RAF King's Cliffe September 2013

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Nikokas

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Location
Peterborough
The story of RAF King's Cliffe and how "I saw dead people" !!!

According to the Wartime Memories Project site "RAF Kingscliffe is situated 12 miles west of Peterborough in Northamptonshire. Construction work on King's Cliffe commenced in 1940 and the base opened in October 1941.
King's Cliffe was utilized as a satellite to Wittering and the first R.A.F. squadron, 133 Fighter Squadron moved in with Spitfire Vb's on September 29th 1941. This unit was the third "Eagle Squadron" formed in the Fighter Command from American volunteers. 266 (Rhodesian) Squadron arrived in October 1941. The base was also home to 485 (New Zealand) Squadron and later 93 Squadron.
Kingscliffe became USAAF Station 367 in January 1943, it was home to the 20th Fighter Group of the USAAF 8th Airforce who flew P38 Lightnings and later P51 Mustangs on bomber escort duties.
The Airfield closed in 1959 and today is used for agriculture".

Now let me tell you a my story ...
First of all I'm Portuguese, so Technical War Terms are still being processed and translated into my brain :)
Before I go anywhere I like to just go around town and get a general perspective of the place ...
We got into town ,went to the Pub for some cold drinks and info, talked to some locals that said that there was not much left to see, almost everything had been demolished for the rock underneath and the field transformed into a hunting area and a massive potato plantation. Still I wanted to go see it so I dragged my friend along and "off we go" ... parked the car far away and we went for a walk :)


DSCF4085 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr

Found some "left overs" here and there


DSCF4135 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr

Saw the deers and the birds and the rabbits, walked through vegetation, found out what a potato plant looked like (I had never thought of that before in my life) ... and finally we got there !!!
There were only 4 buildings and the Watch Tower left!!! 2 of the buildings with no light going in, 1 with trees growing inside and a house ...
Ok, no need to take the flash light out because your camera lights up everything and either way you're a courageous girl never scared a anything (silly me) !!!

The first thing I saw was the Watch Tower completely redone and nick named "Hacienda".


DSCF4092 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr


DSCF4093 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr

Another big walk and still nothing in sight ... Until the first building
shows up in between trees and bushes


DSCF4096 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr


DSCF4097 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr


DSCF4098 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr

Then the Second one ...


DSCF4100 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr


DSCF4101 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr

Ok, lets go into pitch darkeness as I like it ... "WHAT THE F*** !!! DON'T COME IN HERE !!! LET ME GET THE CAMERA FIRST !!! WHAT THE HECK IS THAT ?!?!?!"
I grabbed the camera hanging from my neck look through the LCD ... that looks like man balancing from the roof by his feet !!! "Don't be crazy just take a picture and see what it is!!!"


DSCF4104 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr

Scare gone, my heart is back at it's normal pace,lets keep going, I still have to go to the house!!!


DSCF4105 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr

More "bits and bobs" along the way ...


DSCF4106 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr


DSCF4132 by nikokas.reis, on Flick

And we finally get to the house !!!


DSCF4108 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr


DSCF4109 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr


DSCF4110 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr


DSCF4111 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr


DSCF4112 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr


DSCF4113 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr


DSCF4116 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr


DSCF4122 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr


DSCF4123 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr


DSCF4125 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr

There is always a chair somehow ... think this one may be a little bit "too new" though ;)


DSCF4126 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr

And now the last building, the one I wasn't able to go in ...


DSCF4128 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr


DSCF4129 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr


DSCF4130 by nikokas.reis, on Flickr

I had a blast going on this "road trip" !!!
Hope you enjoyed the report and learned from my mistake :)
 
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Thanks guys !!!

It was so funny... I just couldn't stop laughing with my own silliness !!!

And writing the report was like writing my on comedy :)

More to come from a Crazy Tuga Girl !!! Be prepared !!!
 
The last building

Just so you all know the last building in the series of pictures is the original battle headquarters
It is a type 3329/41, it was found to be to too much of a target for air attack and was replaced with the standard underground type 11008/41.

Of major interest is that there are only 2 of these left through out the whole UK, this one at Kingscliffe and the one at Peterhead in Scotland.

There is a standard pattern battle hq to the south of the airfield at the end of a hedge line.

Cheers newage
 
be carefull going to this airfield, I did it a few years back and was pulled up by the farmer who warned me that a lot of shooting with high powered rifles takes place there, hence the hide on stilts, when we entered the control tower there was one of those load bird scarers in there too, we ran out just before it let go with the loudest bang I ever heard, it would have deafend us for sure had we been in there.

it is not public land so just be aware of that.
 
cracking stuff not had a mooch round this one yet on the cards now i know the control tower still stands... you might want to have a look at grafton underwood not a lot left but the ops room is good hidden away and tricky to find but interesting
 
warbouys is worth a look too if you are up that kneck of the woods.
 
Good morning everyone !!!

I don't know much about war bases, Portugal fought in France during WW1 and didn't participate in WW2, only Portugal and Switzerland did that if I'm not mistaken (but our national safes are full of Nazi gold !?!?!? that actually kept the country at float for some years recently) , so we don't have this king of places, only castles and forts from our conquering era, so this is very new to me :)

Yes, this is a hunting field but I'm pretty sure that in one thing England is like the rest of Europe, everyone has a hunting season, if you do it out side of the season you're in trouble !!! So keep an eye on that detail !!!

Maybe because usually we're only girls going on these trips we never had trouble ... maybe there is one other thing the same as the rest of the EU, English man also like cleavage ;)

Ah ah ah !!! Just teasing !!!

Thanks for all the advise and the hints !!!

I'll be posting something new in a couple of days ...
 

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