third group, travelling by rail, had arrived two hours earlier. Hot meals were prepared for the arriving personnel, providing a welcoming, if not false start to their new posting. The rear party, which closed up at Doncaster, arrived on the evening of 12 April, marking the beginning of a new episode in the squadron’s history.

On arrival at Twinwood, however, 613 Sqn found that the airfield was still under construction. Personnel from 51 OTU were settled in, whilst other accommodation was being occupied by 2791 Defence Squadron along with two additional Flights. Conditions were far from ideal. Some of the latrines were full, and a contractor had to be brought in to empty them. Worse still, 613 Sqn had no latrines specifically allocated to them and none were readily available elsewhere.

To add to the initial discomfort, an inspection by the Senior Medical Officers from both Cranfield and Group discovered that there was no hot water and no telephone available for 613 Sqn’s Senior Medical Officer. The medical facilities themselves were also totally inadequate for dealing with more serious cases.

It quickly became apparent that Twinwood was not going to be a particularly comfortable place to be, and soon personnel began to complain about the lack of proper food; tea and biscuits being provided after a hard day’s work rather than anything more substantial. All in all, it was far from the grand start they had been hoping for.

Operating in the Army Co-operation role, the squadron continued to perform daily flights, with the flying personnel and their aircraft mainly located at Western Zoyland. These flights consisted largely of quick-reaction scramble exercises in Tomahawks, known as FXQT, together with cross-country navigation exercises in Lysanders.

FXQTs were the equivalent of today’s QRA (Quick Reaction Alert), requiring aircraft to become airborne very quickly in response to an alert of an imminent threat. There were numerous false alarms, resulting in twenty-four FXQTs on 13 April and a further twenty-seven on 14 April.

It was during this period at Twinwood that 613 Sqn began upgrading its aircraft to the P-51 Mustang Mk.I, with ten being collected by aircrew, from Speke, on 15 April. With a further seventeen FXQT flights being made by the Tomahawks together with four flights ferrying personnel to Speke, it was a busy period at Twinwood, and all whilst training continued.

A spell of poor weather curtailed many exercises over the next few days, although some cross-country flights were made, along with air-to-air firing, photographic runs and supply drops. By 24 April, the skies had cleared and four airmen did manage to get their Mustangs airborne, gaining valuable experience on the new type.

Meanwhile, 51 OTU continued to operate its Blenheims. On 24 April, two of the aircraft suffered mishaps. In the first, a Sergeant Instructor with a Sergeant pupil-pilot and gunner were carrying out sodium flare landing practice when their aircraft landed too far along the runway. To avoid running off the end, the pilot swerved, careered across the flarepath and came to an ungainly rest just beyond it. A fire tender and ambulance were quickly on the scene, but there were no casualties and no fire broke out.

Later that same day, another Blenheim fell victim to a freak incident. After landing normally, its starboard engine suddenly burst into flames without warning. The crew quickly brought the aircraft to a halt and escaped, and once again the fire tender was quickly on the scene. However, while extinguishing the fire, chemical fluid used to douse the flames covered one of the crewmen, A/C Goodwin, who subsequently required treatment for his eyes. The situation was made more serious by the lack of a telephone for the medical officer.

Meanwhile, 613 Sqn’s problems on the airfield continued to develop. In a further attempt to ease the chronic storage problems, attention turned to the nearby Oakley Hunt kennels at Milton Ernest. The medical officer of No. 613 Squadron inspected the site with a view to commandeering it as a storage and motor transport (MT) maintenance facility.

Yet, like so many other efforts to solve the station’s difficulties, this promising solution quickly encountered another obstacle. Before the site could be used, the water supply from its well had to be tested. Sample bottles were obtained from RAF Halton, filled and dispatched for analysis. The results were deeply disappointing: the water was found to be contaminated by sewage and was therefore unfit for use. It was yet another setback in the seemingly endless struggle to turn Twinwood into a fully functioning and operational station.

For a short period in early May 1942, the weather improved and the crews of 613 Sqn made the best use of the opportunity. Aerobatics, formation flying, navigation exercises, combat flights and other training sorties quickly filled the better days.

Over the following weeks, the squadron collected more Mustangs, allowing an increasing number of training flights to be carried out.

It was midway through this period, on 11 June 1942, that Wing Commander Campbell-Voullaire arrived at Twinwood to form and take command of a new squadron, 169 Sqn. In preparation, a number of personnel were posted in to 613 Sqn as supernumeraries, ready to transfer directly to 169 Sqn when it became operational. Five unmodified Mustangs also arrived and awaited their new pilots.

Finally, at 00:01 hours on 15 June 1942, 169 Sqn officially came into being, and the personnel already posted in began to transfer across.

The following day, W. Cmdr. Campbell-Voullaire interviewed and addressed all the squadron personnel, explaining the reason for the squadron’s creation. He explained that, as soon as the Army invaded the continent, they would fly in support of the armoured divisions. Until then, he told them, each and every man should consider himself a member of the “fighting troops”, prepared to undertake whatever job was required. *⁵

Almost as soon as the squadron was formed, however, investigations began into the suitability of Doncaster as an alternative location for the unit. W. Cmdr. Campbell-Voullaire visited the airfield on several occasions over the following weeks to ascertain its suitability.

In the meantime, 169 Sqn continued to expand. The pilots and aircraft of ‘B’ Flight, 613 Sqn, formed the new ‘A’ Flight of 169 Sqn, while those personnel previously posted in formed its new ‘B’ Flight.

Over the next few days, additional vehicles arrived, along with two more unmodified Mustangs and a Tiger Moth. Tools and spares were less readily available however, and the ground crews had to rely on 613 Sqn for supplies. The unmodified Mustangs were essentially without radios, leaving their wireless operators with little to do. They were quickly attached to the squadron’s signals officer for further training.

With accommodation on the airfield now stretched even further, it was decided to billet the new crews of 169 Sqn at nearby Eastfield House. The food and bedding were considered ‘most satisfactory’, although the accommodation itself was somewhat overcrowded.

Living conditions at Twinwood remained an ongoing problem. The latrine arrangements had still not been fully resolved, and it was discovered that the contractor was emptying latrine buckets into the surrounding ground. An order was issued for this practice to cease, which it immediately did. On a more positive note, construction of more permanent accommodation was nearing completion, and some hopes were raised. While this offered hope for those stationed at Twinwood, it did little to relieve the immediate frustrations of crews still waiting for decent beds.

On 22 June, a further accident involving a 51 OTU Blenheim occurred. The aircraft, piloted by P.O. W. Gray, took off at 14:10 hours and crashed almost immediately, approximately two miles from the airfield. By the time the ambulance and crash team had arrived, P.O. Gray had climbed out of the Blenheim and had been given a lift to Bedford County Hospital, where he was admitted with injuries.

At 22:00 hours the following evening, No. 613 Squadron made history by carrying out its first night flight in the new Mustangs. Three pilots took off and completed the sortie without incident, marking another important milestone in the squadron’s transition to the new aircraft.

The achievement, however, was soon overshadowed by two events that tested the resilience of those at Twinwood. The first was relatively minor but nevertheless disruptive: the cameras being fitted to the Mustangs had been installed in an unsatisfactory position and had to be repositioned.

The second was a far greater tragedy. The body of AC2 R. Douglas was recovered from the River Ouse near Oakley Bridge, after he disappeared while bathing with colleagues. Despite efforts to find him, he had drowned, casting a sombre shadow over an already disappointing start.

At the end of June 1942, the many visits by 169 Sqn’s Wing Commander Campbell-Voullaire to the north, culminated in the movement of the squadron’s headquarters’ section to Doncaster. Fifty personnel went with them, leaving only a small detachment of aircraft and aircrew at Twinwood Farm. The move eased the pressure on accommodation slightly, but the problems faced by the station’s longstanding residents were by no means solved.

Throughout July, 613 Sqn carried out exercises with other squadrons at Sawbridgeworth, Snailwell, Castle Camps and Old Sarum. But the mood at Twinwood continued to deteriorate, with those remaining at the station now complaining on a regular basis.

This all came to a head on 7 July, when it was noted that the new huts intended exclusively for 613 Sqn had been completed. Yet officers, NCOs and junior ranks were still not allowed to use them, even though they stood just ten yards from where the men were currently sleeping. Much to the disapproval of the personnel, they were informed that they would have to wait until the entire site was completed before they could move into the new blocks.

If that wasn’t enough, the situation was then made worse by both the presence of the 169 Sqn detachment and an infestation of black beetles and earwigs in the old huts. Tempers began to fray.

169 Sqn was also experiencing problems of its own. On 4 July 1942, a crack was found in one of the hydraulic cylinders of a Mustang’s undercarriage during a routine inspection. As a result, all aircraft were grounded until remedial work could be carried out. However, the continuing shortage of spares and the tools needed to carry out the repairs did nothing to speed the process. The problem effectively nullified a new order to transfer all remaining aircraft and personnel to Doncaster.

