RAF Airfields on Film

Malta Story – 1952. Spitfires were filmed at Takali & Safi.The two Wellingtons (NB113 & HF626, both T10s from 3 Overseas Ferry Unit, Abingdon) flew from Luqa & Takali. My father was one of the Wimpey pilots – he also appears as an extra with an unpaid & unexplained “promotion” to Flying Officer from his real rank of Flight Sergeant!

How about Conflict of Wings, an Ealing film made around 1954. Mainly shot around the Norfolk Broads it has good shots of Vampires zipping about (in colour). An RAF airfield features – West Raynham, Leconfield possibly.

The ‘Da Vinci Code’ used Biggin Hill for the arriving in the UK scenes.

Steve

Although there is one arial shot of the tower at Biggin, it was Dunsfold they used for all the ground shots and inside the hanger. You can see the Aces High DC3 in the back ground.

Peter

Twelve O’Clock High was (as in my original post ) filmed at Barford St. John Oxfordshire in 1949

Just had a google at that place, whats it used for these days? Seems to be some sort of test facility for those rather large rotary washing lines?

Radpoe Meteor / CJH
Having checked my references the film Paratrooper and The Red Beret are obviously one and the same. US / UK releases?

Whilst I only caught a part of the film on the box I knew that PTS was at Abingdon but as that is also the airfield I currently fly out of, I know that the Hangars I saw were wrong for Abingdon. Also the airfield assualt had a Control tower and blister hangar which rather point towards a layout used for fighters rather than the bomber airfield which was Abingdon.

RAF Abingdon / PTS appears in any film of the period where parachute training is needed ‘Carve her name with Pride’ for instance.

Its a very long time since I saw the film,it is possible that they shot it at Abingdon,but from memory the wimpy was stood between 2 hangars & the doors behind the A/C appear to be those found on a C type hangar-but as for Alan Ladd being in the film,yes its the same one.

Don’t suppose anyone has an idea where the 1942 film “Flying Fortress” starring Richard Greene was shot ??

memorable for a scene where he crawls out onto the wing of his B-17 to smother a fire – otherwise I am told a forgettable film ( I have never seen it)

The engine repair incident was based on an actual event. A Royal New Zealand Air Force pilot, Sergeant James Allen Ward, earned the VC after he climbed onto the wing of his aircraft on 7 July 1941 to smother the burning engine.

Im going to start databasing this today – I promise

Coastal Command – RAF Films 1942
RAF Bowmore, Bowmore, Isle of Islay
RAF Port Ellen, Glenegedale, Isle of Islay

Cheers Chaps

Chris

Van Nuys ANGB, Forever Young

ok, that was a stretch… 🙂

Just a guess. Hawkinge?

as seen in my original post : yes it was Hawkinge…not much left of it now though –

the BoB museum on just about the last part of the airfield is worth a visit if you are passing through.

Chris[/QUOTE]

This ‘dump’ actually screened in mirror, but reversed here.

Mark

Is this Duxford?

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-63711994125288566

Radpoe Meteor / CJH
Having checked my references the film Paratrooper and The Red Beret are obviously one and the same. US / UK releases?

Whilst I only caught a part of the film on the box I knew that PTS was at Abingdon but as that is also the airfield I currently fly out of, I know that the Hangars I saw were wrong for Abingdon. Also the airfield assualt had a Control tower and blister hangar which rather point towards a layout used for fighters rather than the bomber airfield which was Abingdon.

RAF Abingdon / PTS appears in any film of the period where parachute training is needed ‘Carve her name with Pride’ for instance.

You can as a quick sunday evening test work out where the airfield was that features in BofB with Spits taking off over the English channel 🙂

Just a guess. Hawkinge?[/QUOTE]

as seen in my original post : yes it was Hawkinge…not much left of it now though –

the BoB museum on just about the last part of the airfield is worth a visit if you are passing through.

Chris

You can as a quick sunday evening test work out where the airfield was that features in BofB with Spits taking off over the English channel :)[/QUOTE]

Just a guess. Hawkinge?

