Little Staughton Airfield – 2009 Thread Revived

Trumper, sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Perhaps we will eventually get our subscribed threads back with e-mail notifications of replies!

My connection with 60-Z is that my wife’s uncle, Jim Foulsham, was flying the aircraft when it was shot down over the Foret du Croc, south of Dieppe, while attacking a V1 site. It was the only Oboe Lancaster then operating. The 582 Sqn crew would have known your relative’s crew.

Wreckage from the aircraft is still being recovered and I have been running a thread for over 7 years during the course of which more than 200 items which have been discovered have been identified with the help of forum members and a plan has been created showing where the parts of the aircraft came to earth. There is a photo-gallery of the pieces found. The link to the thread is https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/123676-wreckage-of-lancaster-ed908-60-z?page=0

Bob ,once again Thank you 🙂    May i ask what your link is to 60-Z  . 

   I still wonder if anyone has any info on what happened to the pilot who survived the crash after the war – i hope he was able to live a happy life.

Yes, it would have been 60-R. As you may have noticed my avatar is 60-Z for Lancaster ED908, lost on 20 July 1944 shortly before ND810.

Thank you ,it is good to see that MAYBE if some older threads are bought back some people may come back as well.  Is the R in brackets the individual aircraft code  i think that the sqdn was 60 – so would that make that 60 – R  [Robert] ?  

  I hope this posts ok as the forum seems to be very slow loading.

Trumper – good to hear from you again.

Herewith attached the extract from the 582Sqn ORB showing ND810 (R) failing to return.

Lets see if this works with the new forum upgrade .I was wondering if anyone had the codes and markings for my relatives Lancaster he was killed in  please flying in Lancaster Mk111 ND810  see photo attached.He was  W F Bunting .

   I also wondered what happened to the pilot who survived after the war S/L VGF Coleman.

  Many Thanks. 

 Happy New Year 

🙂 Some lovely updates to this tread -Thank you 🙂 .

Dave,

I have just been looking at some of the research I did before visiting the site in 2014. The site plan on the left can be compared with a wartime aerial view where the water storage pond is clearly visible. I also have an extract from a more recent plan, the source of which I cannot now recollect, where the site of the pond is clearly marked with a blue square. However a GoogleEarth aerial view of 2002 suggests that it must have been filled in as there is no sign of it in the picture. The surviving buildings are clearly seen along with a large number of storage containers which were no longer there when I visited the site!

Dave,

Yes, the picture of 240-239-234 was taken from about the spot. Picture 239-240-236 is taken from the other side of the buildings and looks towards where the pond would have been – somewhere near the trees in the background. From what you say, your wife’s grandfather was with 582 Sqn. My wife’s uncle, Jim Foulsham, was a Mosquito pilot with 109 Sqn, but was flying a 582 Sqn Lancaster when he was shot down on 20 July 1944. If you are interested you can have a look at the thread “Wreckage of Lancaster ED908 (60-Z)” – pieces of the wreckage are still being found 70+ years later. What was the period of your wife’s grandfather’s service – perhaps their time overlapped?

I hope you enjoy your trip – keep in touch via this thread.

Bob

Thanks very much BobKat, I will show my wife in the morning. Although you don’t have any pictures of the pond (241) I assume the picture of 240-239-234 was taken from about the position of it. He has stories about swing in it as Lancs took off over his head. Lovely to see his Mess too. He was a flight engineer flying with Brian McMillian, we have a copy of his log book and some photosb but all looking forward to giving the place a visit now.

Dave

Site No.2

dhayes,

I assume you have a site plan as you know the building numbers? I attach an extract showing Site No.2 with the surviving buildings shown in red. Buildings 243 and part of 231 have since been destroyed by fire. The pictures attached are from a visit in 2014. Vehicular access to the site known as the Little America Industrial Estate was via a security gate with a code for entry. Pedestrian access was available with a short walk to the site, so you will need to leave your car in the road near the entrance gate. The occupants were happy for me to take photos. If you don’t have a plan and would like to know what the buildings were, please let me know – the numbers are shown on the pictures.