Gradually, the necessary Mustang parts filtered through and repairs could be completed. Flights between Twinwood and the new station at Doncaster soon began and, before long, on 10 July, news arrived that fourteen fully modified Mustangs would soon be delivered to complement the unmodified aircraft already in use. Perhaps, at last, things were looking up for 169 Sqn.

As the situation appears to improve for 169 Sqn and those stationed at Twinwood, the future looks brighter. A new name and a new air force becomes linked to Twinwood and with it come new challenges.

The full story of Twinwood Farm can be found in Trail 67.

Trail 67- Northants and Bedfordshire Twinwood Farm (Part 1)

October 3, 2026September 13, 2026 / Aviationtrails / 1 Comment

In Trail 68 we continue our journey around Bedfordshire and its neighbour, Northamptonshire.

In this next leg of our journey, we travel a short distance to an airfield that despite its modest size and limited operational role, earned a unique place in the history of the Second World War.

It is an airfield that might have gone relatively unnoticed had it not been for one man. His legacy has endured in legend, but the circumstances surrounding his life have remained a perplexing mystery for historians ever since.

Today, parts of the airfield remain. The watch office is now a museum, while a few surviving buildings house displays covering both everyday life during the war and the history of the airfield itself. Other parts of the site have since been transformed into a popular music venue. Despite all this, much of the airfield’s history continues to remain relatively unknown.

In Trail 68, we delve into the history of the former RAF Twinwood Farm, an airfield whose story is far more intriguing than its modest appearance might suggest.

RAF Twinwood Farm

The 330-acre airfield of RAF Twinwood Farm is located four miles north of Bedford. It was a small airfield situated east of the River Ouse, on a plateau 275 feet above sea level. It shares the region with the former airfields at Thurleigh to the north, Little Staughton to the east and Poddington to the west. With other stations such as Tempsford and Grafton Underwood also nearby, it is a region rich in wartime history. In the post-war years, the airfields at Twinwood Farm, Thurleigh and Little Staughton would share an ambitious and promising future but ultimately the plans would come to nothing.

Over its history, Twinwood Farm has been known by several different names, reflecting changes in ownership, administration and local usage. During the Second World War, it initially served as RAF Twinwood Farm prior to receiving the title USAAF Station 506, officially designated by the Americans as Milton Ernest (Twinwood Farm) under Headquarters, VIII Air Force Service Command. It has also appeared in official documents and contemporary accounts as Twinwood Farm Aerodrome, RAF Station Twinwood Farm and Twinwoods, whilst in more recent years the site has become linked to Twinwood’s Business Park.

The watch office now a museum.

The name of the airfield was relatively unusual in itself, being one of the few that used a local farm as its namesake. Normally, RAF airfields took their names from the nearest village, aiming to avoid confusion with similarly named sites. American airfields, on the other hand, were given numbered designations to distinguish them from one another. To be named after a farm was therefore relatively unusual, sharing the honour with Mount Farm and Sutton’s Farm, perhaps two of the better-known examples.

The farm itself had its own history. Named Twin Wood Farm, it formed part of the Duke of Bedford’s Oakley Estate and was sold in 1918 as a large mixed farm of around 240 acres, with a modest farmhouse, extensive livestock and storage buildings, all supporting traditional agricultural methods. By the 1920s, it had been absorbed into the wider Quenby family farming unit, incorporating several other holdings. Valuation records of the period show an area of mixed building quality, with basic services and high rents, reflecting the economic pressures faced by large estate farms.

It was this land that would later be requisitioned by the Government for use as a military airfield – RAF Twinwood Farm.

The airfield was constructed by a number of different contractors, opening in the summer of 1941 under the control of No. 12 Group, Fighter Command. Initially, it served as a satellite airfield to RAF Cranfield in the defence of Bedford. As a minor airfield, it only had grass runways, which were later upgraded in 1942 to three hard runways. The main runway, running north-west to south-east, was 1,600 yards long; a secondary runway running south-west to north-east was 1,400 yards; whilst a third, running west to east was 1,100 yards long. All were the standard 50 yards wide. The runway foundations were constructed from concrete and topped with a mixture of wood and rubber chippings.

Storage and maintenance facilities were not as extensive as those found on larger airfields, but were typical of similar sites. There were just six blister hangars in which aircraft maintenance could be carried out, together with twenty-two hardstandings around the site. Accommodation was entirely temporary and could house up to 70 officers, 118 SNCOs and 740 other ranks. With accommodation for a further 150 WAAFs, the site was intended to house just over 1,000 personnel.

Accommodation for these personnel was provided across several dispersed sites, all located on the south-western side of the airfield. A mixture of hut designs was used, including the common Laing huts, some of which still exist today.

A view east over the airfield.

Operational life begins.

The operational life of Twinwood Farm began in the early months of 1941, when the airfield was used as a relief landing ground by No. 14 Service Flying Training School (formerly No. 14 Flying Training School), which had been formed at Kinloss in Scotland in April 1939. Although the unit operated a variety of aircraft types, including the Audax, Demon and Hind, and later larger aircraft such as the Anson and Oxford, its use of Twinwood was limited.

No. 14 SFTS moved out of Twinwood in August 1941 and was quickly replaced by No. 51 Operational Training Unit (OTU), which arrived on the 17th of that month. Whilst many other units would come and go, the OTU would remain as the primary user of Twinwood for the duration of the war.

Formed only a month earlier, No. 51 OTU was primarily based at RAF Debden in Essex, as part of No. 81 Group, Fighter Command, whose responsibility was to oversee the training units within the air force. The specific role of No. 51 OTU was to train pilots in night-time interception techniques, taking aircrew who had already completed their basic and advanced flying training and preparing them for operational service as night-fighter crews.

The majority of aircraft used for this specialised role were twin-engined types, initially Blenheims and Havocs, followed later by Beaufighters and Mosquitoes. Some of the crews trained in this way would likely go on to serve in the short-lived and ultimately unsuccessful Turbinlite squadrons elsewhere.

The OTUs were essentially the final stage in a progressive training system, where crews honed their skills before joining front-line squadrons. The focus was not simply on flying an aircraft, but on teaching crews the specialist skills required to perform their operational roles.

Night-fighter OTUs trained pilots and navigators, and later radar operators, in the use of Airborne Interception (AI) equipment. As night fighters, crews had to learn not only how to fly in darkness, but also how to operate in formation, use airborne radar, conduct air-to-air interceptions and carry out intruder operations. The latter involved flying over occupied territory to attack enemy aircraft as they landed or took off from their airfields, a tactic used to great advantage by both the allies and the Luftwaffe.

No. 51 OTU remained at Debden for only a short time before moving to Cranfield. While at Cranfield, a special Airborne Interception Conversion Flight was formed within the training unit. It would remain associated with the squadron for the remainder of the war and played an important role in the training of aircrew for the increasingly sophisticated night-fighter role.

The ‘Ops board’.

Cranfield, however, quickly proved to be too small, and it became apparent that another site was also needed to accommodate the increasing number of personnel and aircraft involved in the training programme. A satellite site was therefore sought. Although Twinwood was far from ideal, with only grass runways and relatively poor facilities, it featured as a strong contender. With pressure mounting, the site was quickly allocated to the unit, and development began.

By April 1942, the small satellite airfield had been provided with concrete runways, together with basic supporting facilities for aircraft maintenance, repairs and accommodation. It was during this period of development that No. 51 OTU moved in.

The importance of the work undertaken at Twinwood Farm cannot be understated, and to meet the growing demand for night-fighter and intruder expertise, another specialist training unit, No. 2 (Intruder) Squadron, operating within the OTU, transferred to Twinwood to carry out this role. The squadron continued in this way for just over a year before converting to the recently renumbered No. 60 OTU at High Ercall.

The demand for trained pilots was high. At Twinwood, the expectation was that around seven crews would complete the course each month, qualifying as intruder crews. By early 1943, this demand had increased further, with the number expected to pass through each month rising to sixteen. This placed an even greater demand on the instructors.*¹

No. 51 OTU would not have the airfield to itself however. Throughout this early period, a number of visiting units would use the site, many on a temporary basis while taking part in local and wider exercises.

On 30 September 1941, the first of these units arrived: two new squadrons that would use Twinwood as a temporary base. The first, 26 Sqn, stayed for just one day while transiting between RAF Barton Bendish in Norfolk and RAF Upwood in Cambridgeshire. ‘C’ Flight departed Barton Bendish at 08:30 hours, arriving at Twinwood at 13:00 hours. ‘A’ Flight arrived at about the same time, with the remainder of the squadron following at around 17:00 hours. To support the personnel, they brought rations with them from RAF Marham, Barton Bendish’s close neighbour.

The next day, the squadron’s Tomahawks operated out of Twinwood before moving on to RAF Upwood at around 18:30 hours. The air party left first, followed by the ground party, which transferred tools, tents and rations. A small section of the squadron remained at Twinwood until the following day, when they too departed heading directly for RAF Snailwell. Once, there, they re-joined the main body of the squadron, which had by then also moved on from Upwood.

Twinwood’s accommodation site.

