RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Due to the expansion of Bomber Command, RAF Morton-in-the-Marsh needed another Satellite airfield, so around 1942 fields to the N/E of the village of Enstone, Oxfordshire. The Air Ministry design of three runways, an airfield site for the control tower, hangars, etc, a full bomb store, a communal site, WAAF site and five accommodation sites. 26 pan aircraft dispersals and three scissor type aircraft dispersals. A rifle range and a sewage plant. Completion was around 1943 and it continued as an OTU (21 Operational Training Unit) for pilots and crew of Wellington bombers . They would arrive here as individually trained crew and then all meet up and gradually sort themselves out as a full crew. So they picked each other, nobody was ordered into a crew and that way they were a much happier crew. Built by George Wimpey and Co for £591,000. Officially closed in 1947.
1946 plan.
A Wellington crew.
Vickers Wellingtons.
Wellington Mk.I. III & X were used here.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
Plan 2528/48
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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The 1948 site plan showing the runway, 30 dispersals and communal sites to the S/W. Two hangars a T2 & B1 types. 1865 RAF and 430 WAAF.
Runway 50yds wide x 1400yds long.
Airfield dispersals. 26l B4 type and 3 B5.
T2 hangar & B1 repair shed.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
10 February 2008
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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This is the west end of the main runway taken from the B4022 and is in very good condition.
Runway plan.
A Wellington under repairs in a hangar.
Wellington taking off.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Control tower:
Watch Office for Bomber Stations and OTU's 13726/41 across the airfield.
History:
Opened as a satellite to 21 OTU Moreton-in-the-Marsh September 1942. It was not used for seven months and then Wellington's of the OTU arrived and did not leave until April 1944.
A detachment of 178 FTS used Enstone until November 1946 with Harvard's & Oxfords.
Oxfords.
Camouflaged Harvard's.
Wellington.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
10 February 2008
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Runway 18 looking south with 20 to our right.
details
Wellington landing.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Oxfordshire Sportflying club uses the north side and have several hangars and a very nice clubhouse.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Take off.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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There were originally two hangars here, a T2 (main picture) and a B1 (removed). The T2 was for the general servicing of aircraft and the B1 was major repair after landing accident or battle damage.
Details of a B1 repair shed.
Details of a T2 hangar.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
10 February 2008
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Just outside the north boundary is the 25 yard range. To the left the brick wall with sand in front to catch the bullets and to the right the armourer's office and the other side the range target store.
The two buildings are still there as far as I can see, but the butts themselves have been removed and a very large house built there.
25yd range from the plan.
Shooting in butts.
25yd range from the air.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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25 Yard Range. 59 - Machine Gun & Cannon Range on the site plan.
The two small buildings would have been joined by a shelter, where shooting could continue, dry or wet weather.
Under cover.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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25 Yard Range.
HAVE YOU READ THE RANGE RULES?
ALL EMPTY CASES HERE.
.303 ammunition.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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25 Yard Range.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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25 Yard Range.
All airmen had to be proficient in rifle shooting, one to guard and defend the airfield and two, to help when serving abroad.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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25 Yard Range.
Fittings for the danger flag post.
Bullet marks in the brick wall.
59 on the plan.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Light aircraft tie down.
The tie downs to hold the wings in a wind.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Looking north on runway 33.
Plan.
A cutaway drawing of a Vickers Wellington.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
10 February 2008
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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A closer look at the T2 hangar now used by an aggregates firm. To its right is a large barn style building that is built on the base of the B1 hangar.
An the enlarged Over Blister hangar now on the airfield business estate, but was actually not from RAF Enstone..
Plan.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Marston Hut 71 - Crew Procedure Centre. Here crews would be put through their paces with dummy/mock up fuselages, etc. To train in and also emergency procedures. Use of life rafts. And so many other things.
Inside a Marston hut, these were highly transportable and each panel was numbered.
Crew training..
Members of 12 OTU, 21's crews would have looked no different.
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Romney Hut.
6 - Crew Rest, Locker and Drying room. part of three joined up hats. They could be in Romney, wooden, Seco or temporary brick.
Plan of a Crew Rest, Locker and Drying room type 1452-42.
Plan.
Drying part of the room, a heating plant attached to the drying room, next the locker room where all their flying kit was stored. And last the Crew Restroom.
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Romney Hut.
This hut is not on the plan so may have been moved here later.
details
Romney hut at Kemble being renovated.
Site of the Romney hut.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
10 February 2008
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Romney Hut.
Quit a vast area, these huts could be used for storage, repair, mess halls, all sorts of uses.
Structure of the Romney hut.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
10 February 2008
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Romney Hut.
The view from the
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
10 February 2008
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Watch Office/Control Tower.
A bomber satellite station watch office 13726/41.
13726/41 ground floor plan.
13726/41 upper floor plan.
13726/41.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Watch Office/Control Tower.
A bomber satellite station watch office 13726/41.
The block on the roof is a water tank and was placed there when it was used by the gliding club and the short steel ladder also.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Watch Office/Control Tower.
A bomber satellite station watch office 13726/41.
In use 2001, upper floor windows and doors have been replaced with smaller size double-glazed units
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Watch Office/Control Tower.
A bomber satellite station watch office 13726/41.
Control room.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Watch Office/Control Tower.
A bomber satellite station watch office 13726/41.
Out on the balcony.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
10 February 2008
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Watch Office/Control Tower.
