The airfields was home to no 1474 flight from july 1942 who were later renames 192. Beyond this airfield is gransden lodge can be seen in the aerial picture and this has been a gliding site for many years, but was originally a ww2 raf bomber base. It was spelled grantandene in 973 and grantesdene in the 1086 domesday book. The squadron nearly lost another crew on this operation when fllt. Woodland was important in the settlements early history. Gransden lodge airfield, cambridge, cambridgeshire. Apr 28, 2015 in the early 1990s the wheel came full circle and flying began again, when gransden lodge became the home of one of britains leading gliding clubs. Gransden lodge opened in april 1942 as an operational bomber airfield with three concrete runways. As a fellow pilot i am getting very concerned by the number of people i hear complaining about the noise this does the cause of ga no good.
Gransden lodge airfield cambridge, cambridgeshire airport. A typical wartime station, well dispersed and unusually set away from roads and amidst fields, it had the customary three runways,036of 2,000yards and two of 1,400yards. Then, the area was dotted with airfields from which allied aircraft flew to war and one of these was gransden lodge. Station downham market apr 1944, oakington 24 th apr 1944 onwards. Little gransden airfield is located in united kingdom, using icao code egmj. Cambridge gliding club gliding experiences, courses and. Notable nonfiction archives page 2 of 38 arialview. Cycling to gransden lodge and going to the camp cinema. The airfiled is not always easy to find gransden lodge gliding site, 12 nm to the ne, is easy to spot though, and for the vfrchallenged, is at 15 nm on radial 140 to bky vor. The three concrete runways were 0422 at 1,600 yards. In greatbritain labours landslide in the 1945 general election signified a will to break down the old social divisions which had blighted this country. Little gransden airfield airport egmj airport guide.
Gransden lodge opened in april 1942 as an operational raf bomber command station called raf gransden lodge with three concrete runways. Blossom hodge sitting on her doorstep making lace whilst charlie bird repaired shoes next door, always with a mouth full of tacks. Gransden lodge, after which the airfield was named, lay on the northern boundary of the airfield. French canadian airmen from gransden lodge airfield fighting in the hardwick arms and one being smashed through the glass door. In the mid 1970s duxford became part of the imperial war museum and the club moved again to gransden lodge airfield.
Photos, maps, personal memories and local books of gransden lodge. Jan 29, 2020 recently, as i read the history of the wwii era on the webpage of the cambridge gliding centre, which operates out of the gransden lodge airfield, i was reminded of my great uncles funloving spirit. As a fellow pilot i am getting very concerned by the number of people i hear complaining about the noise. Media in category raf gransden lodge the following 2 files are in this category, out of 2 total. The villages name is derived from valley of a man named granta or grante. The tiger moth gadjj being delivered in august 2002. Cambridgeshire aviation heritage trail about the county. The tories were aware of it too, and the 1944 education act laid the basis for greater equality in education.
Little gransden airfield cambridge, cambridgeshire. Gransden lodge opened in april 1942 as an operational raf bomber command station called raf gransden lodge with. Used for britains first postwar race on the 15th june 1946, gransden lodge was an airfield circuit. Despite the grim business of the war being waged, there was also a lighter side to life at gransden lodge, with many sporting events, parties, concerts and film shows being. Pdf uk airfields of the cold war download full pdf book. Recently, as i read the history of the wwii era on the webpage of the cambridge gliding centre, which operates out of the gransden lodge airfield, i was reminded of my great uncles funloving spirit. Chris talked to them about the airfield and had also set up a display of photos of 405 squadron taken during the war for them to see. When the airfield first became operational, the units that were stationed there were involved in topsecret radar investigation and trials work, but within a year these units had moved away and the station became the base of. A short history of the raf pathfinder force let let let. Gransden lodge airfield history when gransden lodge first became operational in 1942, the two units that were initially assigned to the new station were both involved in topsecret work related to radar.
Gransden lodge airfield is located in cambridgeshire. There is a memorial situated next to gransden mill, alongside the road to the former airfield main entrance. Trials of gee, the navigation aid, were conducted from gransden lodge. Category archives for notable nonfiction lancaster days in gransden lodge recently, as i read the history of the wwii era on the webpage of the cambridge gliding centre, which operates out of the gransden lodge airfield, i was reminded of my great uncles funloving spirit.