The entire operation was a planned exercise designed to familiarise personnel with rapid changes in operational circumstances, something that was described by 26 Squadron’s Sqn. Ldr. Hadfield as “a great benefit to all”. *²

26 Sqn was an Army Co-operation unit and, in October, would perform ground-attack duties in France. However, the vulnerabilities of the Tomahawk were quickly exposed, its poor performance making it easy prey for faster Luftwaffe fighters. The squadron would soon replace these aircraft with the P-51 Mustang and would become the first unit to carry out Mustang operations over occupied France the following year. *³

Joining them, also via Barton Bendish, was another Army Co-operation unit, 268 Squadron, which had been carrying out ‘Bumper’ sorties over Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. It left Barton Bendish at 08:00 hours, arriving at Twinwood some time later. Immediately upon arrival, the squadron began performing tactical reconnaissance duties, carrying out eighteen sorties on the first day and a further eleven on the second. By 18:00 hours on that second day however, it too had departed, moving with 26 Squadron to Snailwell.

Their short stay was marred by two accidents. Firstly, F.O. Morris landed with the undercarriage of his Tomahawk IIa in the up position. Secondly, F.O. Barlow taxied his aircraft into a fuel bowser. In both instances, severe damage was done to the aircraft, although neither pilot was injured.*⁴

Tomahawk Mark I, AH769 at Boscombe Down, before serving with No. 268 Squadron

In Part 2 of this trail, yet more personnel arrive at Twinwood and the conditions for those residing here worsen.

The full story of Twinwood Farm can be found in Trail 67.

William R. Lawley Medal Of Honor – RAF Chelveston

June 13, 2026June 12, 2026 / Aviationtrails / 2 Comments

Throughout the Second World War, countless airmen pushed themselves beyond the limits of human endurance to save not only their crews, but also their aircraft. Wounded, exhausted, and flying bombers shattered by enemy fire, they somehow found the strength to keep going until the safety of England could be reached.

One such man was First Lieutenant William R. Lawley Jr. of the 364th Bomb Squadron, 305th Bomb Group. On his tenth combat mission from RAF Chelveston, Lawley fought to keep his crippled B-17 Flying Fortress in the air despite severe injuries and the loss of his co-pilot. For his extraordinary courage and determination that day, he was awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest award for gallantry.

Early Life and Childhood

William Robert Lawley Jr. was born on August 23, 1920 in Leeds, Jefferson County, Alabama, the son of William R. Lawley snr. and Emma Hazelwood.

He grew up in Leeds alongside his brothers and sisters in a close-knit and deeply religious family. A practising Baptist, Lawley regularly attended Leeds Baptist Church with his siblings.

Known as “W.R.” to his friends, Lawley attended Leeds High School, where he pitched for the school baseball team. He was well liked by his classmates and was often seen joking and laughing with friends before and after games. Reflecting on his school days many years later, the principal described him as average in most subjects, “not excelling in any particular subject” and “just one of the boys.” Like many youngsters of the time, he also had a particular fondness for ice cream. *¹

Lawley graduated in 1938 and, after a short period of civilian employment, joined the Sinclair Oil Company in 1941. Working as a delivery truck driver, he quickly earned a reputation as a dependable and hardworking employee. His professionalism, calm temperament, and friendly manner led colleagues and managers alike to describe him as a quiet, level-headed, ambitious young American. *²

Joining the Army Air Forces

Like many Americans, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 inspired Lawley to play his part in the war effort, setting him on a path that would change his life forever.

The following year brought both personal tragedy and new opportunities. While mourning the loss of his mother, he also enlisted for flying training, two events that would profoundly shape his future.

Lawley’s determination and continued work ethic soon paid dividends. In April 1943, while training at Altus Army Airfield, Oklahoma (established in 1942), he earned his pilot’s wings and received his commission as an officer. That same month, on 21 April, he married his sweetheart, Amelia Dodd, making it a period of both professional and personal celebration.

Following further training, Lawley was assigned to an operational crew. In November 1943, he and his fellow airmen were posted to the European Theatre of Operations as part of the 364th Bomb Squadron, 305th Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force, where he would serve as a pilot aboard the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.

His father, a former Baptist minister who now served as a volunteer circuit preacher, was immensely proud of his son’s achievements. Following the death of his wife, he remained devoted to William and, when his son served overseas, he carried a photograph of him in his pocket at all times. *³

Flying from RAF Chelveston

Flying the northern route, the 305th Bomb Group had first arrived in England in September 1942, operating initially from RAF Grafton Underwood (Station 106) in north Northamptonshire. In December of that year the group moved to RAF Chelveston (Station 105), where it served under the command of the formidable Colonel Curtis “Iron Ass” LeMay.

By the time Lawley arrived at Chelveston in late 1943, the group had already endured a brutal air war. Casualties had been heavy, experienced crews had been lost, and replacement airmen were urgently needed to maintain operational strength. Lawley was among those sent to reinforce the battle-weary unit.

He was soon flying combat operations, and by February 1944 had completed nine missions. His tenth would make him famous.

On 20 February 1944, more than one thousand aircraft from the First, Second, and Third Bomb Divisions participated in a major offensive against targets in Germany. The 305th Bomb Group, operating as part of the First Bomb Division, was assigned targets at Leipzig, Heiterblick, Abtnaundorf, Bernburg, and Oschersleben. If these could not be attacked, crews were authorised to strike targets of opportunity.

The bomber force crossed the continent before separating to attack their designated objectives, intending to regroup for the long return journey to England. Although weather conditions were poor, Allied fighter escorts succeeded in disrupting many German attacks. For the crew of Lawley’s B-17, however, the mission would become a desperate struggle for survival.

Flying B-17G-30-DL 42-38109, Cabin in the Sky (WF-P), Lawley departed the target area with his bomb load still aboard after frozen release mechanisms prevented it from being dropped. Without warning, the aircraft came under a devastating head-on attack from German fighters. A cannon shell tore into the cockpit, killing co-pilot 2nd Lt. Paul Murphy and severely wounding Lawley in the face.

The assault, launched by approximately twenty enemy fighters, left every surviving crew member wounded and set one of the aircraft’s engines ablaze. The damaged bomber entered a steep dive that appeared uncontrollable. Despite his injuries, Lawley forced the dead co-pilot’s body away from the controls with one hand while fighting to regain command of the aircraft with the other. Blood covered the cockpit, visibility was severely restricted, and freezing air rushed through holes torn in the windscreen.

Fearing an explosion, Lawley ordered the crew to bail out. No one did. Some men were too badly wounded to leave the aircraft, while those still capable of escaping refused to abandon their injured comrades.

As enemy attacks continued, the burning engine was eventually extinguished, only for another engine fire to erupt shortly afterwards. Then came a small but crucial piece of good news. The bombardier succeeded in releasing the jammed bombs, reducing the aircraft’s weight and giving Lawley a better chance of keeping it airborne.

Acutely aware that Lawley was weakening from blood loss and exhaustion, the aircraft’s bombardier Lieutenant Harry Mason, assisted him at the controls. When Lawley eventually collapsed, Mason helped keep the aircraft under control until the wounded pilot recovered sufficiently to resume command.

The crisis was far from over. With two engines disabled, fuel shortages soon created a new danger. Another engine failed, leaving the Flying Fortress struggling to remain airborne on a single functioning engine. Against all odds, the battered aircraft crossed the English coast.

Relief was short-lived. Fire was once again spreading across the wings and the aircraft was rapidly losing altitude. As the crew searched desperately for somewhere to land, the small fighter station, RAF Redhill, came into view.

B-17 42-38109 ‘Cabin in the Sky’, after crash landing at RAF Redhill. (IWM UPL 55733)

Despite his injuries and exhaustion, Lawley managed to bring the crippled bomber down in a remarkably controlled crash landing. Of the ten men aboard, nine survived and eventually returned to duty. Only Paul Murphy lost his life.*⁴

For his extraordinary courage, determination, and flying skill, Lawley was awarded the Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest award for gallantry. His citation reading:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty, 20 February 1944, while serving as pilot of a B-17 aircraft on a heavy bombardment mission over enemy-occupied continental Europe. Coming off the target he was attacked by approximately 20 enemy fighters, shot out of formation, and his plane severely crippled. Eight crewmembers were wounded; the co-pilot was killed by a 20-mm shell. One engine was on fire, the controls shot away, and 1st Lt. Lawley seriously and painfully wounded about the face. Forcing the co-pilot’s body off the controls, he brought the plane out of a steep dive, flying with his left hand only. Blood covered the instruments and windshield and visibility was impossible. With a full bomb load the plane was difficult to manoeuvre and the bombs could not be released because the racks were frozen. After the order to bail out had been given, one of the waist gunners informed the pilot that two crewmembers were so severely wounded that it would be impossible for them to bail out. With the fire in the engine spreading, the danger of an explosion was imminent. Because of the helpless condition of his wounded crewmembers 1st Lt. Lawley elected to remain with the ship and bring them to safety if it was humanly possible, giving the other crewmembers the option of bailing out. Enemy fighters again attacked but by using masterful evasive action he managed to lose them. One engine again caught on fire and was extinguished by skilful flying. First Lt. Lawley remained at his post, refusing first aid until he collapsed from sheer exhaustion caused by loss of blood, shock, and the energy he had expended in keeping control of his plane. He was revived by the bombardier and again took over the controls. Coming over the English coast one engine ran out of gasoline and had to be feathered. Another engine started to burn and continued to do so until a successful crash landing was made on a small fighter base. Through his heroism and exceptional flying skill 1st Lt. Lawley rendered outstanding distinguished and valorous service to our nation.

