Shipdham
SHIPDHAM: Military aerodrome later civil aerodrome
Note: These pictures were obtained from Google Earth ©
Military user: WW2: 8th USAAF 14th Bombardment Wing
44th Bomb Group
66, 67, 68 & 506 Sqdns (B.24 Liberators)
Operated by: 1980s to 1997: Arrow Air Centre
2001: Shipdham Aero Club
Charter, air taxi: Post 1945: Arrow Air Services
Flying club/school: 2001: Shipdham Aero Club
Maintenance: Post 1945: Arrow Air Services
Location: SE of A1075 and Shipdham, N to NE of Lefton Green, 3nm S of East Dereham
Period of operation: Military 1942 to 1945. Then civil from 1969 to -
Note: This map is reproduced with the kind permission of Pooleys Flight Equipment Ltd. Copyright Robert Pooley 2014.
Runways: WW2: 03/21 1280x46 hard 09/27 1829x46 hard
See notes for the third runway.
1990: 02/20 862x18 hard 15/33 475x46 hard
2001: 02/20 862x18 hard
2006: 02/20 757x18 hard
2017: 02/20 640x18 hard
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
We have Mike Holder, a great friend of this 'Guide', to thank for providing the following maps, pictures and texts.
For heavy bomber squadrons especially, both for the USAAF and RAF, the severe risks for any operation started before they took-off. 'Bombing Up' was fraught with risk, and indeed, some bombs did go off!
Even at the end of a raid, many crews coming back with badly damaged aircraft, often faced the prospect of having to land with an aircraft they did not know just how badly it had been damaged?
EXCERPTS FROM ACTION STATIONS by Michael J F Bowyer
SOMETHING OF INTEREST?
It was many years, in fact when I was probably at least thirty years old, that I discovered that colour photography existed during WW2, and in this case available to American personnel for private use at their air bases in England. This said, this picture was, without much doubt, posed for publicity purposes. But then again, looking at this picture I do wonder, (as my dear late wife sometimes, after I had remarked upon something we saw being saucy on the telly - "You are being rude, crude and unattractive"), if those girls had damp knickers? At my age now I don't much care.
When these USAAF air bases were in operation they were in effect townships, often having a population exceeding the local villages. It was very much a policy of the USAAF to try and make themselves welcome, despite their presence being very much a crucial factor in winning the war against the Nazi regime. Hosting visits, dances, and Xmas events being part and parcel of this. One very important aspect is that these bases were amply provided with Stateside provisions - like ice-cream, peanut butter, candies etc. And, the airmen were very generous in handing them out locally, a trait not just appreciated by children, but also young ladies. Not least, if they were being 'friendly' at dances, being given nylon stockings - a real luxury.
At dances at local towns near to RAF aerodromes, by contrast, most of the young women resorted, I hear tell, to drawing lines up the back of their legs to give the impression they were wearing stockings.
MAPS & PICS
The aerial photo, showing the control tower, hangars and technical area, dates from around 1944/45, possibly taken from a B-24 Liberator?
The local area and area views are from my Google Earth © derived database.
AN ALLEN AMBRIDGE GALLERY
In May 2022 Mr Allen Ambridge kindly sent me many pictures he had taken on a visit in August 2014. He also supplemented these with three aerial pictures he had sourced to show the general layouts and locations. A selection are shown below:
EXAMPLES OF WW2 'WALL ART'
Allen Ambridge has also very kindly provided these rare examples of 'Wall Art' found at SHIPDHAM. Sadly perhaps, not available for public viewing. From my point of view fascinating. Who created them? Without any doubt a combination of people in the USAAF based here, with artistic abilities. The obvious examples, I suppose, being ground crew tasked with signwriting the aircraft? But perhaps, aircrew members with similar talents eager to display these during the often long periods between operations. I have yet to find an authoritative account on this subject.
One aspect that Allen has pointed out concerns the second picture. This was the insignia of the 44th Bomb Group based here, known as 'The Flying Eightballs'.
NOTES: There is a mistake in the excellent ‘Military Airfields’ book by Steve Willis and Barry Hollis. The third runway is given as being on a heading of 03 which is of course the reciprocal heading for runway 21 listed beforehand. I would judge the heading of this third runway as being either 14/32 or 15/33 1280x46 hard.
For some strange reason this aerodrome seems to disappear from at least one well known flight guide published in 2000 but it was still shown as operational on charts published in 2004 and indeed even in 2015. In fact, talking to somebody who knows SHIPDHAM well in late 2015, it appears the runway had been recently re-surfaced and the future prospects were looking good.
A PERSONAL MEMORY
On the 5th July 1992 my good flying friend Guy Browning and I flew the Cessna C150M G-OSND across to SHIPDHAM from TOP FARM - with Guy flying the outward sector. We had noticed that towards the end of the flight that the warning light for the alternator was on, but decided to continue. As we were using next to nothing, (or so we thought), consuming power from the battery - this shouldn't be a problem.
How wrong can you be? On departing we found the battery far too flat. Andy Beale very kindly offered to swing the prop to get us started, a far from easy job, but he succeeded. The relatively high compression engines we have today were not designed to be hand-swung to start, unlike earlier types of engine.
We didn't need anything electrical for the return flight so off we went marvelling at all the fields the farmers had set alight to burn off their crops, the sky full of smoke. Not allowed today of course. And, in a way, thinking that we were now flying in the spirit of pilots prior to WW2. No radio, no nav-aids etc, no beacon flashing on the tail.
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