In the mid eighties, I remember as a lad talking to a local farmer who owned the land directly over the main road from Aston Down, in Gloucestershire. He said he kept ploughing up Lancaster bits, and when I looked doubtful he showed me a collection of exhaust stubs and a prop blade! I had one stub, until my dad threw it out 😡
Later I remember stories circulating of whole aircraft being dumped at Aston Down, and of local groups planning to dig them up! This was several years ago, and it has gone quiet. It is a matter of record that Lancs were sent for ‘disposal’ at the MU based there. However, the aircraft supposedly dumped ranged from Typhoons to Spitfires, making me believe that a lot of this was made up.
Does anyone know anything? There is certainly something down there – I’ve seen the plough-damaged evidence 🙂
By: DaveR - 31st March 2025 at 15:28
were Typhoons broken up at Aston Down? I know South Cerney & Lichfield were the main airfields where remaining Typhoons were broken up but I have heard stories over the years that there were so many aircraft on these airfields that sometimes incoming ones had to be diverted to nearby ones and were broken up on that site. Anyone have confirmation if this happened to Typhoons going into South Cereney and they were diverted to Aston Down? If I remember correctly there may have been some already based at Aston Down…perhaps these resident ones were scrapped there.
By: Beermat - 31st March 2025 at 15:28
Thanks! Now maybe me old dad will believe it was a Lanc exhaust stub, and not a ‘tractor part’ 😉
By: Arabella-Cox - 31st March 2025 at 15:28
Yes, Aston Down.
By: Beermat - 31st March 2025 at 15:28
I guess my thread was mis-titled. Not a rumour after all! Presuming this was indeed at Aston Down – Air Ministry, can you confirm this?
By: 12jaguar - 31st March 2025 at 15:28
The hole was ready to be backfilled when I took the video. There were other turrets still visible in the hole and I believe they are still down there.
Hi Alan
If there’s still stuff down there is there any reason why the site can’t be revisited?
John
By: Vega ECM - 31st March 2025 at 15:26
Its filled in over the top with Asbestos (i.e. the reason for the halting of the original recovery when they did), the recovery rights are owned by somebody else and I’m not sure, but I think there’s now a farm building on top of the site in the Video.
The main A/C types scraped at AD were Lanc’s, and Tempests but one of the guys I spoke, who was involved in the scrapping told me a small number of many types meet their demise there.
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January 5, 2010 at 5:31 pm