RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
Drive down Oak Road and park at the memorial. We walked around the Airfield site. CT is where the control tower used to be.
Accommodation was all to the north side in temporary buildings..
With the construction starting in 1943, this 'A' class airfield had its full quota of buildings, runways and bomb store. A standard bomber bomber airfield but only used by RAF Transport Command. In early 1944 two RAF squadrons 271 & 48 arrived with brand new Dakotas. They also retained a few HP Harrows, to use as hack aircraft that could be used as lorries of the air to save the Dakotas for operational uses. They were a throw back from the 1930's.
Handley Page Harrow.
Handley Page Harrow.
Dakota.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
21 June 2009
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
RAF Down Ampney: -
Opened 1944. Closed 1946.
Command - Transport Command 46 Group.
2 - T2 hangars.
Accommodation- Temporary.
Full Bomb Store to the SW.
How the accommodation or Communal site may have looked (RAF Charmey Down).
24' Nissen hut Officers mess. ( RAF Chilbolton).
Layout of a bomb store.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
Three runways - main 6,000ft, two others 4200ft x 150ft.
Perimeter track - 50ft.
Dispersals - 50 loop or spectacle.
Normandy.
Arnhem.
Rhine crossing.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
US 7PH GP 4-12-43
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
An American 7th Photographic Group air photo taken in December 1943 as the camps were being built. You can see how much was already constructed. I do not have a site plan so can only guess what sites were.
1. - Airfield site 1T2 hangar and many Romney huts, etc.
2. - Quarters.
SQ - Sick Quarters could be 11569/41 design.
3. - Communal site where all the main large buildings would have been, Officers, Sergeants mess's. Mens Institute. Cinema.
6. -
Quarters. These could use 16ft Nissen, pre cast concrete, pre fab Seco, wooden, wood and tar paper hutting.
Romney hut.
Plan of possibly the Sick Quarters here.
Nissen huts.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
21 June 2009
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
The view to Cricklade across the airfield.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
Main entrance to airfield site.
Down Ampney was constructed as one of a group of three airfields, Broadwell, Blakehill Farm and Down Ampney which came under 46 Group, RAF Transport Command, tasked with setting up Transport Squadrons primarily for the invasion of Europe.
38 Group were the main transport group of the RAF. Then with the need to expand for the return into Europe. Another Group was needed and this was 46 group They were issued with the American C-47, the military version of the DC-3 which first flew in 1935. An all metal monoplane with usually two 14cyl Pratt & Whitney R1-830 Twin Wasp engines. These planes were given a reinforced floor, a large rear cargo door, seats for 28 paratroopers or 14 stretchers or 6,000 pounds of cargo. A crew of pilot, co pilot, radio operator, when parachuting a dispatcher.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
Memorial Plaque: -
From this airfield in 1944-5 Douglas Dakotas from 48 and 271 Sqdn's. RAF Transport Command, carried the 1st and 6th Airborne divisions, units of the Air Dispatch Regiment and Horsa gliders flown by the Glider Pilots Regiment to Normandy-Arnhem and the crossing of the Rhine operations.
48 Sqn. RAF.
271 Sqn. RAF.
RAF Transport Command.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
No. 271 (T) Squadron Royal Air Force "C" Flight May 24th, 1944.
Bottom row forth from the left is James Keith O'Neill Edwards, the well known comedies of the 50's to the 80's.
Jimmy Edwards..
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
46 Group RAF was a brand new unit and was formed in January 1944 specifically to be used in the transport, parachute & glider delivery tasks. A new boss arrived Wing Commander 'Louis Strange'. A pre WW1 pilot, an ex WW1 fighter pilot and between the wars he worked in all sorts of air minded jobs. When the second world war started, he joined up again and did many jobs until January 1944, he was in charge of four squadrons of Dakotas.
The Wing Commanders first job was to train a brand new group of pilots, air & ground crew. How to fly Dakotas, how to tow gliders and how to parachute men.
He arranged for some American Dakota pilots to come and help as there was no Dakota Operational Training Unit at that time in the RAF.
Louis Strange died in his sleep, aged 75, in 1966. Read the link to his life, its a fantastic read.
'Louis Strange' CFS Upavon 1914.
Louis Strange' 1944.
Reunions and in 1960 of 23Sqn.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
Spectacle dispersals.
The road from the memorial meets the perimeter track here and in front are several spectacle/loop dispersals.
Spectacle/loop dispersals.
Spectacle/loop dispersals.
Glider pilots receiving their orders.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
Perimeter track 50ft wide, enough for any heavy bomber to move from a dispersal to the runway or back.
Most of the perimeter track is still in place and makes a pleasant walk (in good weather). 50ft wide lumbering Dakotas would wonder from their dispersals out to which ever runway to take off.
Perimeter track, 50 spectacle dispersals and the two T2 hangars (red).
Que along the perimeter track.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
Inside a Dakota that could be used to parachute troops.
Dakota cockpit.
Refueling..
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
21 June 2009
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
On tow behind an RAF Dakota.
Horsa glider inside view.
Horsa just assembled at an RAF Maintenance Unit..
Loading.
Landing.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
21 June 2009
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
A row of steel shod boot marks wonder their way across the wet concrete. My foot is size nine.
Road roller of Laing a constructor of airfields.
Concrete mixer.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
21 June 2009
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
Each concrete square was numbered, recorded and checked to see if the concrete was strong enough.
Ministry of Works officials at an airfield construction site.
laying concrete surfaces.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
E/W runway.
Now just a small roadway, but then a 150ft wide runway.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
Items left in piles on the edge of the perimeter track.
All sorts of bits and pieces, a metal stand, concrete, stones used in runway construction and wire from the airfield lighting.
More concrete broken up.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
Airfield site (Technical site).
Braithwaite water tower foundations.
Foundations of a Braithwaite water tower.
Braithwaite water tower.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
BFC hut.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
The road to the dispersed sites.
Plan.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
Hut base.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
Hut Foundations, I am guessing this was a wooden hut?
Laing hut.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
M&E plinth.
If the mains power went off, generators in the standby set house would start up. Power would be pushed around a ring main connected to these Mechanical & Electrical plinths. Then power could be drawn from here to the main areas needed.
Plan, the are where we found these remains.
Plan.
Cabling around an airfield.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
M&E Plinth inside.
Every plinth I have seen has either nothing in them or a different mechanical fitting??
Inside an M&E plinth.
Gate.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
The route we took in February 2006.
9023/41 temporary brick hut used as the Co's accommodation. (RAF Davidstow Moor)
Nissen huts.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
21 June 2009
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
All Saints Church, Down Ampney.
Although the RAF had its own religious organization. The Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch. They would have used the church on many occasions.
The Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
21 June 2009
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
All Saints Church, Down Ampney.
Plaque on the wall.
RAF Chaplains school, Cambridge.
RAF WW2 Chaplain.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
21 June 2009
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
All Saints Church, Down Ampney.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
21 June 2009
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
All Saints Church, Down Ampney.
Memorial window.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
21 June 2009
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
All Saints Church, Down Ampney.
Kneeling pads.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
21 June 2009
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
All Saints Church, Down Ampney.
All Saints Church, Down Ampney.
Kneeling pads.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
21 June 2009
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
All Saints Church, Down Ampney.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
21 June 2009
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
Flying over whilst we visited in June 2009.
Hawker Hurricane.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
21 June 2009
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
Flying over whilst we visited in June 2009.
USAF flight re fueling. Possibly a KC-135 Tanker.
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
19 February 2006
Information
RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester
Details
France
Great Britain
