In Trail 29 we turn south and head to the southern end of Cambridgeshire. This area is rich in fighter stations, both RAF and USAAF. Home to Duxford and Bader’s ‘Big Wing’, Mustangs, Spitfires and Hurricanes once, and on many occasions still do, grace the blue skies of this historical part of the country.
We start off though not at a fighter station but one belonging to those other true professionals, the Pathfinders of No 8 Group RAF, and former RAF Graveley,
RAF Graveley
Graveley village sign depicts its aviation heritage.
Graveley airfield sits on the south side of Huntingdon, a few miles to the east of St. Neots in Cambridgeshire. It takes its unusual name from the nearby village. The airfield itself would see a number of changes to its infrastructure, including both upgrades and improvements and it would be home to several different squadrons during its wartime life.
Initially built as a satellite for RAF Tempsford, Graveley opened in March 1942 when it accepted its first residents, 161 (Special Duty) Squadron. Formed from a combination of elements from both 138 Sqn and the King’s Flight, it had been formed less than a month earlier at RAF Newmarket and would bring with it the Lysander IIIA, the Hudson MkI and the Whitley V.
The role of the Special Duty Sqn was to drop agents of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) into occupied France, a role it would perform throughout its operational wartime life. Their stay at Graveley would however be short lived, remaining here for a mere month before departing to Graveley’s parent airfield in Bedfordshire, before moving elsewhere once more.
By the war’s end, Graveley would have become a complete operational airfield in its own right, forming part of Air Vice Marshall Donald Bennett’s 8 Group, with the Pathfinders. After upgrading, its initial concrete runways of 1,600 yards, 1,320 yards and 1,307 yards would be transformed into the standard lengths of one 2,000 yards and two 1,400 yard runways; the measures associated with all Class ‘A’ specification airfields.
Accommodation for all personnel was spread around the north side of the airfield, across the main Offord to Graveley road. These were separated into nine separate accommodation areas, incorporating both a separate communal area and sick quarters. Graveley would, once complete, accommodate upward of 2,600 personnel, a figure that included almost 300 WAAFs.
As with all sites, the bomb store was well away from the accommodation area, to the south-west, partially enclosed by the ‘A’ frame of the three runways. The 50 foot perimeter track linked these runaways with 36 pan style hardstands, all suitable for heavy bombers (after the extension three of these were replaced by loops). The main technical area, with its range of stores, workshops and ancillary buildings lay to the north-west, where two of the three T-2 hangars were also located, the third being erected to the south-east next to the only B-1 hangar on the site.
RAF Graveley (author unknown)
Following the immediate departure of 161 Sqn, Graveley lay operationally dormant. However, in May’s ‘1000’ bomber raid, aircraft from 26 OTU based at RAF Wing, flew from Graveley as part of the massive bombing operation. Sadly four of the Wellingtons (all Mk ICs) failed to return; WS704, DV740, DV707 and DV709. One of these, DV709 crashed some thirteen miles north-east of Cambridge whilst trying to make an emergency landing at Graveley. Unfortunately, when the aircraft came down, it overturned killing two of the crew on board: Sgt. J. Dixon the pilot, and Sgt. B. Camlin the tail gunner. Both these airmen were laid to rest in Beck Row Cemetery, at nearby Mildenhall.
Beck Row Cemetery, Mildenhall.
The difficulty faced by Bomber Command crews in accurately hitting targets at night had, by now, become a problem for the ‘top brass’ at High Wycombe, and by April 1942, it had been decided, much against the views of Arthur Harris, that a new special Pathfinder Force was to be set up as soon as possible. As if adding salt to the wound, Harris was then instructed to organise it, and with a mixed charge of emotions, he appointed the then Group Captain Don Bennett, a man who had proven himself to have excellent flying and navigation skills.
Bennett then took charge, and on August 15th 1942, he formally took control of the new 8 (Pathfinder) Group, consisting of a specialised group of airmen who were considered to be the cream of the crop.
With its headquarters initially at RAF Wyton, Bennett received the first five founder squadrons of which 35 Sqn was one, the very day they moved into Graveley airfield.
Castle Hill House, Huntingdon, headquarters of the Pathfinders 1943 – 45. (Photo Paul Cannon)
Initially arriving with Halifax IIs, 35 Sqn would upgrade to the MK III in the following October, and then to the Lancaster I and III a year later. There would be little respite for the crews arriving here however, for they would be flying their first mission from Graveley, just three days after their initial arrival.
On the night of 18th/19th August 1942, a total of 31 PFF aircraft left to mark the target at Flensburg, close to the German-Danish border. However, poor weather and strong winds, prevented accurate marking, and two Danish towns were accidentally bombed as a result. It was a rather disastrous start for 35 Sqn and the Pathfinders.
Another blow was to fall 35 Sqn a month later, when on the night of 19th September 1942, the experienced 24 year old Wing Commander James.H. Marks DSO, DFC was lost when his Halifax II (W7657) ‘TL-L’ crashed at Blesme in France. Also being lost that night with W.C. Marks, was 19 year old F.L. Alan J. Child DFC and 25 year old F.O. Richard L. Leith-Hay-Clark; the remaining three crewmen being taken prisoner by the Germans. The squadron designation for this aircraft would then be reallocated, as was the case in in all squadrons, and as if bad luck were playing its hand yet again, that aircraft, Halifax HR928, would also crash with the loss of all its crew, including the highly experienced Sqn Ldr. Alec Panton Cranswick.
Halifax Mark II Series 1A, HR928 ‘TL-L’, 35 Sqn RAF being flown by Sqn Ldr A P Cranswick, an outstanding Pathfinder pilot who was killed on the night of 4/5 July 1944 on his 107th mission. The Cranswick coat-of-arms decorates the nose just below the cockpit.(I© IWM HU 92966)
In October, Gravely made history when it was earmarked to become the first operational airfield to test the new and revolutionary fog clearing system, FIDO. Classified as Station II, it would be the second of only fifteen British airfields to have the system installed and whilst it had its opponents, it was generally accepted and greeted by all who used it.
The introduction of Fido at Gravely was more by chance than desire though. Once requirements had been laid down, a specific aerodrome was sort and the focus turned to those of the northern groups, who for various reasons, all provided excuses as to why they could not have the equipment installed on their sites.
Don Bennett immediately nominated Gravely and an inspection of the site was carried out without delay. Once Bennett had given his blessing, the equipment was laid within about six weeks with the burners running parallel to the main runway, fifty yards distant to either side, from the approach area to the runway’s end.
Installed by contractors William Press, the system’s pipes were laid along the entire length of the runway, not an easy feat as operations continued in earnest. One of the initial problems found with the FIDO system, was the crossing of the intersecting runways, pipes had to be hidden to avoid aircraft catching them and an obvious disaster ensuing. Two types of pipe were laid at Graveley, initially the Four Oaks type burner, but this was later replaced by the Haigas (Mk.I) burner. A more complex system, the Haigas took considerable time to install but by January 1943 it was ready, and an aerial inspection was then carried out by Mr. A Hartley – the Technical Director of the Petroleum Warfare Dept (PWD) and Chief engineer of the Anglo-Iranian oil Co. It was Hartley who later played a major role in PLUTO, the cross channel pipeline installed for D-day. Hartley, himself a non flyer, was flown over the burning pipes in a Gypsy Major by no less than Don Bennett himself.