Media in category little gransden airfield the following 20 files are in this category, out of 20 total. Map of gransden lodge airfield during world war ii history. Lancaster days in gransden lodge genealogy ensemble. John and val then escorted them up to gransden lodge airfield, home base of the squadron during world war 2. Gransden lodge airfield is a former wartime airfield located 10. Fairly quiet when i dropped in, with quite a few yaks, an an2, and various pa28s. Despite the grim business of the war being waged, there was also a lighter side to life. Raf gransden lodge in the second world war 19391945 the. It was subsequently the venue for some of the first postwar motor races in the u. We have an airfield up here at edzell, the postal address of which is brechin, angus but the field is clearly in kincardineshire now aberdeenshire. At the end of 1945 the airfield was transferred to transport command but the last operational squadron was disbanded in february 1946. Located seven miles southeast of st neots, it was necessary to close the road between great gransden and longstowe and another lane running from the latter to the north.
The raf station closed in 1955 and it was also used for some motor races, including the first major postwar motor. Cambridge university gliding club project gutenberg self. Little gransden airfield, located at fullers hill farm, which holds an air and car show every summer. After the wars end, gransden lodge was briefly used by a unit that pioneered radarassisted airborne mapping, and as a base for transport aircraft. In 1996 the club split into cambridge gliding centre and cambridge university gliding club, the two clubs are affiliated and operate from the same airfield and use the same facilities. Organised by the cambridge university automobile club, two runways were used connected by perimeter roads to create a 2. Nothing can quite match the thrill of flying silently, giving you a birdseye view over the surrounding countryside of cambridgeshire, bedfordshire, hertfordshire, suffolk and beyond. The main reason for not getting closer to gransden lodge is that, quite rightly, the gliding fraternity take a dim view of light aircraft busting through their area of operations without. Little gransden airfield, cambridge, cambridgeshire. Split into seven operational groups, the airfields of bomber command formed the. At the gliding club they were met by chris sullivan, author of the book trials and tribulation, which tells the story of the airfield. Bases of bomber command then and now after the battle.
Lived at the leys in 1944 according to the 1944 little gransden rate book and 3 the. The following organisations are either based at, use andor have at least potentially significant connections with the airfield as at 01092011. Little gransden airfield airport egmj located in little gransden, england, united kingdom. Burbidge crash landed mosquito mm140 at woodbridge in suffolk at 23. There is an airfield memorial location presently unknown. Recently, as i read the history of the wwii era on the webpage of the cambridge gliding centre, which operates out of the gransden lodge airfield, i was reminded of. Francis frith the uks leading publisher of local photographs since 1860. Gransden lodge opened as a satellite of tempsford early in 1942. Apr 6, 2015 map of gransden lodge airfield during world war ii. In the early 1990s the wheel came full circle and flying began again, when gransden lodge became the home of one of britains leading gliding clubs. The book begins with a history of bedfordshires airfields, covering cardington, cranfield, gransden lodge, henlow, little staughton, luton, milton ernest hall. In 1996 the club split into cambridge gliding centre and cambridge university gliding club, the two clubs are affiliated and operate from the.
Jul 19, 2000 page 1 of 2 tnf guide to former premises. The raf station closed in 1955 and it was also used for some motor races. Chris talked to them about the airfield and had also set up a display of photos of 405 squadron. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. They were then taken on a short tour of great and little gransden enroute to the gliding club, where they were introduced to chris sullivan, the author of the trials and tribulation book which traces the history of gransden lodge airfield and 405 squadrons association with it. Gransden lodge circuit posted in the nostalgia forum. Gransden lodge airfield news newspapers books scholar jstor april 20 learn how and. Cambridge gliding club gliding is a form of flight that is both beautiful and exciting. Gransden lodge was an airfield built to class a standard during 194142. Picture by the author who was more intent on photographing the ga airfield little gransden seen in the foreground. Little gransden has two airfields, one of which was used in world war ii.
Posted in mosquito history tagged kb397, kb432, kb435, kb436, kb450, leuna, merseburg, mosquito, raf gransden lodge, raf graveley, raf woodbridge, royal air force, usaaf leave a comment the wartime diaries of a mosquito navigator part 3. Gransden management need to listen to their neighbours. There is a small but impressive memorial situated by. Keith underwood gransden airfield shooting ground nr great gransden cambridgeshire tel. Airport information including flight arrivals, flight departures, instrument approach procedures, weather, location, runways, diagrams, sectional charts, navaids, radio communication frequencies, fbo and fuel prices, hotels, car rentals, sunrise and sunset times, aerial photos, terminal maps, and. There is an aerobatic pilot who insists on ruining quiet weekends by continual practice near eynesbury. Gransden lodge photos, maps, books, memories francis frith. Today, the peaceful countryside to the west of cambridge is mainly given over to agriculture, but for several years in the mid20th century, things were very different. Over the space of more than seventy years, gransden lodge has seen aviation in many forms, ranging from secret trials and heavy bomber operations to competitive gliding. Gransden lodge opened in april 1942 as an operational raf bomber command.
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