Lawley received his award from Lieutenant General Carl Spaatz at High Wycombe in August 1944.

First Lieutenant William R. Lawley, Jr., is congratulated by Lieutenant General Carl Spaatz on the award of the Medal of Honor, 8th August 1944, at High Wycombe (IWM UPL 55737)

Lawley returned to duty remarkably quickly and, as a First Lieutenant, flew a total of fourteen combat missions before completing his operational tour in June 1944. In September of that year he returned to the United States.

Continued Service

Remaining in military service, Lawley was subsequently assigned as a public relations officer at Hendricks Field Army Airfield near Sebring, Florida, a training base for B-17 and B-24 crews, where he was promoted to Captain.

In January 1945 he completed advanced public relations training at Craig Field, Alabama, and the Air Tactical School at Tyndall Field, Florida. During this period he also served as an aide to General Muir S. Fairchild at Maxwell Field, Alabama.

Lawley’s military career continued to advance. He was later assigned to Headquarters, United States Air Force, in Washington, D.C., serving as an administrative assistant to Major General David M. Schlatter on a special weapons assignment. In August 1949 he was promoted to Major.

As a major, Lawley undertook a series of specialised assignments. He completed courses at the Navy Language School at Fort Myer and the Strategic Intelligence School in Washington, D.C. Following this training, he was posted to Brazil as Assistant Air Attaché, receiving promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and serving there until 1954.

In subsequent years he attended the Air Command and Staff School at Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Upon graduation he assumed command of the 55th Air Refuelling Squadron at Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas.

Lawley remained on active service for many years, holding a variety of senior appointments at Forbes, including Aircrew Maintenance Staff Officer for the 21st Air Division, Deputy Base Commander, and Deputy Vice Commander of the 815th Combat Support Group.

His final promotion came on 27 March 1959 when he was promoted to Colonel. In January 1963 he became Assistant Phase Chief and Director of Curricular Affairs at the Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base. After three decades of military service, he retired in 1972.

The Final Chapter

William Robert Lawley Jr. died on 29 May 1999 at Montgomery Hospital, Alabama, aged seventy-eight.

Remembered as a softly spoken, hardworking man with traditional values, he was buried in the Veterans’ Field of Honour, Section 12, Greenwood Cemetery, Montgomery.

His funeral service was held in Chapel No. 2 at Maxwell Air Force Base and was conducted by Colonel Emilio Chaviano. He was survived by his wife of fifty-six years, Amelia “Amy” Lawley, daughters Susan Decker and Anne Sheftic, son William Lawley III, and five grandchildren. *⁵

RAF Chelveston appears in Trail 66, and RAF Grafton Underwood in Trail 6.

Sources:

*¹ “Congressional Medal Winner From Leeds Is Ordinary Boy” The Birmingham News, Birmingham, Alabama, 09 Aug 1944, Wed, Page 10 via newspapers.com website

*^{2, 3} “Pilots Brings Back Crippled Flying Fortress Safely” Dixon Evening Telegraph, Dixon, Illinois, 3 Jun 1944, Page 8. Via newspaper.com website

*⁴ Crew of Cabin in the Sky:

Pilot: 1st Lt. William R. Lawley, Jr.
Co-Pilot: 2nd Lt. Paul Murphy (KIA)
Navigator: 2nd Lt. Harry Seraphine
Bombardier: 2nd Lt. Harry Mason
Top Turret/Radio Eng.: SSgt Carroll Rowley
Radio operator: SSgt Thomas Dempsey
Tail Gunner: Sgt. Alfred Wendt,
Ball Turret: TSgt. Joseph Kobierecki,
Waist Gunner: Sgt. Ralph Braswell
Waist Gunner: Sgt Charles J. Spears (Probable)

A surviving crew photograph identifies the aircraft’s second waist gunner as Sgt. Spears. Records from the American Air Museum archive show Charles Joseph Spears serving with the 364th Bomb Squadron, 305th Bomb Group, making it highly likely that he was the crew member shown in the photograph and aboard Cabin in the Sky on 20 February 1944. Definitive confirmation would require a surviving mission loading list or crew roster for the aircraft.

Contemporary crew photographs identify the bombardier as Lt. Harry Mason. The Medal of Honor citation confirms the bombardier revived Lawley after he collapsed.

*⁵ “Hero: Lawley remained at post until he collapsed from exhaustion”. The Montgomery Advertiser, Montgomery, Alabama, 31 May 1999, Pages 1 and 2. Via newspaper.com website.

Congressional Medal of Honor Society. William R. Lawley Jr. Medal of Honor Citation. Accessed 27 May 2026.

IWM American Archive website Accessed 27 May, 2026

The Hall of Valour Project – William Robert Lawley website. Accessed 28 May 2026

1st Lt. E.S. Michael MOH – RAF Chelveston

May 30, 2026May 24, 2026 / Aviationtrails / 2 Comments

Every airfield has its heroes, and RAF Chelveston was no exception. Among the men who flew from the Northamptonshire base was 1st Lt. Edward Stanley Michael of the 364th Bomb Squadron. In April 1944, while flying a mission deep into Germany, he found himself at the centre of one of the most remarkable survival stories of the American air war. Wounded, outnumbered and flying a crippled aircraft, Michael’s determination to bring his crew home would earn him the Medal of Honour and secure his place in the history of RAF Chelveston.

Edward Stanley Michael was born on 2 May 1918 in Chicago to Stanley William Michael and Lillian Harriet Konior. He grew up in an industrial city defined by machinery, manufacturing and hard-edged practicality – an environment that perhaps influenced his early move into skilled technical work. He attended Chicago High School, graduating in 1936, and by 1940, was working as a machinist, a trade that demanded precision and patience in equal measure.

1st Lt. Michael (Wikipedia)

That practical grounding was interrupted by the growing pressures of global conflict. On 2 November 1940, he enlisted as a private in the United States Army Air Corps and was posted to Wheeler Field, Hawaii, where he was present during the Japanese attack of 7 December 1941. In 1942 he was selected for flight training, entering the demanding programme that transformed enlisted airmen into officers and pilots. By April 1943 he had earned his commission as a second lieutenant and completed both multi-engine and B-17 Flying Fortress training in Arizona and Washington State. It was during this period of intense preparation that he married Bertie Lee Parks in October 1943, later naming his B-17 Bertie Lee in her honour.

Serving with the 364th Bomb Squadron of the 305th Bomb Group at RAF Chelveston, Michael took part in numerous combat operations over occupied Europe and Germany. On 11 April 1944, he was piloting the B-17G Bertie Lee (42-37931) as part of a major bombing operation against targets in Germany, including the Focke-Wulf aircraft factory at Sorau. Other objectives for the 341 B-17s of the 1st Bomb Division included Cottbus, Dobberphul, Stettin and Trechel.

As the formation approached its target area, German fighters launched another ferocious frontal assault, a tactic that had proved highly effective against American bomber formations earlier in the air war. Michael’s aircraft, a Douglas-Long Beach B-17G-20-DL Flying Fortress (WF-D), soon became the focus of a determined enemy attack. To the crew, it appeared that the German fighters had singled them out, pressing home repeated assaults despite the presence of Allied escort fighters and the heavy defensive fire from the bomber formation.

The attack devastated the cockpit. Both Michael and his co-pilot, 2nd Lt. Franklin Westberg, were wounded, vital instruments were destroyed, oil coated the windscreen and the aircraft entered a 3,000-foot dive from which survival appeared impossible. With remarkable determination, Michael managed to regain control, only to discover that the bomb bay, still loaded with incendiaries, was on fire. Damage to the release mechanism meant the bombs could not be jettisoned, and the danger of an explosion increased with every passing moment.

The only apparent chance of survival was to bail out, so Michael gave the order. As the crew prepared to leave the aircraft, he was confronted by a horrific sight. Top turret gunner Jewel Philips was holding his injured eye in his hand while blood poured from a severe head wound. Despite his own injuries, Michael administered what aid he could before helping the gunner to the escape hatch. Philips was one of seven crewmen who managed to leave the aircraft.

With the co-pilot and the injured bombardier, Lt. Leiber, still on board, Michael decided that a crash landing offered their only realistic hope. While the crew fought to save the aircraft, the bombardier eventually succeeded in releasing the burning incendiaries. Through a series of violent evasive manoeuvres, Michael shook off the pursuing fighters and finally reached the relative safety of cloud cover.

Emerging from the clouds, the aircraft came under renewed attack from German flak. Michael brought the Fortress down to almost treetop height and headed towards England. Remarkably, the aircraft continued to respond despite the extensive damage it had suffered. They flew on for as long and as far as possible. Miraculously, they reached the English coast, but by now Michael was exhausted from his prolonged efforts and a severe thigh wound. The co-pilot took over, circling the aircraft while Michael recovered enough strength to attempt the landing himself.