Once Fido was installed it needed testing. This test was not necessarily to prove that fog could be dispersed satisfactorily, but more importantly to prove an aircraft could safely land between the burning infernos alongside the runway. To do this, on February 18th, Bennett took a Lancaster of 156 Sqn from RAF Oakington and headed towards Graveley airfield, and with the burners lit, he not only made the first four-engined heavy bomber landing in FIDO, but he proved it was indeed both safe and workable.
Once down, Bennett remarked how he was able to see the flames from some 60 miles distant, the fire providing a far better light than searchlights alone, the means by which aircraft had been guided home on foggy nights previously. A great success, Bennett requested that certain minor modifications be made as he thought pilots could be distracted by the cross pipes at the threshold of the runway. Hartley keen to please Bennett, duly arranged for the necessary alterations and the modification were carried out without further delay. However, further problems were to come to light on the the first operational lighting of the system, when bushes, hedges and telegraph poles adjacent to the pipelines were ignited due to an extension of the system passing through a nearby orchard!
The installation of FIDO meant that huge oil containers had to be installed too. At Graveley, sixteen cylindrical tanks were mounted in two banks, each tank holding up to 12,000 gallons of fuel. These tanks were kept topped up by road tankers, there being no railway line nearby as was the case at other stations.
Over the next few months, FIDO was tested further, but for various reasons its benefits weren’t truly exploited. On one occasion it was prevented from being lit by a crashed Halifax on the runway, the resultant lack of FIDO after the accident, was then blamed for the loss of two more aircraft, neither being able to safely put down in the poor conditions. On another night, poorly maintained pipes caused burning fuel to spill onto the ground rather than heating the vaporising pipes above. Bennett somewhat angry at this, once more requested modifications to be made, needless to say they were not long in coming!
With further trials, one pilot was remarked as describing flying through FIDO as “entering the jaws of hell”*1 but once crews were used to it, the benefits were by far outweighing the drawbacks.
The safety of FIDO could not assist all crews though, and a number of other experienced crews were to be lost from Graveley over the next few months. But all news was not bad. The night of 18th/19th November 1942 saw a remarkable turn of fortune.
Halifax DT488 (TL-S) piloted by Wing Commander B.V. Robinson, caught fire when flares in the bomb bay ignited. He ordered the crew to bail out, but as the last man left, the fire extinguished itself. Robinson then decided to try and nurse the damaged bomber home. Flying single-handed, he reached the safety of RAF Colerne in Wiltshire, where he survived a crash landing. The six crew members who had bailed out also survived but were unfortunately captured and taken as prisoners of war by the Germans. As a result of his actions, Robinson was awarded a Bar to add to his DSO. Robinson would go on to have a second lucky escape later on, after which, in May 1943, he would become the Station Commander of his home base here at Graveley.
35 Sqn would continue to carry out missions both marking and attacking strategic targets deep in the heart of Germany, but accuracy, whilst improving, was not yet 100%.
By the end of 1942 the new H2S ground scanning radar system was being introduced, and a small number of 35 Sqn aircraft were fitted with the units. The continuing missions were on the whole successful, even after the Germans developed a device able to track aircraft using it, and eventually, the whole of the PFF were fitted with it.
In April 1943, a detachment of 97 Sqn Lancasters arrived at Graveley. Based at the parent station RAF Bourn, they also had detachments at Gransden Lodge and Oakington, and they remained here for a year. After that, they moved on to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.
A number of major operations were undertaken by 35 Sqn over the coming months, but with it came the end of good fortune for Group Captain Robinson. Fate was finally to catch up with him, and he was lost on the night of 23rd/24th August 1943. Flying in a Halifax II (HR928) ‘TL-R’, his loss that night brought a further blow to the men of Graveley and 35 Sqn. Following this, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris restricted flying operations by base Commanders as the number of these experienced men being lost was quickly becoming unsustainable.
On November 18th/19th 1943, Bomber Command began the first phase of its ‘Battle for Berlin’, and Graveley’s Pathfinders would find FIDO more than beneficial. A raid of some 266 aircraft would see light losses on the second night of operations, but on returning to England, crews would find many of their bases shrouded in heavy fog. With visibility down to as little as 100 yards on the ground, the order was given to light up FIDO. This would be FIDO’s first official wartime use, and whilst some of Graveley’s bombers were diverted elsewhere, four managed to land safely using the system. This new invention may well have saved precious lives, as others failed to survive landing at their own fog-bound bases. At debriefing, one airmen, was noted as saying he could see Graveley’s fire as he crossed the English coast, a considerable distance from where he was now safely stood.
The night of 16th/17th December of 1943 would go down as one of the worst for Bomber Command and in particular for the Pathfinders who were all based in the area around Graveley.
In what was to become known as ‘Black Thursday’ a massed formation of almost 500 aircraft attacked targets in Berlin, and although covered in cloud, marking was reasonably accurate and bombs struck their intended targets. On return however, England was fog bound, thick fog with a layer of heavy cloud prevented the ground from being seen. Whilst not operational that night, Graveley lit up its FIDO in an attempt to guide fuel starved bombers in. With little hope for even getting in safely here, crew after crew requested landing permission in a desperate attempt to get down. Many, out of fuel, bailed out leaving their aircraft to simply fall from the night sky. Others, desperate for a landing spot, simply crashed into the ground with the expected disastrous results. At Graveley, several attempts were made by desperate crews, but even FIDO was unable to help everyone. One aircraft came in cross wind losing vital power as he realised his error and tried to pull away. Another crashed a few miles away to the north-east and a third aircraft trying to land came down to the south-east of the airfield. Of all those lost around Graveley that night, survivors could be counted on only one hand. 97 Squadron at Bourn, Gravely’s sister Pathfinder station, had taken the brunt with seven aircraft being lost. The role call the next morning was decimated.
The new year brought new changes to Graveley. Mosquito B.IVs arrived with a newly formed 692 Squadron (RAF). On arrival there were just 43 airmen and 3 NCOs with Acting Wing Commander W.G. Lockhart DSO, DFC taking charge on January 1st 1944.
692’s opening mission at Gravely would be a defiant one, taking place a month later on the night of February 1st/2nd 1944. That night, W/Cdr. Lockhart and Flt.Lt. Saunders took a single Mosquito (DZ547) and four 500lb bombs to Berlin alone. Bombing at 20:01 hrs from 27,000 ft above 10/10th cloud using Gee D.R. technique, they experienced moderate flak over the target but returned safely and without any problems. The first salvo has been fired.
