RAF Grove - funny old place.

[MMC]

This is a completely different site to the ones I’ve looked at so far. I prefer sites that are a bit away from it all, with buildings still in place - with some atmosphere, some sense of what really went on there.

Grove should be different. What was once a 3,400 airman-strong base is now a combination of industrial estate, housing estate and derelection. The industrial estate is rather flash, but the historic elements of the site have really been left to rot:

Here’s the second runway today:

And the end of the main runway:

And here’s the main runway looking south-west:

So there’s a really odd air about the place. There are corners that are still home to plenty of ghosts, but, at the same time other areas that are given over to modern business.

The base opened in 1942, and was originally planned to be a training base for RAF Bomber Command (91 Group) and a satellite for 15 OTU based at Harwell, just down the road.

Grove has a bog-standard 3 runway layout in a typical K shape. You can see it on this map of the airfield as it originally was:

And here it is today, with a map of the original layout imposed over the top:

You can see that the whole of the western site has been obliterated by modern housing, although the estate's perimeter road follows almost exactly the same line as the old peri track.

The first planes were Wellingtons, but throughout its life the airfield saw everything from Douglas Dakotas to a crash-landing from a top-secret Vickers Armstrong Windsor.

A dramatic accident took place on 2nd. March 1944 when the then highly secret Vickers Armstrong "Windsor" Bomber, DW506, was forced to land at Grove airfield in poor weather conditions. The aircraft was considered to be technically advanced for its time.

The requirement had been for a high altitude heavy bomber capable of flying at 345 m.p.h. and 31,000 feet. Two prototype aircraft were built at Brooklands Race Track, Weybridge, Surrey, assembled at Farnborough Airfield, Hampshire, and flown on 23rd October 1943. After only 34 hours of flight testing reaching a speed of 302 m.p.h. and 25,000 feet, the first prototype was forced to land at Grove airfield owing to a piece of metal having become lodged in the constant speed unit of the starboard inner propeller.

The aircraft is reputed to have crash landed near the site of Hunter’s bridge on the Wilts. & Berks. Canal near Barwell link road roundabout. As a result of the accident the bomber broke its back and was written off. The aircraft was dismantled and returned to Weybridge.

The only wrecks today are, perhaps fittingly for the station’s transport heritage, this one, dumped at the southern end of the main runway:

 

[MMC]

RAF Grove pt 2

In previous reports, I’ve talked about how saddened I’ve been by the lack of memorial to those who lived at and fought from these bases. Although much of the site’s heritage has been left to go to seed, one couldn’t claim the past was unmarked. There are three separate, modern memorials to the base’s past.
The first is probably the most striking. It’s right at the end of the old west-east runway and you’d have a hell of a job to miss it:

It’s a De Havilland Venom,

It’s great to see something like this, even if the RAF colours are a complete banjax and a Venom never flew from here! But a massive “thank you” to Robs Lamplough who was the man behind the plane’s erection here.

This isn’t the only memorial though. There are two more - one at Grove Parish Cemetary and one directly opposite the southern end of the main runway.

There are also a lot of rather more informal memorials at the end of the NW/SE strip:

The memorial in the parish cemetery is simple, plain and clear. It’s directly at the end of the runway on the north side of the airfield:

Exactly opposite, at the other end of the same runway, you’ll find this:

“GV” was the wartime callsign for the base.

It’s not hard to imagine the transports thundering down the runway and lifting clear:

But today, there was only a microlite for company:

These are all easily accessible, but I wanted to find the bits of the airfield that haven’t been sanitised yet, so I rode round to the north side, parked up...

and headed down an old concrete track:

 

[MMC]

RAF Grove Pt 3 - The firing range

Taking a look at google maps, I’d spotted an odd-looking building on the north side of the site. It was impossible to make out from the aerial photo, so this was my first destination. At least, it was after a lot of walking...

Then, over at the edge of the old peri track, I spotted it:

To get to it, I needed to head down another concrete path. Serendipity struck though - it was an old pan dispersal:

Hard to tell, I know, but it still had one of the original tie-downs intact:

It’s on the map in Pt 1 - it’s the pan dispersal just across from the arrow.

The old rifle range is HUGE - the photos don’t give any sense of the back wall’s size:

And this is where you’d fire from:

All a bit ropey now:

So back down the dispersal in search of more...

Looks like there’s still shooting going on:

And on another dispersal, there’s another tie-down:

But, having looked at the google maps images, I knew there was more to see, so headed off into the industrial estate...

 

[MMC]

RAF Grove Pt 4 - Ops Block, Tech site and last days

The Ops Block

The Ops Block and the Western Tech Site at Grove are still almost entirely intact, although now used for agriculture and business.
Again, looking at the map, it’s the around the cluster of buildings marked “Woodhill” and “West Technical Site.”
This is what it looks like today - again, largely given over to industrial use. It’s great to see the old Maycrete huts being looked after though:

And a re-clad hangar, also reputedly haunted... I saw absolutely nothing unusual though!

Here’s another view of the site, but from the south east - you can see the original water tower, again, reclad:

The old Ops Block is still there, clustered with some other buildings:

They’re well worth a look around in themselves...