With no hydraulics, the ball turret jammed in the lowered position, the undercarriage locked up and the bomb bay doors stuck open, the odds of survival remained heavily stacked against them. Against all odds, Michael retook control and brought Bertie Lee down at RAF Waltham near Grimsby in Lincolnshire, the damaged aircraft crunching and groaning across the grass before finally coming to a halt.

For his extraordinary actions and determination to save both his crew and aircraft, Michael received the Medal of Honour, the second such award made to a member of the 305th Bomb Group.

Bertie Lee after crash-landing at RAF Waltham (IWM UPL 40113)

1st Lt. Michael’s citation read*¹:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as pilot of a B-17 aircraft on a heavy-bombardment mission to Germany, 11 April 1944.

The group in which 1st Lt. Michael was flying was attacked by a swarm of fighters. His plane was singled out and the fighters pressed their attacks home recklessly, completely disregarding the Allied fighter escort and their own intensive flak. His plane was riddled from nose to tail with exploding cannon shells and knocked out of formation, with a large number of fighters following it down, blasting it with cannon fire as it descended.

A cannon shell exploded in the cockpit, wounded the co-pilot, wrecked the instruments, and blew out the side window. First Lt. Michael was seriously and painfully wounded in the right thigh. Hydraulic fluid filmed over the windshield making visibility impossible, and smoke filled the cockpit. The controls failed to respond and 3,000 feet were lost before he succeeded in levelling off.

The radio operator informed him that the whole bomb bay was in flames as a result of the explosion of three cannon shells, which had ignited the incendiaries. With a full load of incendiaries in the bomb bay and a considerable gas load in the tanks, the danger of fire enveloping the plane and the tanks exploding seemed imminent. When the emergency release lever failed to function, 1st Lt. Michael at once gave the order to bail out and seven of the crew left the plane.

Seeing the bombardier firing the navigator’s gun at the enemy planes, 1st Lt. Michael ordered him to bail out as the plane was liable to explode any minute. When the bombardier looked for his parachute he found that it had been riddled with 20-mm fragments and was useless. First Lt. Michael, seeing the ruined parachute, realized that if the plane was abandoned the bombardier would perish and decided that the only chance would be a crash landing.

Completely disregarding his own painful and profusely bleeding wounds, but thinking only of the safety of the remaining crewmembers, he gallantly evaded the enemy using violent evasive action despite the battered condition of his plane. After the plane had been under sustained enemy attack for fully 45 minutes, 1st Lt. Michael finally lost the persistent fighters in a cloud bank.

Upon emerging, an accurate barrage of flak caused him to come down to treetop level where flak towers poured a continuous rain of fire on the plane. He continued into France, realizing that at any moment a crash landing might have to be attempted, but trying to get as far as possible to increase the escape possibilities if a safe landing could be achieved.

First Lt. Michael flew the plane until he became exhausted from loss of blood, which had formed on the floor in pools, and he lost consciousness. The co-pilot succeeded in reaching England and sighted an RAF field near the coast. First Lt. Michael finally regained consciousness and insisted upon taking over the controls to land the plane.

The undercarriage was useless; the bomb bay doors were jammed open; the hydraulic system and altimeter were shot out. In addition, there was no airspeed indicator, the ball turret was jammed with the guns pointing downward, and the flaps would not respond. Despite these apparently insurmountable obstacles, he landed the plane without mishap.

After the war, Michael remained in military service, transitioning through the post-war restructuring of American air power and into the newly established United States Air Force. He served in both air transport and operational roles across the United States and the Pacific, attended Air University, and later trained on the B-47 Stratojet during the early Cold War period—an aircraft type that would also become familiar at RAF Chelveston.

Among his many decorations were the Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart and Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters. These, together with a long list of campaign and service awards, reflected a military career that spanned three decades, multiple theatres of operation and the transformation of American air power from the Second World War into the Cold War era. His service ultimately took him to the rank of lieutenant colonel before he retired in 1971 after 30 years in uniform.

Michael later married Louise Erdmann and remained active in military service until his retirement. He died on 19 May 1994 and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Springville, Utah County, Utah.

1st Lt. E Michael (kneeling right) with his crew 1943.(US Air Force)

Sources

*¹ Congressional Medal of Honour website. Accessed 5 August 2025

The full story of RAF Chelveston can be read in Trail 66.

Trail 66 – RAF Chelveston – Part 9 – The End of an Era

May 9, 2026March 11, 2026 / Aviationtrails / 4 Comments

Part 8 saw Chelveston at the crossroads of history. From the heroism of B-17 crews braving ferocious Luftwaffe attacks to the tense vigilance of Strategic Air Command jets in the early Cold War, the station had witnessed courage, innovation, and loss. Yet as international tensions shifted and technology advanced, even its longest runways and fortified hangars could not guarantee a future.

By the late 1950s, Chelveston faced an uncertain fate. What would become of a place that had once been alive with the roar of engines and the courage of men? Its final chapter was about to be written – but the outcome was far from certain.

During the late 1950s and early 60s, the world’s political landscape was shifting constantly and rapidly. France’s president, Charles de Gaulle, saw his country as a strong, independent nuclear power, wanting full control over its own defence. That vision did not accommodate large numbers of foreign – particularly American – forces on French soil. As a result, 1959 saw the start of a reduction in military numbers with strict limits being placed on the number of American forces allowed in France. Any personnel or equipment beyond this ceiling were required to leave immediately. This decision triggered a massive redeployment of forces, with many units being reassigned to Germany or Belgium, and others returning to the United Kingdom where they were accommodated at the so-called ‘Red Richard‘ bases, of which Chelveston was one.*²⁰

Over the next several years, France saw a steady reduction in American personnel and units, a process that would culminate in 1966 with President Charles de Gaulle’s announcement of France’s withdrawal from NATO’s integrated military command. The decision required the removal of all foreign forces from French soil by April 1967, bringing an end to more than a decade of a large-scale American presence.

To accommodate the early relocations from the continent, a number of Britain’s newly modernised airfields were selected – Chelveston among them. Alongside RAF Alconbury and RAF Bruntingthorpe, each station received elements of the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (TRW), the 42nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, of the 10th TRW, arriving at Chelveston in August 1959. Operating the twin-engined Douglas RB-66C Destroyer – electronic reconnaissance aircraft, eighteen of these machines, together with their crews and ground personnel, quickly took up residence. Shortly after their arrival, the aircraft were modified with updated electronic counter-measures equipment, reflecting the increasingly technical nature of Cold War aerial reconnaissance.

Douglas RB-66B Destroyer (U.S. Air Force photo)

The squadron remained at Chelveston for almost three years. Then, in the summer of 1962, both the 42nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron and the 19th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron departed their respective Midlands stations for deployment to Toul-Rosières Air Base in eastern France. The move placed the wing’s reconnaissance assets closer to the Central European front line at a time when aerial reconnaissance was increasing. For Chelveston, however, it marked the effective end of its active flying role. With the Americans steadily reducing their UK footprint and Bruntingthorpe facing closure, the departure of the RB-66s signalled the beginning of the station’s final chapter.

Project Clearwater and the End of the Reflex Era

So, once again, Chelveston was left devoid of all main front line squadrons. Facing a reduction in demand for Cold War bases – combined with both long expensive runways and a shift towards a more logistical, support and storage use – Chelveston’s runway was closed to all but infrequent, small aircraft – examples that could operate on shorter runways.

Before long, the airfield being used less and less, Chelveston closed to flying altogether, and it quickly reverted back to a reserve airfield status.

This shift in wider policy soon became formalised. On 26th July 1963, the United States Department of Defence announced ‘Project Clearwater’, the final phase in the reduction of American forces stationed on British soil.*²¹ Although Chelveston had already fallen largely silent, the base remained nominally under United States control while residual activities continued. That position ended on 19th June 1964, when Chelveston – together with RAF Fairford, RAF Greenham Common and RAF Sculthorpe – was formally closed and handed back to the Royal Air Force.

By 1st April 1965, Project Clearwater had effectively brought an end to Strategic Air Command’s Reflex bomber deployments in Britain, terminating large-scale rotational operations and leading to the inactivation of the 7th Air Division*²² Chelveston, retained by the RAF on a care-and-maintenance basis for a further period, would briefly assume a less glamorous role as a storage location for American equipment being withdrawn from the continent. The age of regular transatlantic bomber and reconnaissance operations from Northamptonshire had quietly drawn to a close.

From Runways to Renewables: The Final Transformation of Chelveston

With no flying units now operating from Chelveston, the runways and associated tracks began to deteriorate and break up. With the increasing demand for housing and the nearby new town of Milton Keynes expanding, hardcore was needed and Chelveston had a good supply just waiting to be quarried. The runways and perimeter tracks were all removed thus ending any chance of a reprieve for flying in the future. But it wasn’t to be the end of its military association just yet.

