Airfields

[grandarog]

I Flew in an Anson on Summer Camp from RAF Woodvale. Circling over Blackpool, around the Tower, in a rain storm ,the top escape hatch between the pilots blew off. Us sitting in our string seats got soaked. Dare say the hatch is on display in one of the B&B,s.
Detling was very heavily bombed and was almost wiped out in one raid .There were loads of casualties. A WAAF was awarded the MM and another was too for saving a pilot in a different incident.

[Dave Smith]

grandarog. The Ansons would have been "station hacks", utility vehicles to ferry people, etc. I don't know whether you ever flew in one- they had one at Halton- but unusually, someone had to pump the undercarriage up & down! Of course, Detling would have been a target for being bombed, certainly during the BoB, so your Aunt's hate was well founded.

[grandarog]

Dave Smith,Thanks.
 Interesting tale about your adventures at Detling. If my memory is right I seem to remember seeing Ansons on the airfield when going past on the top deck of the Bus to and from  Maidstone. I had an old Aunty living in Detling Village ,she hated the Airfield as she said it had always attracted the German Bombers.

[Dave Smith]

Many thanks grandarog, I was sure that you would have all the details- or know where they were. I would have been interested to read the history of Detling but Facebook wanted my mobile, & I don't have one. I asked my daughter & she said, "don't go onto Facebook as there are too many scamers looking for the uninitiated like you on that site". I have fond memories of visiting Detling in 1943/44/45. as Scouts we would cycle from Gillingham over to the earthworks at one side of the airfield, make a fire to cook our lunch- diced veg. & oxo in a tin, plus a damper or twist to go with it. We always went across to the large houses, which had been taken over by the RAF as officers' quarters to ask the WAAF "batwomen" in the kitchen for some water- always given with a smile & sometimes with a cup of tea if there was a brew going! After lunch, we always moved up to the nearby dispersal areas to see what was going on. I remember one time that there was a Fairy Barracuda parked up- a very unusual type to be there. But I bought the Aeroplane Spotter weekly( 1d at first), so knew every aircraft flying.

[grandarog]

How many times have you gone past the Kent Showground on the A249 and wondered what the tall building in the field behind the Shell garage was for. Lots of folk think it was the Parachute Packing Shed.Wrong! It was the Gunnery training building.There was a fully operational Aircraft Gun turret in the middle of the floor .Pictures of aircraft were projected onto the walls and ceiling and the gunners would  simulate bursts of Fire. Engine and other associated noises were played through loudspeakers to make it more realistic.
There are lots of remnants of RAF Detling and (Coldblow at Frinningham) still in existence.
If you are interested in the history there is a Facebook page dedicated to RAF Detling .
https://www.facebook.com/RAFDetling

[grandarog]

Hi Dave Smith.
Just to put records straight. The Oak Lane Bridge Train crash  was caused by the Doodlebug V1 as you correctly say.


The V1 had been chased from the Dover area by a  Canadian Pilot ,Flt Lt John Alfred Malloy of 274 Sqdn from West Malling Flying his Hawker Tempest V.
He tipped the V1 expecting it to crash harmlessly in the many open fields. Unfortunately it struck under the bridge just as the downline train from London approached.
(The details are well documented and available on Google).
The bit about the pilot visiting is urban myth. In fact he was killed shortly afterwards in Jan 1945.
274 Sqdn had been formed specially to intercept and bring down V1,s and had not long reequipped with Tempests V.s from Spitfires.


There is an excellent resumee of John Malloy on this Link.




http://aircrewremembered.com/malloy-john-alfred.html

[Dave Smith]

Very sorry grandarog," must read all details first"! Some useful links to Lashenden, thanks. I see that Mustangs were stationed there & wonder whether one of their's was the aircraft that " tipped" a V1 over the Kent countryside between Newington & Rainham in 1944. For those that don't know the- very open agricultural area, the railway runs more or less parallel to the A2, with road branches going North every few miles. Where they met the railway, there was a rail bridge & as the Coastal Express to London( crowded as usual), approached one, the V1 crashed into it! A terrible wreck, with many deaths & injuries. We heard that it was a Mustang & that the pilot visited the site afterwards, stricken with grief. No doubt someone will resurrect the local newspaper report- beyond my limited capability I'm afraid.

[grandarog]

I refered to Lashenden WW2  Airfield at Headcorn ,which is now Headcorn Aerodrome.


Pretty Comprehensive history of the Airfield on this link.


https://www.headcornaerodrome.co.uk/history.html


There are some good photos on this link


https://www.airport-data.com/airport/photo/007113.html

[Dave Smith]

Grandarog. Your mention of Lasham/Headcorn. I always thought that Lasham was the major centre for gliding/sailplane competitions & that it was in Hampshire?