One of the airfield sites suggests this was a small admin block or a guard post.


This one looks like an MT hut of some sort - unless the inspection pit is a later addition:

Here’s the Ops Block:

Inside, much of the paint is still intact:

I’m guessing the chairs aren’t quite original... These all look like admin offices to me.

Just next door, a little way down the track, there’s another building:

Any ideas what it might be? Living accommodation?


Up closer:

This is just down a small, concrete track from the Ops Block:

Given that Grove was principally a transport base for the USAF, I’d guess this was a small warehouse:

Anyone recognise this?

Yup - it’s the base sewage plant.

And the control hut for same:

Not terribly exciting, but profoundly practical!


It’s hard to believe that RAF Grove, under the USAF, was the main UK depot for flying supplies to the D-Day landings. At one point, it was reckoned to be the busiest airfield in Europe under the 9th USAF flying Douglas Dakotas.

In 1944, the USAF 13th Photographic Reconnaissance Group (8th A.F.) were based here from October to nearly the end of November. They were followed in 1945 by the 7th Photographic Reconnaissance & Magazine Group, who finally returned to the USA in November 1945.

Their place was taken by 36th Bombardment Squadron, flying B17 Flying Fortresses and B24 Liberators.

Finally, the station was handed back to the RAF in 1946. Bill Fuller, a local historian, writes:

The Operational Record Book records the change: ".... 12th. February 1946, Marching in and out inspection on handing over of Grove to No. Z65 Maintenance Unit took place at Grove, 1600hs. Board of Officers consisted of F/Lt P.P.G.Smith, President, F/O W.H.Smith, Major Stockwell (last U.S.A.A.F. Commanding Officer for Grove Airfield), Clerk of Works, members "

After the war, the base was used for storage until 1955. The end came on 1st. December 1955 when responsibility for Grove Airfield was transferred to No. 3 Maintenance Unit, R.A.F. Milton, Berks, from No. 431 Equipment Depot.

The only people left were storemen and Security Police, with control coming from RAF Milton until the last day of 1958:

"....All functional stock was cleared from No. 6 Site at Grove during the month
and it was closed on 31st. December 1958.... signed T.King, Group Captain, Commanding Officer."

 

[Ash]

cracking stuff.

 

[Hustler]

Excellent, thank you.

 

[Keith Mcclintock]

Brilliant stuff. There are two stations i know of here in N.Ireland,RAF Bishops Court, used for air gunner training in WW2,then was a radar station, closed since the 1980's and Langford Lodge-a USAF base in WW2,used to service and fit out aircraft for the european campain. Alot of the buildings in both stations are still intact. Langford lodge has an areo engineering works there and the runway is still operational,they also carry out test firing of the Martin Baker ejection seat there. Might have to get the camera out and get some photo's of them

 

[Dee Tee]

Another tale of Forgotten History brought back to life. Excellent work !!

As an aside,on my way to the Isle Of Man last week,i met a Canadian Gentleman who was paying a "Flying Visit" (yes,pun intended) to the Island for the 1st time since the end of WW2. He had been a Spitfire Pilot based at Andreas Airfield and was hoping to see as much of whatever was left of the Base. I hope he got to see what he had gone for.It was ,somehow,strange yet Humbling to be chatting to this Man who had done so much for me(us) as he was most unassuming and not at all brash about his duties/exploits. Perhaps the differing outlook of an earlier Generation ?

 

[BeemerBaz]

Brilliant stuff. There are two stations i know of here in N.Ireland,RAF Bishops Court, used for air gunner training in WW2,then was a radar station, closed since the 1980's

I was based at Bishops Court from 85 - 88

 

[Paul Wakefield]

Great stuff Mark

My arm having sufficiently recovered, I was able to ride the bike yesterday for the first time for ages and had a very plesant ride pootling around (listening to the Test Match!) and went through Grove completely oblivious to its history. Even went through Bampton but decided not to wreck your Sunday morning.

Mention of the 7th Photographic Reconnaissance rang a bell and, of course, they were based near here at Chalgrove for a while. There are just so many sites to see - around here alone I can think of Chalgrove, Oakley, Mount Farm (hardly anything left) all within 5 miles. Only Benson is still active.

How are your plans for a tour coming on?

 

[Sleepy]

Very Very interesting, Many Thanks

 

[MMC]

Great stuff Mark

My arm having sufficiently recovered, I was able to ride the bike yesterday for the first time for ages and had a very plesant ride pootling around (listening to the Test Match!) and went through Grove completely oblivious to its history. Even went through Bampton but decided not to wreck your Sunday morning.

Mention of the 7th Photographic Reconnaissance rang a bell and, of course, they were based near here at Chalgrove for a while. There are just so many sites to see - around here alone I can think of Chalgrove, Oakley, Mount Farm (hardly anything left) all within 5 miles. Only Benson is still active.

How are your plans for a tour coming on?

Ah - was that you on the RT on the Buckland Road yesterday at about 3pm? If so, you were bloody moving! I was the black 1100 that turned in from the A420 and conspicuously failed to stay with you...

