# RAF Grove (Pic Heavy)



## hydealfred (Feb 6, 2011)

RAF Grove has previously been posted on DP but I have not seen any recent reports regarding the site. So I thought it time I put up my shots taken over two visits in April 2010. 

Grove was built in 1942 as a three runway spare bomber airfield for 91 Group. In the early days of the airfields use Grove was used by 15 OTU flying Wellingtons. However with so much nearby gliding activity the Wellingtons left and the field transferred to Flying Training Command. During early 1943 Whitley’s and Horsas from Brize Norton used the airfield. Then Hawker Typhoons were at Grove taking part in Operation Spartan. At this time the airfield was far from complete but had been earmarked for use by the Americans. In 1943 the US 9th AAF Support Command took control of Grove and used the field for repair and maintenance of C-46 Commandos and C-47 Dakotas. 

In March 1944 a dramatic event took place when the prototype Vickers Armstrong Windsor, DW506, force landed and was written off. This was a highly secret bomber being flown by a new pilot. Technical failure to one of the aircrafts propellers resulted in the forced landing which broke the bombers back. This incident led to a temporary halt to operations but flying did continue until February 1946. The Americans then left and the field reverted back to the RAF. It was then used as a relief landing ground and also by No 6 Maintenance Unit who were then busy dismantling surplus aircraft. 

Grove has now reverted back to farm and industrial use. The airfield also has a resident ghost which is sometimes seen in full flying gear walking between the buildings. It is thought the figure maybe related to a nearby Lancaster bomber crash. The aircraft attempted to land at Grove after developing engine trouble en-route to Germany. The bomber failed to reach the field and crashed causing the bomb load to detonate. All on board were killed. Had I known about the ghost before I visited I would maybe have been a bit more unnerved when entering some of the very dark abandoned buildings on my own in isolation. 

A view towards the firing range 







Firing Range gun butts 






This truncated pole would have held the range flag 






After a bit of urban excavation this aircraft tie down point came to the surface 






M&E Plinth 






Electrical equipment box within the M&E Plinth 






The makers name inside the electrical box 






The latrine block connected to the operations block






A very old cast iron cistern 






The mens room 






Cubicles and sink units 






The Operations Room - the operations boards still exist on the far wall 






Close up of one of the operations boards 






Further view of the Operations Room 






One of the rooms within the Ops Building 






Remains of the electrical installation 






Abandoned buildings near the Ops Building 






I believe this may have been a guard house 






Internal view of guard house 






A fusing shed with the perimeter track on the left 






The airfields sewage farm 






Sewage farm settling tanks 






Further view of the settling tanks 






Elevated pipework runs 






One of the sewage beds 






Sewage farm buildings 






The inside of an abandoned Nissen Hut - the graffiti stems from another earlier era in automotive history 






A view from a window - Nissen Hut 






A decidedly old sink unit or is it - what else could this be ?






A favourite place for spiders 






De Havilland Venom FB.54 - J-1758 now stands guard at the entrance to the former RAF Grove






Thanks for looking.


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## Philostratus (Feb 6, 2011)

*Carmania?*

Great shots and great explore.

Strangely that picture of the old toilet cistern caught my eye, with the name "Carmania" on it..

I'm not an expert on toilet cistern manufacturers but it doesnt seem a known name on google, but I was wondering if it was reclaimed from the Cunard Ship Carmania (broken up in about 1932)...

http://www.chriscunard.com/carmania.php

Just idle chat really but intrigued all the same.


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## jindivik (Feb 6, 2011)

Well done mate , cracking pics


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## krela (Feb 6, 2011)

Coo lot's of interesting bits still in situ, very nice!


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## King Al (Feb 6, 2011)

Nice one hydealfred, that toilet cistern is great!


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## night crawler (Feb 6, 2011)

Nice one, lot of shot's Ive not seen before. It's a place not far from me that I have never been too though I have been along the edge.


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## highcannons (Feb 7, 2011)

Philostratus said:


> Great shots and great explore.
> 
> Strangely that picture of the old toilet cistern caught my eye, with the name "Carmania" on it..
> 
> ...