BobKat, Pictures of the Sergeants Mess would be brilliant. My wife lost her Grandad a few months ago but he told us many stories and we are all very interested to see where it all happened. We are hoping to go up there this summer but any pictures particularly of Site 2 would be gratefully received. I can PM you my email if you would prefer.

As a kid I used to cycle to Kimbolton School every day and some days the Lancs would be returning from their night missions as I went past.

This would have been in the 1942 to 1948 time frame.

I did not find the RAF ground crews at Little Staughton very friendly as we sometimes stopped to watch the activities on the hardstandings close to the road.

When the Americans arrived and took over the adjacent bases at Kimbolton, Thurleigh, Molesworth, etc. they always invited us in to look at the aircraft, provided they were not being prepared to fly.

Interesting days to be a kid! Unfortunately we were unable to get film for our cameras and if we could we were not able to get it developed. There were many signs pointing out the various things that could be done to you is you were caught taking photos or making sketches!

We were able to get the odd GI serviceman to buy a roll of film from the PX for us, but we were not able to get it processed until the war was over and any pictures I took did not come out too well when processed, a problem they said with the developer chemicals.

dhayes,

I don’t have any pictures of the pond – I don’t remember seeing it on my visit, so I imagine that it may well be lost amongst the undergrowth. I do have a picture of the Sergeant’s Mess on Site 2 (building 232) if this is of any interest.

I don’t suppose anyone has any photos of this pond (Building 241). My wifes Grandfathers was based in site 2’s sergeants mess and he loved the pond as it was used as unofficial swimming pool. He told us lots of stories and hoping to go the Staughton this year

As you say, much has been demolished, but I did manage to see what remains of the bomb stores.

I’ll look forward to hearing more when you are back in the UK.

I now live in Florida but I will be back in the UK in a few weeks I will go through the old photo albums and see what I have there.
None of the current residents would have known of the vehicles as the game keeper died in the late 1970’s. There is a huge area of the Airfield that is all woods now where bomb’s were stored. There are a lot of buildings now demolished like where Universal Salvage used to be was Site #9

You are correct on the water tower use
I grew up on Basmead Farm and we had all of site 6 as our land
I am also responsible for starting the first use of Site 2 for industrial use I used building #237 as a car repair workshop and rented out several other buildings for storeing cars etc, I leased them all from the local farmer Mr Spencer Thomas until he died
building #234 was used for Chickens back then as well
there also used to be a pond there down as a building #241 Fire Fighters reserve water storage this actually had fish in it in the 1970’s

Russell T, I regret that I am unable to help you as to where the USAAF buried any equipment. I met a few of the then current occupants when I visited the airfield a year or two back, but none mentioned any cache of vehicles and/or spares.

I have aerial views of the airfield at the dates you mention, but I would interested to see any old photos you have of the base which you are willing to share.

Pictures Little Staughton Airfield

I moved to this area in 1973 and lived on what was Basmead Barns Farm it was at the corner of Building Site 6 and site 6 was our property at this time
we had several Air raid shelters on there and a lot of old buildings.
Any how with growing up there from the age of 15 through to mid 20’s I would say I explored just about every piece of the old Airbase I have some photo’s I think from this period and I have copies of the Base plans and some arial shots from 1942 44 & 47
On my interest in the place now I would like to find the location of where the USAAF buried a bunch of equipment ie Engines, parts, and Vehicles.
I know for a fact they actually did this as the old game keeper I new back then witnesed this being done, I have narowed the area’s possible down to a few locations but would appreciate a little info if anyone knows anything about this.
We did dig up some stuff back in the late 70’s but nothing major, most people have just found a couple of Trash dumping grounds.
I do remember some old military vehicles that were abandoned there but they were pretty bad condition back then so probably completly gone now.