The tour's coming on, although still only in outline planning stage. The difficulty is going to be getting permission for a group of us to go wandering round. Some of them (Broadwell, for example) won't be too much of an issue, but we'd really need to get permission to go trekking en masse around Stanton Harcourt/Windrush/Enstone/Grove. But I'm working on it...

And don't be daft - if you're passing, drop in for a coffee!

 

[Paul Wakefield]

Not me on an RT. I'm back to being a GSA man. (Red 1200).

 

[EggChaser]

I was over near RAF Grove (on a stormy evening) recently too

Found out a little about why this aircraft is mounted there from another forum which was written by someone who had been at the launch ceremony for the memorial:

"I was one of the invited guests to the dedication ceremony, and I'm happy to give a little more info.

Yes indeed, Mr Robert Lamplough (who owns the Grove Technology Park industrial estate) supplied and organised the display, it's intended to be a permanent memorial to remind us of where the airfield used to be, as it's about to be built over with a large number of new houses.

The De Havilland Venom was a former Swiss army plane, and some of the cockpit controls were on display at the reception: they were labelled in German which caused a bit of confusion among some of the guests!

As has been said, possibly not the most appropriate craft, as they never flew from Grove, but it's a lovely thing in itself, and I for one appreciate Mr Lamplough's generosity in supplying it.

On Wednesday the 17th, we had a fantastic sunset flypast by a Spitfire, with a succession of loops and turns: the final "bombing run" was accompanied by pyrotechnics and a ground charge in the adjacent field, creating an enormous fireball, which was very impressive. Slightly less impressive was the arrival of the fire engines two minutes later, during the speeches, as a passer-by had apparently reported that the Spitfire had crashed.... still, the police and the firemen stayed and enjoyed the firework display afterwards.

Earlier in the day the Spitfire was doing runs around the area - I assumed it was the professional pilot practising for the evening, but it turned out to be Mr Lamplough himself having a quick zoom around.

UKsceneryman is correct, the Venom is painted in false RAF colours as a tribute to 415 squadron who were based at Grove. It has also been subject to five months of preparation and weather-proofing, some of which was carried out by our local ATC.

The pylon supporting the plane was specially designed to prevent vandalism (haven't yet seen a pair of bloomers hanging off it's nose, but give it time) and yes, they did get planning permission to put it there! It is rapidly becoming a local landmark, and as far as I know, no-one has yet crashed their car from being distracted by it.

The placing of the pylon and the angle of the plane were very carefully set so that whichever road you come in on, you get a different view of it. It looked particularly wonderful early the other morning, rising out of the mist!

There hasn't been anything in the local papers about it yet, which is a bit disappointing, but I'll keep my eye out and will post a link when it does appear. The whole ceremony was certainly kept very hush-hush beforehand, as the organisers didn't want an uncontrollable number of people turning up to see it: it's not a very big area, as you can see from Aeronut's photo, and the roads remained open throughout it. Personally I would have thought the local papers would have had their article prepared beforehand, but apparently that's not the case.

I hope this helps, and I do hope that as many of you as possible can take a drive out to Wantage to see it: there's nothing to stop you parking on the road leading to the Tech centre, it's wide and empty: and there are no barriers to prevent you walking right up to the pylon."

 

[MMC]

I was over near RAF Grove (on a stormy evening) recently too

Hey - GREAT photo! That's a beauty.

 

[Greg Masters]

Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still small voice of calm!

From The Brewing of Soma by John Greenleaf Whittier 1807-1892

 

[Keith Mcclintock]

I was based at Bishops Court from 85 - 88

Small world-Alot of the buildings are still there,some of the accomadition blocks are currently occupied,ther is also a new housing development on one of the sites (NAFFI i think).There is regular motorbike racing round the airfield.

The coast road running past it is one of my regular runs

 

[shuck raider]

Small world-Alot of the buildings are still there,some of the accomadition blocks are currently occupied,ther is also a new housing development on one of the sites (NAFFI i think).There is regular motorbike racing round the airfield.

The coast road running past it is one of my regular runs

I got turfed out of it last week by an irate farmer on a tractor Just having a wee nosey around, the gate was open. Quite a lot of the WW2 airfield remains although they bulldozed much of it to install the radar stuff. Local rumours say that there is a huge underground bunker on the site but if that is so, the entrance must be in one of the bricked-up buildings

The race track used to be brilliant when they used the long straight of the east/west runway - it had a 90 deg right-hander at the end of it which was a great spot to watch. Then it became a true short circuit and now the only decent bit is the Esses at the end of the start/finish straight IMHO

 

[Dee Tee]

It’s a De Havilland Venom,

I came across this,today whilst taking the "Long Way Home" to Tamworth from Fowlers,Bristol as i was putting some mileage on my new KTM 950 SM.I remembered this thread and would have had a nose round,but it was chucking down .

 

[Ogmios]

scratching me head here trying to figure out how you do that.....

i have absolutely no interest in "Militaria" of any kind.

or so i thought until you started doing these engrossing write ups bringing to life an important aspect of history with beautiful photos taken with a fine eye for detail.

Thank you very much for opening my eyes and Well done!