Home of the 384th Grafton-Underwood-12 July 2011-PHOTO FILES

[SPANNERmkV]

BomberFlight drove me out to see what we could of Grafton-Underwood near Kettering.
The 92nd Bomb Group was stationed there in 1942, but they were assigned to North Africa for Operation Torch and beyond activities.
Then the 384th BG came there. The signage to find the place is user friendly. The people we met there were nice and the pace was tranquil.
Bomber Flight explained the finer art of deciphering what we were seeing. Aviation Archaeology without all the digging... just using ones eyes.
The old runways and taxiways have been narrowed and the concrete reused for the British Motorways. Sometimes you can identify the difference because of the width of what they did NOT take away as it abuts the roadways. The Lord of the Manor kept the sides of the runways for farm vehicle access and planted rows of trees where the concrete was torn up and removed.
The Church has a famous stained glass window and on the day we arrived they must have known we were coming as it was left unlocked. Should you visit the key is available at the local post office. Named on one of the plaques of the KIAs was Robert Coleman- my Dad's co-pilot who stayed after my Dad's 25 were up and was promoted to left seat and subsequently paid the ultimate price.
My Dad was there from July 1943 through February 1944. I hope this is enjoyed here on WIX. Obviously it was quite a day for me. SPANNER


Current residents wondering why we did not bring them victuals.


BomberFlight looking at row of trees which would have been a cross runway.

Taxi-way to the large hangar that would have been near where the trees are in the background.

What is left of the Main Runway just to the right of the monument.







The monument is at the end of one of the main runways.
The Pub is in town and serves decent pub grub. Since it has been there since the late 1700s I can only imagine my Dad, Bud Peaslee, Dale Smith, Ev Frink and all the other men tipped a pint or two there. KEEP THE SHOW ON THE ROAD! (motto of the 384th.)

Last edited by SPANNERmkV on Wed Jul 20, 2011 12:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Robbie Stuart]

Spanner, I am happy for you, that you got to visit where your Dad was in WW2. Someday I would love to visit the places my Dad flew his Mustang's out of. Thanks for sharing that with us.
Robbie

[bomberflight]

Here's a few I took of Don's visit ......

Let's start with the church







And now we'll take a ride to find the memorial





Don standing in front of what is now a farm track ~ it was once part of the main runway.



This is all that's left now of the full width of the runway.



It this last image ~ the fence on the other side of the road has a farm track over on the right side of the image ~
but a narrow band of concrete behind the fence extends all the way across to my blue box on the left.
This is the only tell tale sign that there was indeed a runway here once upon a time.

[SPANNERmkV]

Spanner, I am happy for you, that you got to visit where your Dad was in WW2. Someday I would love to visit the places my Dad flew his Mustang's out of. Thanks for sharing that with us.
Robbie

Robbie, Where did your Dad fly out of?

Peter... Your camera takes better pictures than mine! Thanks for upgrading the visuals on the thread.

[wendovertom]

Don,

What a great trip! Have you been to Wendover? The barracks, enlisted mess and hangars are all still here! Come on out and I'll be sure to give you the "nickle" tour!

Tom P.

[Robbie Stuart]

Spanner, I am happy for you, that you got to visit where your Dad was in WW2. Someday I would love to visit the places my Dad flew his Mustang's out of. Thanks for sharing that with us.
Robbie

Robbie, Where did your Dad fly out of?

Peter... Your camera takes better pictures than mine! Thanks for upgrading the visuals on the thread.

Dad flew out of RAF Rivenall, RAF Staplehurst, & Cherbourg France. 9th AAF, 363rd Fighter Group, 381st Fighter Squadron.

[Warbird Kid]

Just found this thread. SO COOL!!!! Does anyone have any photos of the hangars that were here during WWII? Im building a model and was hoping to have some references to the diorama.

[SaxMan]

"Screaming Eagle" by 384th CO Dale Smith was always one of my favorite books. Kind of neat to see Grafton Underwood "come alive" through the pics in this thread. Thank you for posting and resurrecting the thread.

[RAMC181]

Period shot of one of the two RAF standard T-2 hangars at Grafton:



The base is a mile from my house.

[RAMC181]

A few more from the base and surrounding area.

Technical Site:

[RAMC181]

Grafton Underwood village:





My village, Warkton:





Kettering railway station, the route to London:

[RAMC181]

IIRC I briefly met up with Spanner at Duxford a couple of days after his visit to GU, after BomberFlight had invited me down there to provide some info regarding the ongoing B-17 restoration.

[Warbird Kid]

Very cool! Thanks!

Nothing like this though eh? How about any surrounding airfields?

- In Production -

[RAMC181]

Not really Chris, sorry.

The closest RAF design hangar to that, with a curved roof, would be the earlier J-Type.
These were only built on 1938-41 constructed permanent or parent airfields.
Chelveston, Polebrook and Molesworth each had a single J-Type along with a pair of T-2s.
Satellite and post-1941 Class A temporary airfields were planned to have four T-2s but the vast majority only had two each.

EDIT:
If what you already have could be reprofiled with a pitched roof and having the doors stepped outwards (running on external rails) you'd end up with a presentable representation of a T-2. I can point you in the direction of full dimensioned construction drawings for one if that would help.

All the best,
PB

[SPANNERmkV]

Thanks for re-vitalizing this thread.
I remember making the Estate folks nervous because Peter Green and I kept driving around the field and stopping at every remnant of a taxi-way that we could Identify and we had the Roger Freeman book on airfields out comparing the aerial views with what was left.
Finally I went and grabbed a chunk of aggregate out of a pile so that I would always have a small piece of Grafton Underwood.

Not that it is relevant to this thread, but I am becoming Wing Leader of the TEXAS RAIDERS again.
If only I could win the lottery... I might convince them to let me paint at least ONE side of the vertical stabilizer with a Triangle P.

Or better still- Donate enough to Ray Moore to finish Lucky 13.

Cheers,
SPANNER