Armourers wheel a 4,000-lb HC bomb into a Mosquito. The Mosquitoes were fitted with bulged bomb-bays in order to accommodate ‘Cookies’. The tower can be seen behind. (© IWM CH 12621)
Some of these 692 Sqn Mosquitoes were later modified to carry the enormous 4,000 lb ‘Cookie’ bomb, This was first used by S/Ldr. Watts in Mosquito DZ647 who took off at 20.45 hours to attack Düsseldorf. The attack took place on the night of 23rd/24th February 1944 from a height of 25,000 feet. The initial bomb was followed by two further bombs from Mosquitoes of the same squadron, DZ534 and DZ637.
Whilst by now a proven and most versatile aircraft, the initial introduction of the Mosquito into the Pathfinders was not without its problems. Bennett, believing that the Mosquito would be a better aircraft than some of the resident Wellingtons of 109 Sqn – one of the founder squadrons and used to carry Oboe – approached, in a meeting at the Air Ministry, staff from both Bomber Command, and the Air Ministry itself, and raised the issue of the Mosquito for his use. Both of these groups though, strongly opposed the adoption of the Mosquito, using the argument that a frail and unarmed wooden machine would be totally unsuitable for what Bennett wanted. Their opinion was so strong that it extended to a non acceptance of the Mosquito as a military aircraft in any capacity whatsoever. After putting forward several arguments why not, the consortium closed with a declaration that the Mosquito would be totally unsuitable to fly at night, to which Bennett replied, that he had been doing exactly that for the past week without a single problem. After a silence, Bennett did indeed get his Mosquito.
The first casualties for 692 Sqn were reported only three days earlier, on the night of 19th/20th February, which also proved to be the worst night for Bomber Command casualties since the war started – even worse than ‘Black Thursday’. With 79 aircraft failing to return home, the RAF had taken another pounding and squadrons were finding themselves short of crews. These casualties including those in Mosquito DZ612 ‘P3-N’. Flown by F/L. W. Thomas (DFC) and F/L. J. Munby (DFC) the aircraft took off at 01:05 to attack Berlin. The Mosquito was subsequently shot down and both crew members killed.
Mosquito B Mark XVIs of No. 692 Squadron RAF (PF392 ‘P3-R’ nearest), lined up at Graveley. (© IWM CH 17859)
35 Sqn, who were still flying their Halifaxes, suffered even worse. TL-J, TL-B, TL-N, and TL-O, all fell to the accurate guns of night fighters over the continent. In yet another devastating night of losses, neighbouring Warboys, Wyton and distant Leeming and Waterbeach all lost crews. The casualty list was so high, that barely a squadron operating that night didn’t suffer a loss.
In early April 1944, a small detachment of 571 Sqn Mosquitoes (RAF Downham Market) joined 692 passing through on their way to RAF Oakington. From there that then transferred to RAF Warboys, where the squadron was eventually disbanded. A series of events not untypical for Graveley.
On December 23rd 1944, Graveley crews would be involved in a disastrous mission in which eight aircraft would be lost, two from Graveley.
27 Lancasters along with their 3 Mosquito reserves were inbolved, flying from Graveley and their sister airfields at Bourn and Little Staughton. They would be joined by their Mustang escorts from 150 Wing, over France. Once out of the English fog and cloud they began to jostle for their correct position in the formation now able to see each other.
At the back of the six flight formation 35 Sqn’s Flying Officer G.S. Lawson in Lancaster ‘H-How’ (PB683) began closing in on his friend Pilot Officer R. Clarke in ‘F-Freddie’ (PB678). Misjudging the narrow distance between them, Lawson’s aircraft made contact with the wing of Clarke’s, sending both aircraft, fully laden with fuel and bombs, spiralling to the icy waters of the English Channel below. As the two Lancasters fell uncontrollably toward Earth, others in the formation could do nothing except watch in horror and prey that chutes would somehow emerge from the two aircraft. Somehow, six airmen did miraculously escape the stricken bombers before they either broke apart due to the forces exerted on them, or they hit the water.
A rescue search was mounted immediately. Little Staughton’s reserve pathfinder Mosquito from 105 Sqn, who was sat at the rear of the formation and witnessed everything, remained on station continually radioing the airmen’s positions back to control. He remained there, watching out, until the launch arrived and began the arduous task of searching for signs of life. But the icy winter waters of the channel were too much for the badly protected airmen, and although six managed to escape the stricken bombers, all the crew of the launch could do was pull bodies from the cold water. One crewman remained missing, the body of Flt.Lt. John Faulkner, being washed up in the beach at Dieppe some weeks later, where he remains buried to this day.
The cold winter of 1944/45 would have a great bearing on operations over Europe. With the Germans attempting a breakthrough in the forests of Belgium, air support was now desperately needed.
On January 1st 1945, in an attempt to assist in the Ardennes offensive, 692 would achieve another claim to fame, when they attacked supply lines in a tunnel. A daring attempt, it required a bomb to be dropped into the mouth of the tunnel where it would explode. These attacks were carried out between 100 and 250 feet using the ‘Cookies’ and were so successful that smoke was seen bellowing from the other end of the tunnel after the attack.
The final 692 Sqn mission would then be on the night of May 2nd/3rd 1945. As the war was coming to a close, it was feared that remaining resolute Germans would make their escape from Keil, and so 23 aircraft in 2 waves of 12 and 11 went sent to bomb the coastal town. A successful mission, all crews returned safely.
692 Squadron, would operate a variety of Mosquito types during its life including the B.IV, XIV and XVI who would prove to be highly successful and instrumental in 8 Group’s ‘Light Night Striking Force’.
692 Sqn would move to Gransden Lodge in June 1945 where they were finally disbanded; a sad end to a remarkable career. The squadron had performed well since arriving here at Graveley, and had seen many highly regarded crew members lost in operations, including both Sqn. Ldr. R. Fitzgerald and Wing Commander A. Cranswick; its record of prestige losses reflecting the nature and danger of flying as part of the elite Pathfinder Force. 35 Sqn meanwhile would go on to have a long and established career, operating as late as 1982.
The remaining buildings utilised by the farm, which no longer resembles the Control Tower it was.
Other units to grace the skies over Graveley would include detachments of 97, 115 and 227 Sqns all with Lancasters MK. I and MK.IIIs, mainly prior to thier disbandment toward the war’s end.
692 Squadron carried out 310 operations from Graveley losing 17 Mosquitoes in all. A total of 150 aircraft were registered either missing or crashed following operations from this station: 83 Halifaxes, 32 Lancasters and 35 Mosquitoes.
As one of the many Pathfinder stations in this part of the country, Graveley is linked by the long ‘Pathfinder Walk’ a path that leads all the way to RAF Warboys in the north. Using this walk allows you to visit a number of these bases linking each one by open cross-country footpaths.
Today, Graveley is all but gone. The control tower is now very well disguised as a farm-house, its shape considerably different to the original design, the concrete huts have been pulled down and the runways mainly dug-up. A couple of buildings do still remain next to the farm-house, storing a range of modern farm equipment. The perimeter track considerably smaller in width, remains used by the local farm for lorries to transport their goods to the main road.
The perimeter track where bombers once lumbered.
A small memorial has been erected and sad to say, was poorly maintained when I was there. It stands at the entrance to the former airfield on the northern side, now the entrance to the farm site.
