Deenethorpe Ceremony Prior To Loss To Housing 28/4/18

Used to fly with Denny Dobson from there. Great days.

I did text Mr Webster beforehand, who replied that the public were not allowed on site…glad I ignored him. Speaking to the microlight club members, they doubt if anything is going to happen soon and said there will be another gathering before the airfield really does close. didn’t take my camera due to the inclement weather, but a couple of phone images.

I wonder if the builders will find the time capsule. Perhaps someone could save them.

”On 17 June 2011 the widow of an American air crewman who took part in bombing raids from the airfield buried a time capsule on the crew’s behalf. Joan Parker was married to Tom Parker, the last of the eight-man 401st Bombardment Squadron crew, that flew the B-17 plane Lady Luck out of Deenethorpe.

In a ceremony, Mrs Parker buried eight glass-bottomed tankards along with a story of the men at the airfield. The crew carried out raids on marshalling yards in Berlin. “It was all agreed that whoever was the last one would bring the tankards back to Deenethorpe,” she said. “It took some time trying to gather all of the information.” The tankards were a gift from the pilot of Lady Luck, Lt Bob Kamper who presented them to the crew at a reunion in 1972. Mr Parker, the last member of the crew, died in March 2011.”

wiki.

Lets find time for a big thank you to Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, who threw open the borders of the UK and oversaw the rise of the population by over 5 million, which is now causing the most rapid and comprehensive obliteration of our historic airfields ever seen.

Yes, an event I would certainly attended had I heard about it; nevertheless, it’s good to see its history was acknowledged in such fine fashion.

An event I certainly would have visited had I found out in time! Wonder if there is still time for a visit before it all disappears?

The story I heard was of three hangar queens possibly buried. I heard that from a 401st vet, and I’m sure I have some documentation to that effect. The 1946 aerial photos do show up some seriously large and fresh earthworks on the western perimeter of the airfield, and I had heard that the site had been looked at a few years ago.

Shame to see Deenethorpe go. I have spent many years researching a B-17 that was based there and now feel I know the place to a small extent.

The farmer who lived next to the south-east perimeter of the airfield told me in 1973 that a B-17 hangar queen hulk was buried nearby. Despite my publicising this several times over the years, nobody seems to be interested in investigating the story. Maybe the time has come!

Excellent that the Airfield’s passing has been marked. Will there be appropriate street names? That keeps memories alive.

Very sad. Wonder if they will dig up any aircraft stuff