RAF Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire Sept 13'

[dale54]

RAF Upper Heyford was a Royal Air Force station first used by the Royal Flying Corps in 1916, later used by the RAF 1918-1950 and finally by the United States Air Force until 1994.

It's a very large area to explore and we took 3 hours looking round the barracks side, we didn't visit the runway side, there is a whole range of buildings from barracks to
clubhouses.

We also managed to get into the US style supermarket used in the film World War Z starring Brad Pitt, there are some fake company stickers on the shop windows which were clearly from the film.

There was also a building containing a basketball court and squash courts which had the lights on, it looks like it will be demolished as well as the supermarket to make way for houses. Inside this building was evidence that it was used by Team GB for training for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

UPDATE: We also managed to get in the hospital there, photos added to my site shortly.

















The Supermarket

Fake company on one of the shops? possibly for world war z?

Inside the main supermarket, impossible to get a good picture

 

[flyboys90]

Wonder how much of the site will become the new school,ace pics.

 

[mookster]

The school to my knowledge has already been finished or is well on it's way, the Commissioned Officers Club on the airfield side was due to be converted into it. It was by far the best bit of Upper Heyford, and stood head and shoulders above the rest of the site in grandeur and detail.

 

[borntobemild]

Lived in Oxfordshire while the base was still operational and visited for a few social occasions. It really was like a small mid west town that had been transported to Europe.

There was a used car dealership outside the base. The squaddies were only allowed into Banbury at weekends. They would buy an old banger for £50, drive into town and then dump it in a ditch somewhere near the base on the way back.

If they got into any sort of trouble, the local plod would call the MPs who would 'escort' them back.

Generally, they got on well with locals, but couldn't hold their beer.

 

[steve2109]

Looks a good mooch mate