Graveley is typical of the sad end to many of Britain’s lost airfields. The wide open expanses that once resounded with the roar of piston engines taking brave young men to war, are now quiet and the sounds mere whispers in the wind. Lorries roll where the wheels of laden bombers once lumbered. The brave acts of those young men now laid to rest in a small stone overlooking where they once walked. As a pivotal station in 8 Group, Graveley and its crews deserve a much greater recognition for their dedication, bravery and sacrifice.
This aside, a beautiful stained glass window can be found in the local Graveley church and is worthy of a visit if time allows. A further window can be found in St John’s Church Little Staughton, another of 8 Group’s Pathfinder airfields.
The window at St John’s Church Little Staughton, pays tribute to the crews of RAF Graveley.
After the quiet of Graveley, we head west past St. Neots to another of 8 Group’s airfields. On the way, we make a brief stop at the now extinct RAF Caxton Gibbet, a little airfield with a colourful history.
RAF Caxton Gibbet.
Having a history worthy of reading in itself, Caxton Gibbet has links to not only the Doomsday book, but also the Romans and the Bronze Age with traces of early settlements being unearthed only recently. Its folklore talks of brutal and violent executions and for a small village, it has a remarkable amount to shout about.
Its history therefore includes a lot of death and this wouldn’t change during the Second World War.
The small field that was Caxton Gibbet airfield was partly used as a relief landing ground. It was centred between the numerous airfields around here but it was never designed to be a major player nor hold more than about 80 personnel. It only had grass runways, temporary accommodation and a few small brick structures, including airfield defence positions, to signify its existence . It was used primarily by nearby 22 Elementary Flying Training School ‘F’ Flight, based at Cambridge, flying a variety of biplane trainers. It was also used as an emergency landing ground and it was not surprising to see a wounded bomber attempting landing here. Surprisingly though, despite its lack of ‘operational’ importance, Caxton Gibbet suffered a rather large number of attacks from Luftwaffe aircraft. A number of bombs were dropped on it, several personnel were killed and damage was inflicted to a number of aircraft. However, despite all this unwarranted attention, little impact was made on this small and rather ‘insignificant’ airfield during its long history.
A number of training accidents did occur, practising stalls and other dangerous manoeuvres did claim several lives from the young would-be pilots. Locals tell of aircraft falling from the sky and aircrews plummeting to their deaths.
Opened in 1934 it would remain in use until the end of the war in 1945. A small gliding club utilised the site post-war but eventually it was closed and returned to agriculture.
A small village that is battling for its own existence against the spreading conurbations that now surround it, Caxton Gibbet is slowly being absorbed into much larger developments. As for the airfield, it would seem it has now disappeared but its stories, like Caxton’s gruesome history, live on in the history books.
From here we continue on our journey, turning west to the borders of Cambridge and Bedford toward a small active airfield, that was also a Pathfinder airfield and one that also saw two VCs awarded for outstanding bravery. We head toward the former RAF Little Staughton.
RAF Little Staughton
The village of Little Staughton sits on Oxford Clay, a Jurassic marine sediment, and is located about 4.5 miles from Kimbolton and 8 miles from Bedford. The village itself resides in the upper most regions of Bedfordshire, but this is not the original village, that being abandoned following the bubonic plague, and so the village we see today being created as a result.
Little Staughton is unusual in that it has been home to two wartime airfields, RFC Little Staughton which was open between October 1916 and June 1917, and its World War II counterpart, RAF Little Staughton. Both add further complexities to the name by each being located over the county border in Cambridgeshire.
RAF Little Staughton, like many of its contemporaries, was cold and draughty. The staff huts dispersed around the various sites provided little comfort to those inside seeking warmth and shelter from the elements outside.
Built by a mix of construction companies including the AMWD (Air Ministry Works Directorate), it had three concrete and tarmac runways measuring 1,920 x 50 yards; 1,340 x 50 yards and 1,000 x 50 yards with the main runway running in an approximate east-west direction.
Little Staughton (east upward) whilst under construction, 26th June 1942. Note the accommodation and technical areas have not yet been started and the spectacle hardstands are missing. Photo taken by No. 8 OTU. English Heritage (RAF Photography RAF/FNO/24).
Aircraft maintenance and storage consisted of eight Robin and three ‘T2’ hangars with an additional Butler hangar. Butler hangars were built in limited quantity for use on American airfields, and were supplied in kit form from the Butler Manufacturing Company, Kansas. They were made of box-section girders and then clad with canvas to keep out the elements and provide some protection for those inside. Butler stores buildings of which there were two at Little Staughton, were similar, but with rigid frames and beams forming a forty foot span. The presence of these buildings give a little insight into the origins of the airfield, as neither were found elsewhere on RAF airfields.
Around the perimeter track, there were thirty-seven pan style hardstands along with an additional sixteen spectacle hardstands. Personnel accommodation blocks for approximately 2,500 staff of mixed rank and gender, were spread to the east, behind the technical area, and incorporated eleven sites including a waste water treatment plant, three communal sites and a sick quarters. A further site housed the airfield’s transmitter.
Staff accommodation was made by a mix of suppliers and materials. These included Laing, Nissen and Ministry of Works, using both asbestos and corrugated iron. It is also known that ‘Jane Huts’ existed at Little Staughton, timber frames with plasterboard, or later, corrugated iron covering reinforced with chicken wire – hardly a home from home!
The technical area itself housed the usual collection of maintenance and training buildings including: three link trainers, a free gunnery trainer, a parachute store, workshops, an A.M. bombing teacher and various stores built from numerous materials. Located not far from the technical area is the watch office, built in 1942 using the Air Ministry’s Directorate of Works and Building’s design, Drawing No. 13726/41, it was rendered brick with an asphalt roof, with the watch office to the front on the ground floor and a meteorological office, switch room and lavatories to the rear. The first floor has the control room to the front of the building with 2 large windows, and to the rear was the controller’s rest room and signals office. Access to the second floor is via external steel stairs and a balcony provides extensive outside views of the airfield as was common with wartime watch offices.
Opened in December 1942, Little Staughton was handed over to the USAAF to be used as No.2 Advanced Air Depot (AAD) and renamed in accordance with the US naming system as Station AAF127. This provides an explanation as to why Butler structures appear at the site.
The main role for the 2nd AAD (previously known as SAD – Strategic Air Depot) was to expedite repairs, modifications and in-depth maintenance to the B-17s of the 1st Bomb Wing. A role that could prove grizzly as many would have been badly shot up with the inevitable casualties languishing inside. A number of similar bases were established and then further developed by the Americans, these included: Warton, Burtonwood and Langford Lodge. Being the only one at the time in East Anglia though, Little Staughton was given priority and quickly established itself as a high level maintenance base.
A year after it opened however, the US authorities decided to move the depot from Little Staughton to a new base at Abbots Ripton adjacent to the huge American base at Alconbury. Little Staughton, then surplus to their needs, was subsequently handed back to the Royal Air Force and Bomber Command, who, on March 1st, took over control and began moving new personnel and aircraft on to the site.