I believe there is a film called the “Red Berets” which shows a couple of scenes of a Wellington T10 in front of a hangar-all in colour!!(-unless I am dreaming).Damned if I know which airfeild it was filmed at though.:confused:

Thanks…..

The film “The Red Berets” was partially shot at RAF Abingdon Parachute School, RAF Abingdon in Oxfordshire….1953……Alan Ladd in the lead role and a host of recognisable British actors.

If you are including TV then Dads Army used Sally B at one stage

Which episode prey-tell?

Bomberboy

I believe there is a film called the “Red Berets” which shows a couple of scenes of a Wellington T10 in front of a hangar-all in colour!!(-unless I am dreaming).Damned if I know which airfeild it was filmed at though.:confused:

Thanks for that Denis. I would like to think the opening sequence was shot in England. By the way, just got a signed copy of Beirne Lay Jr’s I Wanted Wings for a very small sum via Abebooks.com!

Are you sure about this, as After the Battle mag (I think) said that the opening sequences were filmed at an old USAAF field in Alabama. The fences look “American” but otherwise the scene looks like England.

I had listened in to a conversation with a very old fellow at the Kermit Weeks Museum in Florida in 1996. His name, I think was Joseph Martin. He was giving a small talk next to the B-17, to a few people about his time with the 100th Bomb Group. He mentioned Beirne lay Jr and that he landed a job on the film production of ’12 O clock high’ as the location managers assistant.

He did mention that the actual film was located at several different locations. The main flying sequences were at Eglin, some of the location work at an abandoned airfield in Ohio, and a small sequence was filmed in the UK at a disused airfield. It was this small sequence at Barford St John, that I believe was the location of the opening shots up as far as when Dean Jaggers character, the Adjutant’s ‘view’ changed to seeing the Bombers returning.

He was, as I have said quite elderly then, he was just a fellow chatting to a few people who had gathered around him and his wife. But I earwigged in as that film is probably one of my all time favourites. Could he have got his American locations mixed up I wonder, but he did mention Ohio more than once I recall.

I’ve just been watching part of the Allan Ladd film ‘Paratrooper’ on TV and that had one if not two RAF airfeilds in it. which were they? It also had the nose of a a target tug beaufighter in shot on the ‘German’ airfeild. Best of all was the mix of USAF and RAF Daks taking off and the paratropers jumping out of Hastings!! :rolleyes:

Can anyone identify the disused, but fairly well preserved aerodrome which features heavily in the last part of Robbery, the 1967 Stanley Baker film?

http://www.britmovie.co.uk/genres/th…raphy/060.html

There was a 1960’s movie called ‘Robbery’ which was based loosely on the ‘Great Train Robbery’. The ‘robbers’ stow away in a an old RAF ATC tower and the viewer is then treated to some excellent colour footage of a Whirlwind HAR10 doing a visual inspection.

However, not sure which airfield it was – for some reason I always had Bovingdon in the frame but without anything to substantiate it – thoughts anyone?

remember that film very well. Or rather: I remember the scenes of this disused airfield very well. I too would love to find out which one it was. Somehow I always felt it was Lissett or Elvington. I visited what was left of Lissett in the late 70s and it reminded me a lot about what I saw in that fiilm (even the weather was the same!)

Peter

Thanks to forum member wl745, I think we can positively identify the airfield as being Graveley.

Wl745 was stationed at Oakington at the time and remembers it being filmed at (one of?) its satellite stations.

Action Stations suggests Graveley was a satellite during the ’60s, and a quick Google of Robbery and Graveley brings further confirmation from a film site.

Looking at the photos here:-

http://www.content-delivery.co.uk/aviation/airfields/Graveley.html

there appears to be a strong resemblance to what I saw on screen, although it’s a while since I saw the film.

Wow, an almost intact wartime aerodrome, with Pathfinder Force history to boot. Oh to have been able to wander around it for an hour or two….

http://www.content-delivery.co.uk/aviation/airfields/Graveley.html

My thanks to wl745 and the owners of these websites, what great resources to have at your fingertips!

Reach for the Sky

Am I correct in thinking that no-one has yet mentioned ‘Reach for the Sky’? Would that have been filmed at Kenley and Woodley? Just a guess. I am sure that someone out there knows!