Raf Sculthorpe most intact surviving airbase

Just looking at RAF North Luffanham on the link at the top of this thread and there seems to be a Hunter on the runway? any ideas?

The later control tower is definately still standing (or was last week). I am assuming people are referring to the original tower, which was probably demolished during the airfields more active days.

Pictures of the tower and airfiled.

http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?p=25700

I live for the most part in a village just up the road from Sculthorpe and often in the evening I hear two ‘heavy’ helicopters (CH-53?) heading towards Sculthorpe. About an hour or so later they are heading in the opposite direction.

Sculthorpe is still used for excersises, mainly by helicopters but Hercs have used it as well. I am not sure if they land or just do drops.

Phill

Never tried to attach pictures before – but here goes!

All September 1978.

What’s worrying Roger is when you unexpectedly see a picture of yourself from nearly 30 years ago!!!

Newark was [is] his group. [sorry to jump in Joe but I know that you won’t mind]

Can we have the battery back for opening the Mystere canopy? 😉 MAM caught in the act if I remember correctly – those were the days, look at all those stacks of tyres! What would H & S say now?

Also my best Canberra & Victor pictures taken at Sculthorpe whilst Marham was closed were taken between 18-21 September 1978. Put that camera down and get on with some b***dy work!

Thanks for posting those archive shots Joe – nice to see them.

Which museum/group were you with?

Roger Smith.

From memory, that would have been the summer of 1977 (or possibly 78?). My ATC squadron had it’s annual summer camp at Marham that year, but the place was devoid of aircraft apart from the (then camo) Valiant gate guardian (now at Cosford via Hendon) and a couple of Canberra hangar queens. The Marham main runway was being resurfaced that summer. The air cadets were taken on coach trip to a very foggy Sculthorpe, where the Victors were lined up on the hardstanding. There were still a few T33 and Mystere’s around the place then too.

I went back to Sculthorpe about five years ago – much of the domestic area had been sold off and was now a private housing estate, some of the communal buildings were in use, one was a residents’ club IIRC, but the main airfield proper was still securely behind barbed wire, and some of the larger buildings, plus the hangars looked to be a in fair condition.

Paul F

Twas 1978. I was detached from Leuchars to assist in the Brake parachute section. Spent many a day and night chasing after Victors down the runway.
Reason I remember was that my daughter was born when I was down there 🙂 🙂

Edited cos I forgot what year my lassie was born in 😮 😮 😮 😮 😮

Did an add-on for FS9 fs9 of Sculthorpe last summer, worked really well too, also turned up a few interesting facts on the place, like having the longest heated runway in Europe for one.

Towers now gone as have most of the buildings, base housing now renovated and turned into a new village, and the former Tech area is now an industrial estate of sorts. Runways and Pans still threre though as is the bomb store and a now real decisions have been made on the main base areas future which is leased too local farms.

Just doing a search on goggle earth with the addon for old ww2 raf bases. I am saddened to see the condition of some of the old airbases but I was surprised by Sculthorpe! IS this the most intact non aircraft active ww2 base left now?

Biscester is/was a good candidate the last time I went near in 2004 & although the runways have now gone Newton is pretty intact.

Debden in North Essex is also pretty intact as well (although there is no tower). It is so intact that the governmet slapped several preservation orders on parts of it last year as one of the last remaining intact Battle of Britain bases (There was a threat of development). The runway area usually has public pedestrian access as no flying goes on there any more and a good few local folks walk their dogs over it. Runways could do with a resurface though but parts of them are regularly patched as it is used for motorsport. See aerial photo. Preservation has no doubt been helped by the fact that there is a large NATS radar on site and that the Barracks (which are fenced off and separate from the airfield ) are still used by the Army

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

Nick, the yanks always seemed to have their own tower designs, replacing alot of the AM designed ones. Did you get a pic of the tower?

If you look at Marham and Lakenheath (original) towers, they are very similar to Sculthorpe’s. Maybe this is something to do with them all being closed around 1943 / 44 for rebuilding to Very Heavy Bomber standard – the basic layout you see on all three today. Mind you, I think West Raynham may have a similar tower, certainly the same dinky glasshouse on top.

I hate it when the towers are demolished, seems to be happening more and more. To me the tower is always a fitting memorial for those that have served on an airfield, even if everything else is ploughed up.

Nick, the yanks always seemed to have their own tower designs, replacing alot of the AM designed ones. Did you get a pic of the tower?

Sadly not, didn’t have a camera on me at the time.

I hate it when the towers are demolished, seems to be happening more and more. To me the tower is always a fitting memorial for those that have served on an airfield, even if everything else is ploughed up.

Nick, the yanks always seemed to have their own tower designs, replacing alot of the AM designed ones. Did you get a pic of the tower?

Nice seeing the ex European American types in those pics, must have been amazing seeing them arrive.
Why were they bought over here?

I thought Sculthorpe was the USAFs “secret” operations base in the 50’s thru to the 70’s & that it was still kept under maintenance.

A few more from the archive;

Maybe that ruling was made after our exercise in 1997!

It didn’t stop them flying for the 2 weeks though so perhaps the FOD damage was only light.

Yes, of course, RB-45’s – that is what I meant. I have seen that pic before and of course Sculthorpe’s tower is in the background – quite unusual in design with the relatively small glasshouse on top.

Cheers,

Nick

We also operated from North Luffenham in 2003!

Manby is incredibly complete minus the runways, and that has been out of RAF hands for 30 years, Hemswell and Binbrook too are reasonably complete. Strubby and Goxhill are pretty good complete examples of WWII airfields.

I think it was 1978 Paul (but I could be wrong).

Did somebody say that the tower has been pulled down? 😮

Pretty sure it was there last weekend, when I flew over the field.

Local rumour is that it is still used, particuarly at night for helio training.

From memory, that would have been the summer of 1977 (or possibly 78?). My ATC squadron had it’s annual summer camp at Marham that year, but the place was devoid of aircraft apart from the (then camo) Valiant gate guardian (now at Cosford via Hendon) and a couple of Canberra hangar queens. The Marham main runway was being resurfaced that summer. The air cadets were taken on coach trip to a very foggy Sculthorpe, where the Victors were lined up on the hardstanding. There were still a few T33 and Mystere’s around the place then too.

Paul F

I think it was 1978 Paul (but I could be wrong).

Did somebody say that the tower has been pulled down? 😮

I remember it being very cold and bleak.

The day we went there the fog was so thick that even our Marham based RAF coach driver had trouble finding the place, and tooka couple of wrong turnings down the back lanes. Once we arrived and climbed out at the flightline, you could only ever see one Victor in any direction clearly from wherever you stood, the rest of the line quickly fading into dim silhouettes which appeared and disappeared in the swirling fog.

That F100 looks very familiar, it, or one just like it was still there the day we were.

Paul F

I guess I must be one of the ”older preservationists’. Some pictures from the time Roger was talking about.

I remember it being very cold and bleak.