One of Little Staughton’s technical huts now used for light industry.
8 (PFF) Group, under the command of Donald Bennett, and to whom the airfield was allocated, was undergoing a reduction in squadron flights from three to two at this point, and so a month later to the day, the first aircraft, Lancasters of ‘C’ Flight, 7 Squadron at Oakington along with Lancasters of ‘C’ Flight 156 Squadron from Upwood, arrived to form a new squadron, 582 Sqn, as part of the Pathfinder force and based here at Little Staughton. The squadron would use both the Mark I and Mark III Lancaster, and would be the last of the heavy bomber units to be formed under the Pathfinders.
On April 1st 1944, fifty officers arrived at Little Staughton, and were immediately assigned to the command of Squadron Leader (Acting Wing Commander) C.M. Dunnicliffe DFC from 97 Sqn at Bourn. Sqn. Ldr. Welbourn and Sqn. Ldr. McMillan were placed in temporary charge of ‘A’ and ‘B’ Fights respectively. The squadron headquarters, flight offices, crew rooms and specialist offices were all quickly put to good use and various alterations made to the buildings to suit the new squadron. The crew rooms were perhaps deemed better than some, being described as “commodious” by the new admin staff.
582 Sqn were not alone for long though, being joined within twenty-four hours by the twin-engined Mosquitoes of 109 Sqn from RAF Marham, the various aircraft being ferried in over a two day period.
There would be no respite for the two squadrons though. 582’s Lancaster crews began training immediately, flying cross country flights, “Y” training flights, fighter affiliation flights and so on. 109 Sqn on the other hand began operations to the continent almost immediately. On the 4th, four Mosquitoes were detailed to Essen, two to Rhinehausen, two more to Aachen, Kreffield, Cologne and two more to an unnamed target. Only one aircraft had problems that night, Mosquito IV ‘DZ256’ suffered engine problems and so the pilot instructed the navigator to bale out over the coast. The Mosquito then managed to land at Bradwell Bay, a difficult task in a Mosquito especially as the propeller on the faulty engine could not be feathered.
Bradwell Bay was soon to see more of the 109 Sqn Mosquitoes. On the 8th, a second one crash landed there after being hit by flak over Essen. Thankfully, both pilot and navigator were unhurt in the landing.
The rest of the month was operationally similar. With numerous flights to the continent marking and bombing targets, some requiring markers whilst some didn’t, and in these cases the target indicators (TIs) were brought home. Several aircraft over the month had failed to bomb due to ‘technical problems’, mainly failing oxygen systems, faulty aircraft undercarriage or engine trouble.
A thousand lb Target indicator Bomb at Hendon.
582 Sqn on the other hand, continued throughout the month with training flights inter-dispersed with a small number of operations over the continent. On April 23rd they received a blow, when Lancaster III JA933 ‘S’ flown by New Zealander Flt. Sgt. Wallis B. Forfar failed to return from a seven ship formation to Laon. Sadly all seven crew on board were killed that day, and their bodies remained buried together in Roye New British Cemetery in the Somme. Their known ages ranged from just 19 years of age to 22.
Operations and training flights were interrupted on April 29th, when Air Vice Marshall Don Bennett visited the airfield, and in particular 109 Sqn’s Messes. He presented watches ‘on behalf of a foreign admirer of the Royal Air Force‘ to Pilot Officer Sexton and Flight Sergeant Marchant who had both completed seventeen sorties to Berlin.
By the end of the month both squadrons had been on operations almost daily, the routine of training now taking a back seat. These continual operations meant that the two squadrons amassed in excess of 300 sorties between them. Little Staughton and it’s crews had certainly made their mark.
Over the next few months, operations took both squadrons to strategic targets, V-1 sites were especially targeted, accurately marked by the Mosquitoes of 109 Sqn. Railway yards and road junctions were also hit in an attempt to slowdown advancing German reinforcements into Normandy. The Pathfinder squadrons were making good use of their skills.
July 11th 1944, would prove to be a first for both Bomber Command and for 8 Group in particular. The modification of a 582 Sqn. Lancaster, ND817 ‘S’ meant it was the first to carry the new ‘Oboe’ equipment. It was then piloted by Wing Commander G.F. Grant of 109 squadron, who directed the first ‘heavy Oboe’ operation of the war. Grant, himself a seasoned Mosquito pilot, was able to direct the bombers accurately onto the target, initiating bombing when he bombed, and so aiming to obtain a higher level of success than had previously been achieved.
The attack by seven Lancasters on the flying bomb’s site at Gapennes, proved uneventful in terms of losses or incidents, but was no doubt a notable point in the bombing war. Now they could hit small, precision targets with heavy bombers using Oboe.
A second such operation on July 20th to the flying-bomb site at Foret-du-Croc was not so fortunate though, 582 squadron suffering the loss of the leading aircraft, Lancaster ED908 ‘Z’ flown by Sqn. Ldr. J. Foulsham DFC, AFC.
Using the new Oboe equipment required considerable training, and so four of the crew, including Sqn. Ldr. Foulsham, had been reassigned to the aircraft from 109 Sqn. With two navigators on board the aircraft, the eight man crew were all lost when the aircraft was shot down, crashing with great force on the run-in to the target. Sqn. Ldr. Foulsham may have been a late change on that operation as the ORB doesn’t list him as flying that day. All eight crewmen are buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Dieppe.
With two more Lancasters lost on July 23rd-24th and another on the night of 28th-29th, 582’s losses were slowly mounting. In one of the Lancasters lost on 23rd, was the South African airman Lt. Swales, who went on to later be awarded the VC in 1945. Whilst the aircraft was lost in an emergency landing, the crew were all safe and they continued flying almost immediately. Additionally, in the last Lancaster to go down that July, was one of Bomber Command’s oldest airmen Flt. Sgt. C. Lewis at age 39. Seven of the eight airmen were lost including Flt. Sgt. Lewis.
August would prove to be one of the heaviest months for operations, especially for 109 Sqn, who would mount in excess of 500 sorties flying against Flying Bomb sites, oil plants, rail junctions, fuel depots and other strategic targets.
In late 1944, Arthur Harris was partially released of the tight constraints applied to him by the Supreme Allied Commanders, and so he was now able to turn his forces to his favoured targets – the cities of Germany. Although directed to focus on oil, many of these cities had close connections to oil, and so Harris was able to circumnavigate the directive with few complaints from those above him.
As aircrew casualties began to fall and the number of available heavy bombers began to rise, the RAF were now able to increase their operations, dropping almost half of all their wartime tonnage in the remaining few months of the war*4
August 1944 would prove to be another pivotal month in Bomber Command, as the first major daylight raid since 1941 was launched against German targets. 582 Sqn sent ten Lancasters to Minoyecques, whilst 109 Sqn sent eight Mosquitoes to Homburg in Saarland and six Mosquitoes to Minoyecques in support of the Lancasters. All aircraft returned safely to Little Staughton, some bringing indicators back with them as they were not needed due to accurate and extensive marking. The end of the month ended on a more sour note for the two squadrons however, with the loss of one Lancaster along with all of its crew, and two Mosquitoes. It is believed that all four crewmen from the Mosquitoes managed to evade capture, although their fate is not yet known.