A bomber satellite station watch office 13726/41.
View from the Roof.
A fitting on the roof.
Plan.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Petrol Installation roads only left now.
Plan of the instillation, aviation fuel and a rather large amount I would think.
A US tanker filling up at an AFI.
Fuel pumps.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
10 February 2008
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Petrol Installation where it rounds out at the bottom.
Plan of the installation, aviation fuel and a rather large amount I would think.
Bedford OY articulated tanker, owned and run by the POOL, which was a civilian organization delivering fuel to the military.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
10 February 2008
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Petrol Installation looking back at it.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
Works Directorate AM 2628/48
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Plan of the bomb storage area.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
10 February 2008
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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91 - Light bomb fuzing point, 24ft Nissen hut.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
10 February 2008
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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91 - Light bomb fuzing point, 24ft Nissen hut
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Fusing point plan.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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93 - Heavy bomb fuzing point.
The large doors either end.
Fuse details on a board.
Plan.
How it would have looked.
How it would have looked inside.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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92 - Light bomb fuzing point 24ft Nissen hut now the flying clubs office & rest room..
Inside.
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Roadway connecting the fusing points to the bomb storage area.
Small bomb trolley trailers.
WAAf driver.
Boys in the bomb store. Armourers, another name for them.
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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85 - Detonator & Components Stores.
This is the roadway out to the detonator & component store, where the sheep now are.
Fuze's to fit into bombs. They are very complicated and delicate items and have to be stored separately from the bombs. A Nissen hut was often used with either earth banks both sides or two huts with an earth bank between.
Detonator & Components Stores.
Plan.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
10 February 2008
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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82 - Bomb stores. Four units in all.
Trammeling off the delivery lorry.
Trammel rings in the wall, to me they look like rings to tie animals to in farms or on market day.
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Trammeling.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
Works Directorate AM 2628/48 plan
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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The main way (top) is the off loading bay with the low walls, and the (bottom) road is the loading onto bomb brollies to trundle off to a fuzing point and then the plane.
Four x 50ton high explosive bays (gray), open storage 24'x24'. three earth banks grassed over as blast walls (green).
Plan of a 50ton store. Red the wall, tan the ramp, gray the bombs.
Left - unloading the store from from delivery lorries, storage, loading on bomb trailers to go to fuzing and planes.
Trammel rings.
Trammeling.
Trammel bombs into the store.
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82 - Bomb Store.
The actual storage space 25' x 25' and 50tons of bombs would be stored between the two blast walls.
4 x 50ton bomb stores.
Unloading ramp.
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Bomb store.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Hangars of Enstone Flying Club.
To the left is a Robins type B and attached to it is an enlarged Blister. Together they make a quite a big storage for small aeroplanes Enstone did not have a Robins B or an enlarged Blister hangar, so they would have been brought in as surplus by the flying club.
A Robins Type B, 2204/41 it could have been bought surplus from any RAF Maintenance Unit airfield.
Enlarged Blister hangar.
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Enlarged Blister hangar.
The center boss of a wooden propeller on a Tiger Moth.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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The View into the Robins Type B Hangar.
If you look into the roof of the Blister hangar, at the far end you can see extra strengtheners (wind braces). These are to strengthen the ends against wind pressure, you will see them on all hangars.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Mainair Pegasus Quick GT450.
This is the microlight that was in one of the earlier pictures taking off. He flew to RAF Long Marston and back.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Aircraft Dispersal for Heavy Bombers.
Blue the hangars and red arrow the direction of the photo.
Wellington crew.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
10 February 2008
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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An RAF AEC Petrol Bowser
Its was being restored.
The view in the cab.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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G-BVAH.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Enstone Flying Club House.
Flying club house was a light bomb fuzing point and is in very good condition.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Enstone Flying Club House.
Lovely club house now. The members were very kind and invited us in for coffee and also to look around their hangar. Thank you. We also met a member making a computer model of RAF Enstone then & now, we saw several stills and they looked very good.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
10 February 2008
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Light bomb fuzing point Nissen hut.
We have now walked a full circle around the bomb store.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
Works Directorate AM 2628/48
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Site plan of the communal sites
An Officers Mess in temporary brick.
Picket post, these were a sort of guard room and all the sites, even the sick quarters had one.
Sewage.
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Dispersed Communal/Accommodation Site.
Site 3 : Officers accommodation off to the right, in Nissen huts, drying rooms, ablutions, picket post, officers & servants latrines & M&E plinth.
Site 4 : to the left is for more accommodation.
Officers accommodation in Nissen huts.
Site 3 & 4.
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Site 4.
details
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Site 4.
Ablutions and a Stanton air-raid shelter.
Ablutions.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Site 4
Stanton air-raid shelter in the foreground, in the back ground is an M&E plinth.
Assembling a Stanton shelter.
Inside a Stanton shelter.
M&E plinth.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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Site 4.
9026/41 latrine.
9026/41 latrine building plan.
16330-41 latrine.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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9026/41 latrine.
Note the electrical connection pole to attach the latrines to mains power, so you could go in the night.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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WAAF-Site
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
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WAAF site with Nissen and Laing huts, NAAFI & dining room, Anti-room for NCO's, Bathblock & decontamination, ablutions and lavatories and in the entrance a Picket Post. Three air-raid shelters (green on plan).
NAAFI & Dining hall plan.
Laing hut.
16ft Nissen hut.
RAF Enstone, Oxfordshire
10 February 2008
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