Alloy skin in a ditch, Weston Zoyland airfield

“eventually to a lorry driver the originator of the story…..” That lorry driver wasn’t called Gordon, was he? If it’s the same chap he then went on to run coach tours on the Somerset Levels for American tourists, proudly announcing things like ‘If you look to your left, you’ll see the actual field where Oliver Cromwell burned the cakes on the eve of Bannockburn’ ….What was known as a genuine local character.

Yeah, my dad used to hang out in the tower and neighbouring buildings in the early 60’s, he remembers phones, Ops boards, maps and books all left in a ‘Marie celeste’ kind of way.

As for the farmer’s name.. ‘no comment’ 😉

I have attached a treasure map of the ditch location in case anyone (with permission, of course) fancies a poke around. Me, I live in Cambridge now and can’t really justify weekends away hanging around old airfields any more – much that I’d love to!

I have used a metal detector around WZ on a few occasions and never found anything in contrast to other Ex Wartime airfields.
I knew a chap who helped build the road across the airfield post war and He uncovered a buried box full of incendiaries dealt with by the bomb squad.
He told me another story that stores from Norton Manor in Taunton. a D day supply depot were ferried in Lorries around the clock for several weeks to WZ and dumped.
I spoke to several land owners and locals and eventually to a lorry driver the originator of the story.
I came to the conclusion that it was a tall story he had told to his mates as when I checked where he said it had been dumped it was clear the ground had not been disturbed and was swampy meaning any pit would have instantly filled with water.
He also refused point blank to show me the spot even after being offered a financial inducement. :rolleyes:

Unfortunately not!
This was back in my youth and I didn’t have a camera. To be honest in those days my mind was on other things and its only now that I look back and wish that I had had the presence of mind to make a record of things as they were. In those days, a good deal of the domestic site was largely intact, and was just a stones throw from our house. As kids we used to play in the derelict buildings and used to come across paperwork, books etc. How I regeret not collecting it all! The gymnasium – now the village community centre – was our indoor cycle speedway track. It’s hard to believe some of the things we got up to in those days! A large proportion of the domestic site was used as a secondary school after the airfield closed, but the school closed shortly before we moved into the village in the mid 60s.
Happy days, but getting back to your question, sorry, no pictures!!

Hi Rover,

Welcome to the forum,

Of course we are a curious lot, any piccies of your investigations?

Cheers
Cees

It was shortly after that that I was clobbered by an irate farmer

Bet that was Adrian Bawden!!

It was all too easy back in those days to incur the wrath of the farmers. I too spent many happy hours exploring the airfield, and got chased off on more than one occasion. There used to be a collection of old lorries stored further on round from the Tower, towards Burdenham Farm. I guess they got taken away as scrap at some point.

It was shortly after that that I was clobbered by an irate farmer

Did you clobber him back?

Why not now go see him if still there and ask him if you can have a look the worst he can do is remember you and clobber you again.!