Perhaps the most successful operations for 582 Sqn came on October 3rd, when 252 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitoes attacked the sea walls at Walcheren, targets that dominated the approach to Antwerp. By breaching the sea wall it was hoped that the sea would flood the defences behind, and drastically hinder any defence against an allied assault on the town. Once Antwerp was taken, an estimated 40,000 tons of supplies could then be poured through to the front line of the allied advance, who were now getting very low on supplies and losing momentum as a result.
The operation led by Master Bomber Grp. Cptn. P. Cribb in Lancaster ND750 ‘E’, of 582 Sqn was a great success, with the walls being breached across a 100 foot span, through which millions of gallons of water could pass. The attack was carried out by eight waves of Lancasters with Pathfinder Mosquitoes and Lancasters leading the way. At the back of the formation were 617 Sqn Lancasters carrying Tallboy bombs, but because the bombing was so successful and accurate, these were not needed and 617 Sqn took them back home with them.
By the winter of 1944/45, and although a long way from beaten, the Luftwaffe were now on the back foot and the allies were becoming masters of the skies. By the end of the year RAF daylight operations were commonplace, but they were not without their problems.
On December 23rd 1944, twenty-seven Lancasters along with their three Mosquito reserves, would take off from Little Staughton and their sister airfields at Bourn and Gravely, to be joined by their escorts – three squadrons of Mustangs from 150 Wing, over France. Once out of the English fog and cloud that had harassed the bombers for several days before hand, the aircraft began to jostle for their correct position in the formation. The three formations, each made up of two Flights, A and B, would gradually settle down now able to see each other in the clearer skies above the heavy English cloud.
In such a clear sky, it might be ill-considered to think that anything could go drastically wrong – but go wrong it did.
The watch office at Little Staughton is now a listed building.
Assemblies could always be a danger and would be unsettling for any crew. At the back of the six flight formation and unseen to the Little Staughton crews at the front, Graveley’s 35 Sqn’s Flying Officer G.S. Lawson in Lancaster ‘H-How’ (PB683) began closing in on his friend Pilot Officer R. Clarke in ‘F-Freddie’ (PB678). Misjudging the narrow distance between them, Lawson’s aircraft inadvertently made contact with the wing of Clarke’s, sending both aircraft, fully laden with fuel and bombs, spiralling to the icy waters of the English Channel below. As the two Lancasters fell uncontrollably towards Earth, others in the formation could do nothing except watch in horror and prey that chutes would somehow emerge from the two Lancasters. Miraculously, six airmen did manage to escape the stricken bombers before they either broke apart due to the extreme forces exerted upon them, or they hit the water.
A rescue search was mounted immediately. Little Staughton’s reserve pathfinder Mosquito from 105 Sqn, who was sat at the rear of the formation and witnessed everything, remained on station continually radioing the airmen’s positions back to control. He remained there, watching out, until the launch arrived to begin the arduous task of searching for signs of life. But the icy winter waters of the channel were too much for the badly protected airmen, and although six managed to escape the stricken bombers, all the crew of the launch could do was pull dead bodies from the cold water. Only one crewman was unaccounted for, the body of Flt.Lt. John Faulkner was some weeks later washed up on the beach at Dieppe. He remains buried there to this day.
Meanwhile, the front two formations consisting of Lancasters from Little Staughton flew on oblivious to the carnage that had occurred behind them. Being an Oboe operation meant that the aircraft had to fly for fifteen minutes straight and level without any deviation from the beam they were following. Hopefully, the predicted cloud over the target would give them some protection from flak and fighters, hence the reason for using Oboe. When they got there however, there was none, just clear bright skies and it was daylight. Ramrod 1415 was about to feel the brunt of the Luftwaffe’s determined pilots.
The first formation had somehow become detached from the second and third, meaning their escort was way behind and having to race to catch-up. With eight minutes to target they were alone, in clear skies and vulnerable.
It was then that the flak began. 88mm and 105mm shells began exploding all around the aircraft, peppering the fuselages like hailstones on a tin can.
Within minutes the gunners had found their mark, and the first aircraft was hit. Mosquito ML998 ‘HS-B’ with 25 year old Flt. Lt. Eric Carpenter, a Canadian, and Fl. Off. William Lambert as navigator, was on fire with both engines out. Moments later, the Mosquito exploded in a massive fireball. Neither airmen would survive and Little Staughton was now one crew down.
With three minutes to go, not only had the flak intensified but fighters had appeared on the scene too. The master bomber, Sqn. Ldr. Robert Palmer in Lancaster PB 371 ‘V’, received hits causing two engines to cut. His Lancaster was now more than ever difficult to fly but on he went fighting the reluctant aircraft every inch of the way. Then further hits badly damaged the Lancaster’s tail forcing the aircraft to turn over and tumble out of the bright German sky.
As the aircraft tumbled over and over, the rear gunner Flt.Sgt. R Yeulatt, another Canadian, manged to escape his turret, more by luck than skill. After his turret was separated from the spiralling Lancaster his body was forced out between the doors by the wind. This incredible escape would be his saviour – he would be the only survivor of the seven man crew.
With all Lancasters receiving intense fire it was going to be carnage – and it was.
One of the original hangars still in use today.
The second Lancaster to fall from the sky was that of American (RCAF) Flt.Lt. Arndt Reif in PB120 ‘P’. Reid’s aircraft was hit by both flak and enemy fighters. Reif himself was badly injured, and so he gave the order to bale out. Only two crewmen, Flt. Sgts MacLennan and Pearce, both Canadians, escaped with their lives, being picked up on the ground and incarcerated by the Germans.
Flt. Lt. R. Hockley in Lancaster PB141 ’60-F’ went down next. With no controls and one wing on fire, he gave the order to jump, and all seven crewmen managed to escape the burning wreck. Six were picked up by the Germans below, the seventh, 24 year old Pilot Officer Ken Hewitt was attacked by murderous civilians and shot several times. Efforts to save him by a local policeman failed and the murder was the subject to a post war criminal investigation, which concluded that the fatal shot came from Hubert Wester, who was later killed on the Eastern front. No other charges were brought against any of those present.
With one Mosquito and three Lancasters now gone, the deaths were stacking up. Fl. Off. R. Terpenning, an Australian, in Lancaster PB558 ‘A’ had by now taken several hits and was flying ‘on the deck’ to try and make his escape. Pounced on by further fighters, time was definitely of the essence.
The Lancaster’s gunners fought bravely to ward off continued determined Luftwaffe attacks. Fuel now streamed from the wing; two engines were out; the top turret had been severely damaged and many controls were out of action, it was a miracle the aircraft was still in the air. Once over Belgium and the relative safety of the allied lines, Terpenning gave the order to bale out, himself being the last to leave. All seven airmen made it safely out of the Lancaster and were back at Little Staughton just four days later.
