Whilst watching the British Grand Prix the other night I heard the ITV commentators James Allan and Martin Brundell mention that the famous Silverstone racetrack was in fact an Air Force base during the Second World War. Does anyone know more about it? Was it RAF? or USAAF? Was it a bomber base? Or Fighters? or other?
On a similar note, in Top Gear, is the track where they test the cars and do the celebrity time trials also an ex-RAF station? It looks very much like a runway, and there are large hangar-like buildings in the background often. Is it perhaps Brooklands?
Cheers
Dave
By: Moggy C - 15th July 2004 at 23:36
Snetterton is also a motor racing circuit today.
Now, after me…
I will read the earlier part of the thread before posting
I will read the earlier part of the thread before posting
I will read the earlier part of the thread before posting
I will read the earlier part of the thread before posting
Moggy
😉 :p 😉 :p 🙂
By: Arabella-Cox - 15th July 2004 at 23:11
Silverstone approach photos
Taken over the pilot’s shoulder, and so I’m afraid the quality isn’t great, but this was the approach into Silverstone’s runway 24 on Grand Prix weekend two years ago.
By: RobAnt - 15th July 2004 at 23:07
Everyone always forgets the 9th Airforce. They were at Snetterton first, then moved to Boxted, making way for the B17s.
Snetterton is also a motor racing circuit today.
By: station357 - 15th July 2004 at 20:20
Newmarket racecourse and surrounds were formerly used by Stirlings and Wellingtons.
Regards,
Paul
By: Melvyn Hiscock - 15th July 2004 at 20:03
Cheers guys, very interesting. I don’t know what would be better to hear, the roar of Wellingtons or the scream of F1 cars. Hmmm. Both I think 🙂
The racing would be more interesting in the Wellingtons . . .
By: John C - 15th July 2004 at 19:20
I know MIRA very well – many a windy, cold and wet day stood outside in the middle of nowhere doing drive by noise testing 🙁 Doing that work at Gaydon now (which is now a Jaguar Land Rover site BTW, but the Heritage centre has a small museum giving the aviation history of the site).
Did that at Lotus as well (and no it’s not in the least glamorous working in the car industry!). There used to be a small 389th museum in the control tower at Hethel – no idea if it’s survived the upheavals of recent years.
So Millbrook wasn’t ever an airfield then?
John C
By: Chipmunk Carol - 15th July 2004 at 17:08
Coys International Historic Festival used to be held at Silverstone. That was full of vintage racing vehicles and I know of a particularly lovely Chipmunk that used to fly in as a static display.
By: Moggy C - 15th July 2004 at 17:03
I’ve heard the name Millbrook for MIRA too, but according to Action Stations it was Nuneaton.
Millbrook and MIRA are two different places.
MIRA is the Motor Industry Ressearch Association and it’s near Nuneaton
Millbrook is GM’s in-house test track (Vauxhall, if you must) and is in Bedfordshire.
Moggy
By: dhfan - 15th July 2004 at 16:52
I’ve heard the name Millbrook for MIRA too, but according to Action Stations it was Nuneaton.
By: JDK - 15th July 2004 at 16:40
That would be when Boulton & Paul (woodworkers) go into subcontract aircraft building – though I thought it was later in W.W.I than that. Boulton Paul were the aircraft manufacturers, later widget (servos etc) makers – and IIRC they were formed later…
Ooo. Thise liddle grey cells at the back are strugglin’
Anyone else?
By: JDK - 15th July 2004 at 16:29
Hi John,
Could they have been Boulton & Paul? I have a vague memory that they were there…
By: John C - 15th July 2004 at 16:03
So presumably you are knee deep in Harriers?
Moggy
:p I deserved that.
Forgot another aviation place wot I worked at – Lawrence, Scott and Electromotors in Norwich (where I was apprenticed – prolly called something else now) had a satellite site on the Salhouse Road which consisted of 4 1914 (ish) Hangers that formed part of the Heartsease or Mousehold Aerodrome. Anyone got any more history on this site? I know that they were listed buildings.
John C
By: JDK - 15th July 2004 at 15:54
Cars and aircraft
Or hot air?
Cardington was the home of the R100 and R101 airships as is well known (cue for a nice piccie from DB of the world’s coolest largest sheds) but is now used (among other things) by the Driver Standards Training Agency – so the opposite end to F1 for speed I’d guess!
By: Moggy C - 15th July 2004 at 15:52
I’m wittering now..
John C
So presumably you are knee deep in Harriers?
Moggy
By: John C - 15th July 2004 at 15:46
MIRA near Nuneaton used to be an operational airfield as well – was Millbrook or is it a purpose built proving ground?
RAF Bircham Newton is now the home of the Contruction Industry Training Board (was there a few years ago testing the electrical stuff)
I’ve never worked in the aviation industry, but always seem to end up working at places with serious aviation heritage! Did 5 years at Lotus, currently at Jaguar (Whitley – home of Armstrong Whitworth, Castle Bromwich – didn’t they build planes there? 😉 ) . While doing the electrical testing job I met Ian Mclachlan and got him to sign a book or two and had a long chat…
I’m wittering now..
John C
By: dhfan - 15th July 2004 at 14:32
The first time I went to Duxford, before the IWM took over, was for a sprint meeting in, I would guess, 1972.
Believe it or not, Davidstow Moor in Cornwall was used for Formula 1 races in the very early fifties. It didn’t catch on, not least I suspect as it’s quite a long way the other side of the middle of nowhere. The runways and peri-track are still largely complete to this day. It’s too far away to be worth digging up for hardcore and the soil underneath is only marginally better than the concrete.
By: MarkG - 15th July 2004 at 14:29
Other race track/test tracks that were former RAF/USAAF bases include:-
Pembury (Pembury :rolleyes: )
That should be “Pembrey” by the way 😮
By: Arm Waver - 15th July 2004 at 13:31
Both programmes have used Bruntingthorpe too at some point.
Robbie Coultraines engineering series was partially filmed at Hurn and Duxford.
By: Dave Homewood - 15th July 2004 at 13:27
Team mate was Denny Hulme.
The TV progs Top Gear and 5th Gear still use Kemble a lot, especially 5th Gear. Occasionally, in some shots, you can see the Brittania. Clarkson’s solo series of programmes (Apocolypse Clarkson, etc) were filmed at Kemble.
Glen should be able to tell you more if necessary.
Hi Les, no, Bruce McLaren’s teammate that Dad met that year was not Denny, I’d remember him easily enough as the late Denny Hulme was a New Zealand legend, just like Bruce. I believe this was quite a bit before the McLaren’s left NZ for Britain (many fans these days don’t even know it was a New Zealand team to begin with, based in Auckland originally). I’ll ask Dad when I next see him and get the details and the chap’s name. It’s not a well known chap compared with Bruce, Denny or Chris Amon.
We have not yet had the pleasure of seeing ‘Apocolypse Clarkson’, but I really liked ‘Jeremy Clarkson’s Mean Machines’ a few years ago. Especially the aviation bits, like when he flew in the F15. 🙂 And when he walked round New York telling people that Britain invented EVERYTHING. He’s great!
By: Arm Waver - 15th July 2004 at 13:27
I’d love to see the pictures Steve. Turweston was hectic especially when the word got out we were open! The controlled maxed out at one point and held off accepting some aircraft whilst he cleared what he had on the field – Four waiting a spot, four on spots three departing and three in a hovering hold off the FATO strip. It was a memorable day for us especially me as heli-marshaller for those parking up for the day.
Shame how much the flying traffic has died off over the years…
OAW
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July 15, 2004 at 10:29 am