In 1977, Chelveston became home to a key part of the Royal Air Force’s Strike Command Integrated Communications System (STCICS). The site, equipped with a large array of antennas, formed an essential link in the RAF’s network, transmitting voice, data, and weather information to aircraft, and connecting military stations across the UK and beyond. For decades, it played a vital role in maintaining operational communications for Strike Command.

As technology and operational requirements evolved however, the Ministry of Defence upgraded the system, leading to the creation of the Defence High Frequency Communications Service (DHFCS). This new network integrated both air and naval communications into a single nationwide system, capable of maintaining secure links over long distances, and routing messages through a central control centre. By December 2003, with the network increasingly managed by civilian contractors, Chelveston was vacated once more, thus marking the end of its role in the UK’s high-frequency military communications infrastructure.*²³*²⁴

With their departure, the site became surplus to military requirements, and it was sold off in 2005, as a going concern. New businesses seeing it as a development opportunity, bought it up turning it into a diverse renewable energy park that is known today as Chelveston Renewable Energy Ltd.

A number of wind turbines have since been erected, all linked by the remaining remnants of the perimeter track. A solar farm has also been added, and the site has evolved into a major energy supplier utilising renewable energy sources.

Today, the former Chelveston airfield continues in this state, and little evidence exists of its previous life; the runways, perimeter tracks and buildings all having been removed. Dotted about, within the confines of the private area, a small number of temporary buildings are known to remain (as surveyed by Northamptonshire Archaeology in conjunction with West Northamptonshire Council) including one of the nuclear bomb stores, – the ‘igloo’. Because, of its excellent condition and rarity value, the structure has been put forward for long-term protection through the Scheduling process of West Northampton Council. The store is considered to be ‘well-preserved and a relatively unaltered example of a distinctive 1950s USAF munitions storage area’ which ‘comprises characteristic storage bunkers or “Igloos” inspection buildings, and perimeter fencing.’ *²⁵

Although largely privately owned, there is a footpath across the site running perpendicular to the post war runway. In addition, the Cold War accommodation blocks are still present adjacent to the site, and a small section is used by the Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service as a training centre, training fire-fighters.

On the ground little remains to be seen, and access to that is restricted. The concrete foundations used by the post war communications centre are visible, but otherwise, Chelveston, and its history, are merely records longing to be opened and read.

During its short wartime life, Chelveston witnessed many acts of great heroism. It bore heavy losses, saw significant developments in aerial warfare, and its crews endured sustained enemy attacks. Those who served here are now honoured by a memorial in the nearby village, a quiet reminder of the station’s wartime sacrifice. Yet the story of Chelveston did not end in 1945; for many years after the war, the airfield continued to play a major role in Europe’s front-line operations, a legacy that is not suitably acknowledged.

Now a thriving energy park its future has been sealed, The military have departed and private enterprise has taken over what little remains of its once glorious but reserved history.

The whole story of Chelveston can be read in Trail 66. Northants and Bedfordshire (Part 2)

Sources and Further Reading (RAF Chelveston)

*¹ Chelveston renewable Energy Park website. Accessed 24 June 2025

*² Chelveston Parish / Local history website. Accessed 24 June 2025

*³ Commonwealth War Graves Commission website. Accessed 5 July 2025

*⁴ The Airborne Assault Paradata website. Accessed 16 July 2025

*⁵ Air Force Historical research Agency Website. Accessed 18 August 2025

*⁶, *⁷ Vlahos, M. C., and Kehler, B., Leading the Way to Victory: A History of the 60th Troop Carrier Group 1940–1945. Woodbridge, CT: Knox Press, 2023.

*⁸ Wilhelm, D., ‘The flight of the bomber Phyllis’, Liberty, 5 December 1942, Imperial War Museums, document 50898.

*⁹ Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 15501.

*¹⁰ Hamilton, J., The Writing 69th. Green Harbour Publications, 1999.

*¹¹ Coffey, T. M., Decision Over Schweinfurt. Magnum Books, 1978.

*¹² Freeman, R. A., Mighty Eighth War Diary. Jane’s Publishing Co., 1981.

*¹³ Bowman, M., The Bedford Triangle. Pen & Sword, 1989.

*¹⁴ Coffey, T. M., Decision Over Schweinfurt. Magnum Books, 1978.

*¹⁵ Congressional Medal of Honour website. Accessed 5 August 2025

*¹⁶ Boyd, R. J., ‘Project Casey Jones 1945’, Penn State Hazleton Campus Library.

*¹⁷ United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa – Third Air Force, website. Accessed 3 October 2025.

*¹⁸ West Northamptonshire Council, website. Accessed 27 September 2025.

*¹⁹ Rushden Research Group, website. Accessed 11 September 2025.

*²⁰ West Northamptonshire Council, website. Accessed 27 September 2025.

*²¹ RAF Mildenhall, website. Accessed 17 September 2025.

*²² RAF Mildenhall, website. Accessed 17 September 2025.

*²³ Everything Explained Today, website. Accessed 15 February 2026.

*²⁴ Everything Explained Today, website. Accessed 15 February 2026.

*²⁵ West Northamptonshire Council, Northamptonshire Historic Environment Record, website. Accessed 15 February 2026.

Additional references

National Museum of the United States Air Force Website accessed 2 March 2026

The Airborne Assault Paradata website. This provides a wealth of information about the AFEE and airborne operations. It is well worth a read.

Air mobility Command US Air Force, Website Accessed 12 October 2025

Chelveston-cum-Caldecott Parish Council website accessed 20 September 2025

Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust Website.

Rushden “Hearts & Soles” website accessed 20 September 2025

Trail 66 – RAF Chelveston – Part 1 – Important Beginnings.

March 14, 2026March 11, 2026 / Aviationtrails / 3 Comments

In Trail 66, we return to the Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire borderlands to visit the site of another former bomber airfield that has been almost entirely erased from the landscape. Although its wartime service was relatively brief, it was defined by intense operational pressures, loss, and remarkable acts of heroism.

Despite continuing in use well into the Cold War and beyond, the airfield failed to leave the regional mark it deserved. Over time, its purpose changed and its structures were gradually removed, the land being adapted to modern energy use, leaving little visible evidence of its former importance. This transformation stands in contrast to the role the station once played and the legacy it holds today.

Home to a small number of RAF units, it was predominately an American base during the Second World War, and remained with them into the depths of the Cold War. Although flying activity ceased in 1962 with the departure of the modern United States Air Force, a military presence remained there until the Ministry Of Defence (MOD) sold the site as recently as 2005.

Whilst some aspects of the original airfield do remain, the vast majority has been decommissioned and removed, including the runways, works buildings and training facilities, leaving little more than ghostly evidence behind.

In this part of our trip to Northants and Bedfordshire, we visit the former RAF Chelveston.

RAF Chelveston (Station 105).

RAF Chelveston (Station 105) lies across the two counties of Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, and although the border crosses roughly through the centre, the majority of the site lies in Northampton. Like many wartime airfields it went through a series of name changes depending upon who owned it at the time. Today it is known as Chelveston Renewable Energy Park, reflecting its modern use as the ‘centre of technological innovation’ capable of producing enough electricity, to power 60,000 properties.*¹

During the planning stages in 1940 the aerodrome site was briefly referred to as Shelton, after the nearby village to the east. Before the station officially opened in 1941, however, the name was changed and it entered service as RAF Chelveston, the official British designation. Later in the war the airfield passed into American control and was designated Station 105 by the United States Army Air Force. Over the years though, it was also referred to as RAF Station Chelveston, and simply Chelveston Aerodrome, reflecting both its early planning name and the variety of roles it fulfilled throughout its operational history.

The land upon which the airfield sits, lies approximately four miles to the east of Rushden and about twenty-seven miles south-west of Peterborough. It shares a region – designated by a Peterborough, Northampton and Bedford triangle – with a number of other former bomber airfields including Kimbolton, Thurleigh and Molesworth.

The land for Chelveston (a name derived from a Norman family) was acquired by the Air Ministry in 1940, with construction beginning shortly afterwards. The airfield was initially intended for the RAF and the reformed 8 Group, with Taylor-Woodrow Ltd serving as the main contractor. At first, it had grass runways and minimal storage, consisting of a single ‘J’-type brick-and-metal hangar measuring 300 ft by 151 ft. Later, two ‘T2’-type metal hangars were added, each 240 ft long, 115 ft wide, and 29 ft high. The original design fell under development scheme ‘M’ of the Government’s expansion programme, which essentially replaced the earlier ‘C’-type hangars with the newer ‘J’-type. Since construction began during the war rather than before it, accommodation sites were dispersed away from the main airfield site – unlike pre-war designs, where living quarters were typically located on-site.

At Chelveston, these accommodation sites were positioned to the south-west of the airfield, unusually close to the main runway’s flightpath – in-fact within just a few hundred feet of its threshold. In all there were twelve accommodation sites, supplemented by two sewerage sites, giving a total of fourteen in all. These accommodation areas included: two communal sites, officers’ quarters, enlisted men’s quarters, sick quarters, and a large WAAF area with its own sewerage facilities.

