RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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RAF East Moor
Details
RAF East Moor just to the east of Sutton-on-the-Forest a1942 type 'A' full bomber airfield with three runways, two T2 hangars, one B1 repair hangar, 36 frying pan aircraft dispersals, 2094 men & 407 WAAF's.
Plan.
B1 repair hangar.
Halifax.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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RAF East Moor.
Details
From York take the B1363 road due north to Sutton-on-the-Forest.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Main Gate.
Details
This is the airfield Site where the running of the flying took place. There were flight huts, a hangar, the control tower and all that entails the smooth running of a large bomber base.
Airfield plan.
Wellington's being prepared.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Possible flight huts or administrative.
Details
Standard temporary brick huts here ideal for squadron offices, flight huts and any other use.
Airfield site.
The hut.
The central corridor in a temporary brick flight hut.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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A very long Temporary brick hut.
Details
More offices.
Long hut.
History : the area to the east of Sutton-on-the-Forest although called East Moor. Government officials would have turned up some time in 1941 and within days the builders would have arrived and started building an 'A' type bomber base with everything that goes with it.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Continuing on.
Details
A nice row of temporary brick huts.
Long hut.
History : reading the history books on East Moor they do not say how the transformation came about, I think it started with an almost circular perimeter track with grass runways and gradually the hard runways were added and then the main runway may have been extended up to three times.
RB are images from Robert Barands archive. Thank you Robert.
Control tower.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Looks like a Picket Post.
Details
A small guard room, I do not have a plan of East Moor so its all guesswork.
Picket post.
History : by June 1942 East Moor became RAF East Moor with 4 Group Bomber Command and a satellite to RAF Linton-on-Ouse.
The control tower as it was, gone now. RB
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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More huts in the back of a yard.
Details
Plan.
History : the first squadron that to use East Moors was 158 Sqn with Wellington II's.
Wellington and crew.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Airfield site
Details
I am not sure yet if these are contemporary buildings? But they do look like MT sheds?
AEC Matador.
Crew bus.
History : June 1942 they converted to Halifax's.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Perimeter track 50ft wide.
Details
The perimeter track would run completely around the airfields linking the ends of the runway with the 36 circular (frying pan) dispersals.
The perimeter track linking the main runway with the aircraft dispersals.
History : 1679 Heavy Conversion Unit were here to convert 6 Group crews to Lancaster.
Royal Canadian Air Force wings.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Bomber Tie Down
Details
There would have been at least four or more tie downs set into the concrete of a dispersal.
A frying pan dispersal with the tie downs set into the base, there were 36 dispersals.
History : East Moor then became home to two RCAF squadrons with Halifaxes.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Airfield site.
Details
The view from the perimeter track towards the airfield site.
24ft Nissen hut used for accommodation.
24ft Nissen hut used for accommodation.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Perimeter Track and Site of a T2 Hangar
Details
I have superimposed a picture of a T2 hangar where it would have been, the perimeter 50ft wide and it would have branched here off into the hangar.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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This is the original perimeter track that ran around the grass airfield
Details
Some additional details will go here
Red is the original perimeter track for the grass airfield.
How the tower may have looked.
Control tower.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Airfield Site.
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RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Given time I am sure we can re-build it.
Details
Piled up are a mix of items from all parts of the airfield.
I just wonder how many of these tiles were made??? or how many would be needed per airfield?
a Briggs brick.
A Halifax lifting off at RAF East Moor.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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The other side of the T2 Site
Details
Again superimposed again.
Plan.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Mechanical and Electrical Plinth.
Details
In the Garden M&E Plinth???
Situated in the garden of a bungalow on the corner is what looks like an M&E plinth??
M & E plinth.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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The road running parallel to the main runway.
Details
A bit further down here on the right is Communal No.1 site now a camping site.
This road and the perimeter track in the field.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Dispersed site 4.
Details
The left building may be an ablutions block with baths/showers and sinks and right is a Stanton air-raid shelter looking a bit worse for ware.
Plan.
The building with the two windows in the main picture looks to be a latrine 9026/41.
Dispersed site.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Dispersed site 4.
Details
This looks like a Laing plasterboard coated in black felt and may have been an accommodation hut.
Plan of a Laing hut.
Laing hut.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Airfield drainage.
Details
Vast amounts of piping was needed to drain the fields.
Main drain man holes.
A large drainage pipe at RAF Stoney Cross showing the lengths they went to when building airfields.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Main runway looking north.
Details
A piece of farm machinery now sits on the Perimeter Track.
Plan.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Southern perimeter track.
Details
Plan.
Bomb store in the woods.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Tie Down Graveyard
Details
With 36 circular aircraft dispersals and say four per dispersal making 144 to dispose of.
