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- Feb 6, 2008
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Hopefully this falls within the new guidelines.No internals as this was a passing discovery after taking a passenger out this way and I wasn't dressed for grovelling in holes{sandals for a start aren't advisable}
Alton Barnes was used by the RAF from 1935 to 1945 for flying training including touch and go landing practice and glider training. The airfield was on the site of Brown's Farm and had a mix of concrete taxi ways and a grass runway.
S0006469
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S0006468
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6showing the strange curved side
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S0006470
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Some lousy shots of the supposed Battle HQ,there is some discussion on line about the true nature of this structure
14 nearly explored this painfully and inadvertently
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This rock apparently covers another hole
Tragedy At Alton Barnes Airfield - 1944
On 25 October 1944 a twin-engine Albermarle bomber V1755 took off from RAF Keevil near Trowbridge with a glider on tow. Flt Sgt Thomas Newton was the pilot and Sgt. John Wilson was his navigator. As the two aircraft approached Alton Barnes, the glider lost sight of the Albermarle and began to overtake it, pulling its tail up to a critical angle. The towrope broke and the glider recovered safely to Alton Barnes airfield. The Albermarle dived into the ground at a 70 degree angle killing both crew members on impact.
On 25 October 1997, fifty-three years to the day, a memorial cairn was dedicated and unveiled at the crash site. Relatives and friends of the crewmen attended, as did Royal Air Force officers from RAF Lyneham, Michael Ancram QC MP, and local residents. The stone was unveiled by the pilot's best friend and the navigator's brother. The ceremony was conducted by the RAF padre, and was concluded by an RAF trumpeter playing "Last Post" and a low-level fly-past by an RAF C130 Hercules.
The memorial stands alongside the towpath of the Kennet & Avon canal at O.S. 173/SU107613
The above write up appears on several websites so I am unable to give credit where credit is due
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The only building left from RAF days
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S0008745
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Alton Barnes was used by the RAF from 1935 to 1945 for flying training including touch and go landing practice and glider training. The airfield was on the site of Brown's Farm and had a mix of concrete taxi ways and a grass runway.
S0006469
1
2
3
S0006468
4
5
6showing the strange curved side
7
8
9
S0006470
10
11
12
13
Some lousy shots of the supposed Battle HQ,there is some discussion on line about the true nature of this structure
14 nearly explored this painfully and inadvertently
15
16
This rock apparently covers another hole
Tragedy At Alton Barnes Airfield - 1944
On 25 October 1944 a twin-engine Albermarle bomber V1755 took off from RAF Keevil near Trowbridge with a glider on tow. Flt Sgt Thomas Newton was the pilot and Sgt. John Wilson was his navigator. As the two aircraft approached Alton Barnes, the glider lost sight of the Albermarle and began to overtake it, pulling its tail up to a critical angle. The towrope broke and the glider recovered safely to Alton Barnes airfield. The Albermarle dived into the ground at a 70 degree angle killing both crew members on impact.
On 25 October 1997, fifty-three years to the day, a memorial cairn was dedicated and unveiled at the crash site. Relatives and friends of the crewmen attended, as did Royal Air Force officers from RAF Lyneham, Michael Ancram QC MP, and local residents. The stone was unveiled by the pilot's best friend and the navigator's brother. The ceremony was conducted by the RAF padre, and was concluded by an RAF trumpeter playing "Last Post" and a low-level fly-past by an RAF C130 Hercules.
The memorial stands alongside the towpath of the Kennet & Avon canal at O.S. 173/SU107613
The above write up appears on several websites so I am unable to give credit where credit is due
17
18
19
20
21
23
24
The only building left from RAF days
25
26
S0008745
27
A trip back in the winter might be good as well