The all important technical area, lay directly across the dividing public road from here; a little further north than the accommodation area and on the western side of the main airfield. It included a wide range of buildings including: MT (motor transport) sheds, operations blocks, briefing rooms, link trainers, stores, flight offices, works offices and the like.

Typical of the range of buildings found on any wartime airfield, they were a mix of both temporary and permanent construction. The manufacturers involved were also typical of those pertaining to wartime airfields: Laing, Romney, SECO, Ministry of Works and Nissen, who used a variety of construction materials including timber, iron, plasterboard, brick and concrete to create these various standard design structures.

On the main airfield itself, No. 1 runway ran north-east to south-west, whilst No. 2 dissected it in a north-west to south-east direction. The third runway, No.3, ran just off north to south. The classic ‘A’ frame was created by the crossing of all three in the centre of the airfield with the runways extending extensively beyond this point. As in all cases, the three runways were linked by a circular perimeter track, around which eventually, some fifty-five hardstands were built; both a mix of ‘spectacle’ and ‘frying-pan’ types.

As with all airfields of its kind, a bomb store would be incorporated well away from the accommodation and technical areas, and in Chelveston’s case this was just off to the north-east. Here, a number of hardened shelters were interlinked by small tracks along which the bombs were transported to the various aircraft dispersals.

Bombs being man-handled at Chelveston. (IWM FRE10440).

Overseeing movements in and out of the airfield was the watch office, which stood proud with clear views across the airfield. Located to the western side of the site, the office was built to drawing 518/40 – the largest and most common wartime design. This particular build evolved from the 1939 drawing, number 5845/39, and incorporated the meteorological office within its layout. By combining both functions into a single structure, it enabled the rapid exchange of vital weather information.

Chelveston’s construction began in 1940 on land straddling the Bedfordshire-Northamptonshire border. A basic airfield to start with, it soon began to develop and grow, all part of Britain’s rapid wartime airfield expansion programme. Over the next few months it would grow and develop into a standard three-runway bomber airfield complete with dispersals, technical buildings, bomb stores and extensive accommodation sites. Though the landscape has since been transformed into the modern Chelveston Renewable Energy Park, the wartime layout still hints at the scale and ambition of the original station.

The story of how this quiet stretch of countryside evolved from construction site to operational wartime airfield begins in Part 2, as RAF Chelveston opens its runways and the station starts its journey toward becoming an important Allied base.

The whole story of Chelveston can be read in Trail 66. Northants and Bedfordshire (Part 2)

RAF Sutton Bridge Part 4 – Under the Spotlight

January 31, 2026September 4, 2025 / Aviationtrails / 2 Comments

Part 3 took us through the 1920s and 1930s in the life of Sutton Bridge. As the war opened, the airfield swung between roles with remarkable speed. From a brief stint as a recruit training centre to hosting newly formed 264 and 266 Squadrons, the airfield grappled with scarce aircraft, harsh winter weather, and early operational mishaps. Defiants, Blenheims, and then Spitfires tested both pilots and crews, while accidents and maintenance challenges were constant. By early 1940, with the squadrons gone, Sutton Bridge pivoted once more, becoming a hub for new recruits and small training flights, laying the groundwork for its next vital role as 6 Operational Training Unit.

The Birth of 6 Operational Training Unit

6 OTU were created on March 10th, 1940 from the ashes of 11 Group Pilot Pool who were up until then based at RAF St. Athan. They had been established specifically to train front line fighter pilots who had already mastered the basics of flying and were to be ‘polished’ up before passing on to front line operational squadrons.

Following the initial administration and setting up of the unit, a small party of four non-commissioned officers and twelve airmen, arrived here at Sutton Bridge. They were followed a few days later by the main party including six officers and ten further airmen. Once established, the unit would be commanded by Sqn. Ldr. Philip C. Pinkham, who led the first course for trainees beginning March 11th 1940.

Pinkham was responsible to the Station Commander, the recently promoted Wing Commander Philip R. Barwell, who had even as a Station Commander, remained a keen flyer. To meet his insatiable demand for flying, Barwell would take any opportunity to fly that passed his way, often pulling rank, he would fly in as many aircraft as he could, frequently in the guise of that common excuse an ‘air test’. The new OTU would offer a great opportunity for Barwell, operating a mix of aircraft types but mainly Hurricanes, Masters, Fairy Battles, Battle trainers and a Gladiator.

The early days of the OTU here however, were not as grand as many would have hoped. Yet another lack of serviceable aircraft combined with the poor Fen weather of 1940, led to a reduction of available flying days, and so one day a week the airfield would close with a ‘day off’ being given to those stationed here – hardly reflective of a war mentality.

Training for War: Sutton Bridge under the Spotlight

The part-time attitude to the job didn’t reduce the seriousness of their efforts though, and a visit by dignitaries including, as suggested in some sources, Hugh Dowding, the AOC Fighter Command, made sure they were aware of that.

On May 3rd 1940, Air Chief Marshal Sir Edgar Ludlow-Hewitt, the Inspector-General of the Royal Air Force, also paid a formal visit to Sutton Bridge. Crossing the airfield’s runways and observing the pilots in action, he took careful note of the station’s flying operations and training routines. His inspection combined a keen eye for detail with practical recommendations, aimed at refining instruction and ensuring operational readiness. The visit, recorded in Report No. 11, highlighted both the strengths of the airfield and the areas that required attention, underscoring Sutton Bridge’s vital role in Britain’s initial wartime training programme.*¹¹

Hewitt’s inspection highlighted significant challenges at the OTU. Gunnery practice for visiting units relied on firing at four 20-foot target drogues, towed from the beam by the OTU’s four Henley aircraft. The training, however, was severely limited by the condition of the Henleys; a shortage of spare parts often meant that only one or two aircraft could operate at any time. Accurate gunnery depended heavily on the steady towing of the targets. Additionally, Hewitt was sceptical of the OTU’s claim that the large, slowly moving targets “get shot to bits at once.” His observations highlighting how mechanical constraints could, and did, directly impact the effectiveness of instructor and trainee practice.

Despite all these challenges though, courses rapidly progressed, and soon foreign nationals who had joined the RAF, began to arrive. These included those not only those from the Commonwealth but the European countries invaded by the Nazis along with a handful from the United States: all eager to join up before the US officially joined the war.

There would of course be many casualties during these courses, some due to mechanical issues, many due to pilot error, learning to fly a combat aircraft under combat conditions being a very risky business indeed. Many of these casualties form the sixty – joined by a single Luftwaffe airman – graves less than a mile away in the St. Matthew’s Church yard in Sutton Bridge.

A change in fortune meant that the increase in trainees also meant an increase in aircraft. By the middle of the year 6 OTU were operating thirty-four Hurricanes in addition to the odd twenty or so other types present here although they were still classed as ‘unserviceable’. Combine these with visiting detachments and the sky over Sutton Bridge soon became an incredibly busy airspace.

The ever increasing numbers of aircraft using the site inevitably led to a demand for more hangar space, and in May 1940, the first of two Bellman hangars were erected on the site, thus extending its ability to service damaged aircraft.

Following the fall of France, Britain stood alone, and many of the front line pilots at her disposal were either tired veterans or recently qualified and inexperienced, and so more crews were needed if they were to stand any chance of repelling the Germans, who so far, had rolled virtually unopposed across Europe. Many of these veterans of France, were now being posted into the training stations to train new pilots in the tactics and airman-ship that would hopefully save their lives. Sutton Bridge was no different, the record books for this period list endless postings in of these front line pilots as instructors, many holding DFCs or DFMs in reward for their action over France. One of those to arrive here was F. Off. Derek Dowding the son of Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding, the recruits were indeed in the company of the noble, Derek having the title ‘Honourable.’

F.O. Derek H.T. Dowding (right) with his father Hugh Dowding. (Battle of Britain Monument archive)

Training at a Cost: Accidents and Fatalities at 6 OTU

Life at Sutton Bridge was not without risk, even for the instructors. Sergeant Charles Cotton being the first from 6 OTU to suffer. On 25th June 1940, he sadly crashed after having only arrived about three weeks earlier at the airfield. Cotton was performing low level aerobatics near to the village of Upwell, not far from Sutton Bridge, when the Hurricane he was flying was seen to climb from low level, possibly stall and then dive nose first into the boggy Fen ground. The aircraft buried itself deep in the soil, leaving little trace on the surface of its demise.

The next day a recovery truck tried to remove the wreckage, but the boggy ground combined with limited access, made recovery difficult. With perseverance though, Sgt. Cotton’s remains were eventually removed from the aircraft whereupon he was taken to his home town in Essex and laid to rest.

To meet pilot demand, courses were cut from six weeks to two, increasing the already immense pressure on trainees to complete their flying training. This pressure often led to mistakes being made. Between June and November there were no less than eleven fatalities, six of which were involved in airborne collisions.