Image Caption
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Visiting Sterling.
Details
Mostly Halifax, Wellington & Lancaster were stationed here but other types would have visited for reasons of a diversion, visit, low on fuel or even navigation.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Tie Down in Situ.
Details
One of the 144 actually in situ.
This tie down set into this large bomber dispersal.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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View to the Bomb Store in the Woods.
Details
A full bomb store is situated in the woodland a pity I did not have time to visit it.
Bomb store.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Huts Around the farms to the North East Handcraft Hut.
Details
The dispersed sites were to the south west yet in many farms to the north east are many specimens of wartime hutting.
Romney Hut. The dispersed sites were to the south west yet in many farms to the north east are many specimens of wartime hutting.
Two Nissen Huts.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Dispersed Sites.
Details
All the sites would have had a Picket post to sign in and out, if communal many temporary brick ablutions and latrines. Accommodation (numbered sites) would use Laing (wooden huts), Nissen (corrugated iron), Seco (asbestos, wood & concrete).
A dispersed site on an RAF airfield.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Communal Site
Details
This is where most ranks would eat, play and learn their craft.
Yellow is the communal site.
Squash court RAF Honeybourne.
Squash court plan.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Communal Site Entrance.
Details
Main entrance of this communal site where there was a squash court, gymnasium, probably officers & sergeants mess's. Ration Store, Grocery & local products store, ration store, decontamination block, dining room. These are the sorts of buildings that could have been here. I still do not have a plan as yet.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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I believe this was a picket, the usual type was a temporary brick with one main room, maybe a small second room and a toilet.
Details
Some additional details will go here
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Picket Post.
Details
Some additional details will go here
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Gymnasium.
Details
Note the vents on the roof are original.
Gymnasium plan.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Gymnasium
Details
The first extension on the left side is the original changing rooms for Officers & men. The extra extension may be added by the camping site.
Plan.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Communal Site NAAFI Institute??
Details
Water tower for the showers and ablutions and also may have been a chimney for the water boiler.
Plan of the communal site.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Officers Mess.
Details
A large set of 24ft Nissan huts linked with kitchens, dinning hall, rest rooms and toilets.
Plan and looks like an officers mess 12952/41.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Site No.5.
Details
Sight No.5 yellow square.
The roadway and white square, the fuel compound, black the huts and red latrines.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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WAAF Communal Site No.1 & No.2.
Details
The front entrance to the old WAAF site.
Plan of the WAAF communal and attached the WAAF No.2 site.
WAAF's marching.
WAAF's.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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The only remaining building
Details
This may be a British Concrete Federation type hut.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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The only remaining building here.
Details
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Communal Site No3 (left) Sewage Dis. Site14 (ahead).
Details
All RAF establishment had a sewage site, those that did not have mains then a bucket emptying centre was built to empty the Elsan toilets.
Image Caption
Elsan toilet.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Sewage Disposal Site No.14.
Details
Still being used today for the local community.
A standard RAF sewage site. Now in use by the local authority.
RAF sewage works.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Site No.3.
Details
Half way up the track is site No.3 and further on site No.2 which I did not visit the camping site today.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Motor Plinth.
Details
Left on the corner a concrete plinth with four threads set into it. It would have held either an electrical motor or a pump?
One of the treads.
More bits.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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The Track to Site No.3.
Details
A very good use of camouflage by setting the dispersed sites in woodland.
Image Caption
Nissan hut.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Site No3.
Details
Air raid shelter, there are two hear possibly making it a camp for about 40/60 men.
Inside the shelter.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Heap of hut remains.
Details
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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M&E Plinth.
Details
M&E plinth.
Connections in some plinths.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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M&E Plinth.
Details
This is totally different to any I have seen before. Having two rooms and a tin roof.
It may have had a double gate on this door and a single on the other. The gates would have a wire mesh to fill in the gaps and barbed wire at the top.
Plan.
Drain pipes.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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M&E Plinth.
Details
Gate hinges.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Another hut base.
Details
Stove base.
Stove & base.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Latrine Block.
Details
The toilet still there today sitting beside its drain.
Latrine plan.
The type of latrine that may have been here.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Sick Quarters.
Details
Not only a hospital for wounded airmen but also to look after the health of two and a half thousand incumbents.
Sick quarters.
How it may have looked.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Communal site No.1.
Details
Plan.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Admin Site (left) Airfield Site (right).
Details
Plan.
Airfield site and the T2 hangar.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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Main runway looking south.
Details
Plan.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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This is where the perimeter track meets the main runway.
Details
Plan.
RAF East Moor.
29 December 2011
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The End.
Details
At last a piece of an aircraft.
Armoured electrical cable, could have been part of the ring main.
France
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