By now chaos reigned. Communications were bad at best. Only some aircraft received the order to scatter and had done so, others meanwhile received orders to bomb visually and not by Oboe. Some of the formation dispersed, each aircraft beginning its own unscheduled bomb run.
The last of the formation aircraft to come down was that piloted by 22 year old Flt. Lt. Peter Thomas, in Lancaster PB523 ‘J’. It, like the others, had received substantial hits and was doomed to crash. After battling against persistent fighters and damaged controls, Thomas finally gave the order to bale out. With himself and a wounded Canadian P. Off. Frederick (Tex) Campbell upfront, the remaining crew escaped and the aircraft crashed. In the wreckage still at the controls, was the body of the pilot Flt. Lt. Thomas.
Of those who escaped four became prisoners of war, the fifth, twenty year old Flt. Sgt. Vivian Hobbs was killed after his chute collapsed on the descent.
Of the seventeen Little Staughton 582 Sqn Lancasters that went to Cologne that day, five failed to return along with a Mosquito of 109 Sqn. With a further two Lancasters from Gravely a total of eight aircraft were lost that day, along with all but one of their crews. The operation had been a disaster from the start, and the crews had paid the price.
After the operation Sqn. Ldr. Palmer, who was on his third operational tour and 111th sortie, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his determination in continuing on to the target, even though his aircraft was severely damaged. He insisted on flying straight and level to allow Oboe to pinpoint the target. As a result the crew placed their markers precisely on the target allowing those left following to bomb accurately.*3
The full story and VC citation for Sqn Ldr. Palmer, can be read in ‘Heroic Tales‘.
A Robins Aircraft Hangar still in use today.
The return trip to Cologne on New Year’s eve must have filled the crews with dread, however it proved to be uneventful in that all aircraft returned safely and without incident. Although losses were comparatively light for the two units, seventeen aircraft lost from 109 Sqn and around thirty from 582; equating to some 250 airmen in total; it was still a blow to the squadrons and to Little Staughton as a whole.
With a successful and uneventful last operation, the dawn of 1945 must have brought renewed hope for fewer losses and that of a forthcoming allied victory.
The poor weather of the Christmas period however, did little to deter operations over Germany. On 1st January 1945, 582 Sqn were once again in action flying to both Dortmund and Witten. For almost fifteen days crews would be flying operations, training flights or both. It was a gruelling time but losses were low. It wasn’t until the 16th-17th that the first aircraft would go down. Baling out over allied territory all crew apart from the rear gunner, Sgt. McNamara, survived. With 109 Sqn losing only one Mosquito on the 31st – again both airmen returning safely – January had proven light despite the increase in operations.
It was then in February that another Little Staughton airman would earn himself the Victoria Cross, the second for bravery and dedication to duty.
On the night of 23rd-24th February, only ten days after the historical attack on Dresden that resulted in a firestorm, 367 Lancasters and 13 Mosquitoes from 1, 6 and 8 Groups were detailed to attack the city of Pforzheim to the north-west of Stuttgart. This would be the only attack on the city and it would prove almost as devastating as Dresden and Hamburg.
The Master Bomber that night was a 582 Squadron Lancaster piloted by the only South African pilot in the Pathfinders, Captain Edwin Swales DFC. In his Lancaster III PB538 ‘N’, were seven other crewmen, including two navigators.
On the run in to the target, the Lancaster was badly hit by night fighters putting one engine and the rear turret guns out of action. Undeterred, Swales continued to perform his role, guiding the following bombers onto the target with the greatest of precision.
Only when he was satisfied that the attack had been carried out did he leave the target area. Now easy prey to more attacks, soon a second engine was put out of action, controls were damaged with some being inoperable. With a reduced speed and difficult flying conditions he headed for the allied lines, and once safely over them, he gave the order to bale out. All those on board made the jump to safety, leaving Swales at the control trying to maintain steady flight. Just as the last man left, the Lancaster gave up the struggle and was reported to hit high tension cables causing it to crash. Captain Swales was still at the controls when it was found later on.
The attack on Pforzheim was considered to be very accurate, with over 1,800 bombs having been dropped in little over twenty minutes. Over 17,000 people were known to have died that night in the raging fire that followed, and a post-war photograph, revealed that 83% of the built up area had been destroyed by the raid*4.
Swales’ VC was awarded posthumously, being the second such award to go to airman of Little Staughton, and the third of only three to the Pathfinders. His citation appeared in the Fifth Supplement to The London Gazette, of Friday, the 20th of April, 1945, and concluded: “Intrepid in the attack, courageous in the face of danger, he did his duty to the last, giving his life that his comrades might live.” His story also appears in ‘Heroic Tales‘
The war was by now drawing to its inevitable conclusion, and the end of the Nazi’s reign of terror was near. For Little Staughton crews however, the job was far from over. By now the allies were so close to Germany that Oboe stations and forward operating airfields allowed accurate Oboe bombing of Berlin. On the 8th March 109 Squadron’s history was made with their first Oboe marking of Berlin and Munich; the longest range they ever attempted. Eighteen aircraft were ordered out to four targets, the other two being Dessau and Hamburg, The night was not the most successful though, with technical problems causing issues with a number of Pathfinder aircraft. On the Hamburg raid, four of the six aircraft marked well, one aircraft lost an engine and had to return early, whilst over Berlin, two of the four markers had to return without marking also due to technical issues. The Dessau raid suffered similar technical issues.
By now the war was in its last stages, and the night of 20th-21st April saw yet another pivotal moment in the history of the war, with the RAF’s last attack on the German capital. 109 Sqn were again in action, and it was Mosquito XVI ML929, piloted by F.O. A.C. Austin and F.O. P. Moorhead, who claimed the honour of dropping the last RAF bomb on the city. It was yet another feather in the cap for Little Staughton crews.
One of the original hardstands now has farmers sheds on it.
Other German cities then took the brunt of the Allied attacks. To the south, allied troops were approaching Hitler’s lair at Berchtesgaden, but the night’s attack in April would not be one to remember, as all Little Staughton’s aircraft suffered technical issues preventing them from marking the target. It is thought that the surrounding mountains had interrupted the Oboe signal leading to poor reception by the Pathfinders. Due to fog and snow, identifying the target was then made more difficult for the following bombers, but with relatively accurate strikes, the raid was considered a success. However, it was not to be the Pathfinder’s final night of glory.
Attention then turned to Manna operations, and 109 began to mark targets in Holland for food parcels. A remarkable effort allowing foodstuffs and urgent supplies to be dropped to starving civilians in Holland.
Whilst bomber command was concentrating on humanitarian flights, 109 Squadron took part in the final raid on Kiel on May 2nd-3rd, with four aircraft taking part. One suffered problems and was unable to mark leaving the remaining three to identify and mark the target. It was solely a Mosquito attack using aircraft from both 8 and 100 Group, after which large fires were seen rising from several parts of the town. After the last remnants of the German army left, it was declared ‘undefended’ and open, and allied troops entered unopposed just 36 hours later.