One such incident occurred on August 18th, when Sgt. Dudley McGee and Sqn. Ldr. Kazimierz Niedwiecki were involved in a collision in the skies to the east of Sutton Bridge. The pair were performing aerial combat techniques when the collision happened causing the death of both pilots. Niedwiecki, a Polish airman, had only just arrived at the airfield from 15 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) in Carlisle, a grading school for Polish pilots; whilst McGee had arrived two days after Niedwiecki from Ternhill’s 10 Flying Training School (FTS). Both airmen were experienced flyers, and so it is feasible that the pressure of getting through the course and onto active duty was a factor in their demise.

After colliding, Niedwiecki’s Hurricane came down on farmland near Terrington St. Clements whilst McGee’s fell near to Walpole Cross Keys a few miles away. Once recovered, both the pilots were buried in St. Matthews Church Yard in Sutton Bridge.

Instructors of Note: The Arrival of Bill Waterton

Dowding’s son was not the only notable person to instruct at Sutton Bridge. During the late autumn of 1940, one William ‘Bill’ Waterton was posted in to Sutton Bridge by his Squadron Commander Douglas Bader of 242 Squadron RAF Coltishall. Waterton had been in hospital for three months following a head injury suffered in a crash whilst providing cover over Dunkirk. He came to Sutton Bridge as an instructor and proved to be an exceptionally good one. It was a move that kick started a change in career for him that would change his life forever. However, at Sutton Bridge, providing instruction to other pilots was not enough for Waterton, and he yearned for a return to front line operations.

Waterton never got this move, instead he was sent to Canada, returning to the UK in 1943 on a posting to RAF Fighter Command and the Air Fighting Development Unit (AFDU) at RAF Wittering. Here he tested many captured German aircraft, pitting them against RAF fighters to see how they performed. Post war, he would fly a Gloster Meteor in an attempted world speed record achieving speeds in excess of 600mph. Speaking frankly and to the point, he would leave the RAF to fly for Gloster, the makers of the Meteor, and become a very successful test pilot pushing aircraft to their limits and nudging the much sought after sound barrier.

Being known for his ‘forthright’ attitude, Waterton achieved great things in aviation research, an achievement that was kick-started by his duties at RAF Sutton Bridge. *¹² *¹³

Foreign Trainees and the Cost of Speed

As summer turned to Autumn and August to September, the RAF were losing pilots at an unsustainable rate, and Dowding needed many more and quickly. With many trainee pilots in the OTUs being foreign, and with poor English, he had little choice but to rush them through courses and get them into front-line units. The first Czech course consisted of some twenty airmen and lasted from 17th August to 11th September 1940. Virtually all of these went on to serve in the Battle of Britain, many being killed or posted as ‘Missing in Action’.

To expedite their movements, courses were refined further, and many trainees were sent up in pairs to practice combat manoeuvres on their own. One British pilot, Sgt. Frederick Howarth in L1658 and Czech pilot Sgt. Karel Stibor, collided in one such activity resulting in the death of both airmen. The two sites were cleared of immediate debris but the aircraft remained buried until the 1970s and mid 80s, when major parts were found and removed. These two men join the many others in St. Matthew’s. Such was the demand for new pilots that at Sutton Bridge alone, 525 pilots were posted in from, or out to, front line squadron between March and October 1940; only one-quarter of them not having fought in either the Battle of France or the Battle of Britain; most (345) having seen action in just the Battle of Britain. *¹⁴

The attack on Britain’s airfields was by now subsiding, but that didn’t stop the occasional bomb from dropping on Sutton Bridge, nor its ‘Q’ decoy site at nearby Terrington some 4 miles north-east. The first attack came in the night of August 30th-31st, in which bombs were dropped harmlessly on the dummy airfield. It was Terrington again at the end of September that would get another rogue bomber dropping its payload. By now the locals were getting worried and annoyed, and requested the site be moved. The RAF’s reply was not favourable nor was it what they wanted to hear. With yet another attack at the end of October, it was becoming clear why the RAF wasn’t going to play ball, a few dead horses and damage to walls was a small price to pay for keeping the training camp clear and operational.

‘Handcraft hut’ now a private building.

During the whole of the war, the ‘Q’ site took no less than six German attacks, whilst the airfield at Sutton Bridge received only three, a comprehensive reason for the use of such areas at this crucial time.

From 6 OTU to 56 OTU: A New Chapter

By the end of the Battle of Britain, the various OTUs had shown their true capability, fuelling the front line squadrons that would protect the UK from German invasion and sweeping the enemy from the sky. But changes were now afoot, and in November 1940, 6 OTU was disbanded immediately being renumbered as 56 OTU; the change coming through as a result of the reshuffle of the training units – ’50’ being added as a prefix to all OTUs.

56 OTU continued to fly the Hurricane using the squadron code ‘FE’. In fact, little changed and everything carried on as usual with little immediate evidence of the new change. The new, recently appointed station commander, Group Captain Bruce Caswell, continued his reign over both the airfield and the daily goings on at the site.

The new unit would form the main squadron at Sutton Bridge for the next two years continuing to train pilots in the art of dog-fighting and air gunnery; the renumbered 56 OTU carrying on pretty much where 6 OTU had left off. New pilots arrived and were pushed through the various courses; the RAF still desperate to get new pilots into front line squadrons as soon as possible.

The challenge of getting pilots through the courses was still a great one, and with so many trainees coming and going, errors, accidents and fatalities remained a common occurrence.

A New Spirit: The RAF and Its American Volunteers

The end of 1940 and the success of the Battle of Britain gave renewed hope and boosted morale for both aircrew and civilians alike. Now, and even though the United States was still out of the war, the RAF found itself being bolstered by a small number of American airmen wanting to join the fight and stand by Britain’s side. Some of these joined as early as 1939 as volunteer reserves, going on to fly during the Battle of Britain. Whilst there are records of US airmen flying in the battle, most went on to join the famed ‘Eagle‘ Squadrons joining names like Don Gentile, Don Blakeslee and Johnny Godfrey, many of whom have become household names in Second World War terms, with historical stories to match.

As a way to retain US neutrality, the airmen made their way through training schools in Canada to the UK, arriving by ship as civilians. Many were sent to 3 Personnel Reception at Bournemouth and then onto 57 OTU or the new 56 OTU here at Sutton Bridge to complete their training before passing over to RAF units.

The First American Loss: Pilot Officer William Davis

One of these pilots arrived in March 1941, P.O. William Davis, a twenty-five year old trainee from St. Louis. He found himself sent to Sutton Bridge, preparing to take on the Hurricane. With twenty-five flying hours under his belt already, he made his first solo less than two weeks after his arrival, managing a successful flight but suffering a problematic landing. The next day, he departed the airfield again, this time to carryout a map reading exercise over the Lincolnshire Fens. Unfortunately, the weather closed in and with a featureless landscape to navigate by, he eventually ran out of fuel and opted for a landing in one of the many expanses of Fen fields.

Unfortunately, as he landed, the undercarriage dug into the soft mud, flipping the Hurricane (P5195) onto its back breaking Davis’s neck, killing him outright. Davis was the first American to die at Sutton Bridge, this tragic accident cutting his war very short. He remains a long way from home, buried not far from the airfield in the local church yard at Sutton Bridge. His full story can be read in Heroic Tales.

The Eagles Gather

His was the first of a run of several accidents. Later in the summer of that year, Sgt Bidgood and Flt. Sgt. John Craig, who both veterans of the Battle of Britain, collided over the nearby village of Terrington St. John, killing both airmen. Being experienced airmen and valued pilots, their loss was a tragic one that cost the RAF dearly.

The Americans however, kept on coming. During 1941 alone they accounted for twenty-six accidents at Sutton Bridge. By the end of the year, 144 US airmen had passed through the airfield, 87 of whom went on to fly with the famed ‘Eagle Squadrons’ before they were officially transferred to the USAAF in 1942.

March 1940 saw the birth of 6 OTU at Sutton Bridge, a fast-paced training hub turning skilled pilots into front-line fighters. Operating Hurricanes, Battles, and Gladiators despite shortages and harsh Fen weather, the unit trained British and foreign recruits under tight schedules and high pressure. Success came at a cost, with accidents and fatalities a constant reminder of the dangers faced even before reaching combat, underscoring Sutton Bridge’s vital role in preparing airmen for the Second World War.

The full story can be read in Trail 3 – Gone but not Forgotten.

Aviation Trails

A trail around Britain's historical airfields many lost to developers or mother nature herself. Come along on a voyage of discovery and nostalgia.

Disused

Trail 67- Northants and Bedfordshire Twinwood Farm (Part 4)

Trail 67- Northants and Bedfordshire Twinwood Farm (Part 3)

Is This the Final Nail in the Coffin for RAF Downham Market?

Trail 67- Northants and Bedfordshire Twinwood Farm (Part 2)

Trail 67- Northants and Bedfordshire Twinwood Farm (Part 1)

RAF Twinwood Farm

William R. Lawley Medal Of Honor – RAF Chelveston

1st Lt. E.S. Michael MOH – RAF Chelveston

Trail 66 – RAF Chelveston – Part 9 – The End of an Era

Trail 66 – RAF Chelveston – Part 1 – Important Beginnings.

RAF Chelveston (Station 105).