With the war’s end, the Pathfinders returned to dropping markers for food supplies, and ‘cooks’ tours began, aircrew taking ground crews on ‘sight-seeing’ trips over Germany to show the extent of the devastation caused by the war and the allied pounding of Germany’s towns and cities. An event that really brought home the effects of the war on Germany.
In September 1945 after much speculation and many staff movements, both squadrons were ordered to disband. 582 was first on the 10th with 109 Squadron soon after on the 30th. A glimmer of hope then came for 109 Sqn, when it was reborn through the renumbering of 627 Sqn at Woodhall Spa. To all intents and purposes though it was a different squadron to the one that had worked so hard and with such dedication here at Little Staughton. The operational record books for 582 Squadron simply states: “No further entry, Squadron disbanded as of 10th September 1945“. On roll were 147 airmen and 92 Officers, six of which were New Zealanders. The records also show that the squadron had dropped over 8,000 tons of bombs cumulatively, while 109 Sqn recorded: “This is the finish, all our aircraft were flown to Upwood today.”
Some 522 raids had been flown by 109 Squadron, covering over a staggering 5,400 sorties, while at either Little Staughton, Wyton or Marham, all with a loss of just 18 aircraft. 582 on the other hand had flown over 2,100 sorties in 165 raids with a loss of 28 Lancasters all whilst based at this little airfield in the Cambridgeshire countryside*4.
Throughout the war, thoughts had never been far away from post war aviation and in particular the development of new, larger and faster aircraft, both military and civil. With it would come the demand for bigger airfields and longer runways, which led to a search for possible extensions to existing airfields. Farnborough and the RAE (Royal Aircraft Establishment), was the preferred choice, but the site was penned in and unable to have its runway extended to the five miles thought necessary to accommodate new types of aircraft. Alternatives were sought with the final decision being the amalgamation of three airfields: Twinwood Farm, Thurleigh and Little Staughton; a five mile runway linking Thurleigh with Little Staughton which would then be linked by a taxi way with Twinwood Farm. The idea behind the huge development was to replicate the Californian Muroc test facility (now Edwards Air Force Base) to enable testing of new developments in aviation. The idea never materialised though, and would have no doubt faced serious opposition had it ever got to the consultation phase*1.
So, with no real need for Little Staughton it was soon surplus to military requirements, and with their dramatic reduction of assets, its days were sadly numbered.
Following the departure of the two squadrons, the airfield became used as a transport base, before finally closing in December 1945, and being placed into care and maintenance. In the 1950s the runway was given consideration again and work began to extend it for use in emergencies by US military aircraft, but this was also a short lived exercise, and by the end of the decade this too had ceased, and the site was closed to all military activity. For a short while it was used by the civilian Brooklands Aviation company as a repair depot, but was soon returned to farmland although the runway, and some of the perimeter tracks remain, used by a small aviation company along with several of the hangars which are used by light industry.
The Watch Office continues to stand and is now a Grade II listed building, being listed in December 2005 for its ‘special architectural and historic interest’. Historic England describe it as “One of a very small number of control towers of the Second World War period that have survived in a substantially complete state of preservation…This is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a 1941 control tower design for bomber satellite stations, of which 24 out of 45 built survive.”*2
With that, Little Staughton quietly slipped in to the history books. The buildings left standing echoing the hectic activities of two Pathfinder Squadrons, from which over 250 airmen lost their lives.
582 Sqn had been purposefully created for a role, a role it performed to the highest standard and with the greatest pride of any squadron in the RAF. 109 Sqn had performed with the same dedication and determination, meaning that Little Staughton crews were awarded two of the three VCs the Pathfinders earned, the highest honour to be bestowed on any military personnel. In addition to these, numerous other gallantry medals were also awarded to the many crews of both squadrons, a number of whom had flown in excess of 100 sorties whilst based here at Little Staughton.
Remnants of the airfield still exist as farm tracks.
Little Staughton was only operational for a short period of time. But in that time it achieved some of the highest accolades possible in military terms. It brought a great sense of pride to the local area, and a huge influx of men and machinery. Today it stands quiet, just outside of the village which marks its history with a small stone laid close to the end of the main runway. The local church, All Saints, also has a roll of honour commemorating all those personnel who lost their lives here, and a memorial stone close by pays homage to those who served and died in this remarkable place.
Before departing, we travel a short distance to the north-west, a mile or so in fact, to another long gone airfield that was only open for a very short time. It too went under the name of Little Staughton but in this case it was RFC Little Staughton.
RFC Little Staughton
The former Second World War airfield RAF Little Staughton has become the airfield synonymous with the name. However, long before it was built, an airfield existed about a mile or so to the north-west, on the edge of the current village, and was essentially a Relief Landing Ground (RLF) belong to the Royal Flying Corps.
The main, and only users, were No 75 Squadron who were flying Royal Aircraft Factory BE2c and later BE12 bi-planes from their base at Goldington, Bedford.
Formed on October 1st 1916, the squadron was created from the nucleus of 33 Squadron and moved to Goldington on the 12th. With each of the three wings based at Yelling (St. Neots), Old Weston (Thrapston) and Therfield (Baldock), it was a home defence squadron set up to protect the region from Zeppelin airships that were flying over England during the First World War.
The squadron utilised the airfield between their inception and September 1917, as an emergency landing ground in case of mechanical problems or when poor weather prevented aircraft from getting home. It was soon realised that the location was too far west and so in 1917, they were reassigned to Elmswell near Ipswich. At this point Little Staughton became inactive and was soon decommissioned.
Being such a short life, little exists about events at the airfield and as it played no major part, it has simply dissolved into the history books and has become farmland.
There is however, a reminder of its existence, located outside of the now closed Crown pub, courtesy of the Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust, is a memorial plaque dedicated to those who served at the airfield during that time.
The memorial plaque stands near to the site of the former airfield.
Sources and further reading. (RAF Graveley)
*1 Williams, G. “Flying Through Fire FIDO – The Fog Buster of World War Two“, 1995, Alan Sutton Publishing, Page 109.
Bennett, D., “Pathfinder” Crecy, 1998
Feast. S., “Heroic Endeavour“, Grubb Street, 2006
Sources and further reading (RAF Little Staughton)
*1 Smith, D., “Britain’s Military Airfields 1939 – 45” Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989
*2 Historic England Website accessed 17/9/23
*3 Much of the report from this comes from a combination of Operational record books and secondary resources including Feast., S., “Heroic Endeavour“, Grub Street Publications, 2006.
*4 Middlebrook, M., Everitt. C., “The Bomber Command War Diaries“, Midland Publishing Ltd, 1996
National Archives Operational Records:
AIR 27/2052/2; AIR 27/2052/1; AIR 27/854/8; AIR 27/854/7; AIR 27/2052/7; AIR 27/2052/8; AIR 27/2052/10; AIR 27/2052/9; AIR 27/855/2; AIR 27/2052/14; AIR 27/2052/13; AIR 27/856/7; AIR 27/856/9; AIR 27/2449/1; AIR 27/2052/27
Sources and further reading (RFC Little Staughton)
Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust website.
Bedfordshire Archives website
Great War Forum website
Aviation Trails 