It was, and still is, practice amongst some to name dull products with fancy names. You will see names like "Hurlingham" on old bell flush cisterns (notice the speech marks). I expect "Campania" is a such........there is a lively old trade in cleaning and polishing these old thunderbox's selling them to deaf people with lots of money!


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## klempner69 (Feb 7, 2011)

Excellant report Alf..the cistern is interesting as its a pull chain operated one on a urinal sparge..never seen one in all my years of plumbing..as for the sink type slab,did it have a hole for drainage,if so it may have been used for rinsing off machine parts or body parts..(doubt that!).


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## tonypony (Feb 7, 2011)

Brilliant pictures mate, love that old jag bonnet and that cast iron cistern is a one off.


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## sYnc_below (Feb 7, 2011)

Fantastically intact airfield, totally loving the Ops Block !!

An M&E Plinth with something still in it too


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## krela (Feb 7, 2011)

klempner69 said:


> Excellant report Alf..the cistern is interesting as its a pull chain operated one on a urinal sparge..never seen one in all my years of plumbing..as for the sink type slab,did it have a hole for drainage,if so it may have been used for rinsing off machine parts or body parts..(doubt that!).



Some airfields did have their own morgues. There is a fully intact one at RAF Westonzoyland near Bridgewater...


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## Munchh (Feb 7, 2011)

Great report alf. It's as expansive and interesting as you said it was. I've the feeling that I've seen a similar sink on another report where it was identified but I can't remember where or what. Seem to recall it being on the floor though and longer. Happening a lot these days to my poor old brain.


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## hydealfred (Feb 7, 2011)

klempner69 said:


> Excellant report Alf..the cistern is interesting as its a pull chain operated one on a urinal sparge..never seen one in all my years of plumbing..as for the sink type slab,did it have a hole for drainage,if so it may have been used for rinsing off machine parts or body parts..(doubt that!).



Thanks all for the comments I appreciate it. 

I'm not sure if the sink has a drainage hole but I would assume it has.


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## Doering (Feb 8, 2011)

Some wonderful artifacts in those shots! We just need some sound effects and we'd be all set to re-live the time.


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## gingrove (Feb 22, 2011)

I live on the estate that was built on the airfield but I haven't been there for years. The range was in use up to the 70s by the Harwell pistol club, I took part in a pistol competition there in about 1973. After that it was used by The Grove clay shooting club until the the late 80s or 90s when I think that the owner declined to renew the lease. I Never realised that the ops block was still there but I have seen the Memorial that was put up at the end of the runway by the Ridgway Military And Aviation Research Group.


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## R9WElut (Aug 22, 2021)

gingrove said:


> I live on the estate that was built on the airfield but I haven't been there for years. The range was in use up to the 70s by the Harwell pistol club, I took part in a pistol competition there in about 1973. After that it was used by The Grove clay shooting club until the the late 80s or 90s when I think that the owner declined to renew the lease. I Never realised that the ops block was still there but I have seen the Memorial that was put up at the end of the runway by the Ridgway Military And Aviation Research Group.


Hi I live near is the RAF buildings still up and there


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## Mearing (Aug 23, 2021)

Hi. As a teenager I was on holiday in East Challow in 1943 and construction work was in progress on the airfield then. Now derelict! Time flies!


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## zeroUE (Aug 23, 2021)

R9WElut said:


> Hi I live near is the RAF buildings still up and there


Go and have a look if you live near, this is a ten year old thread


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## night crawler (Aug 23, 2021)

No point its a housing estate now


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## Openfields (Aug 24, 2021)

I'm not even sure if the DH Venom is still there. A 'gate guardian' with no gate to guard! I thought it was a replica rather than a genuine aircraft but it seems to be an ex Swiss Air Force aircraft that was only sited there in 2007. There were many USAAF married quarters in the village of Grove itself. Many of these were equipped with US electrical power sockets to enable US service families to use American domestic appliances. These were still in some of these houses until the early 1990s but presumably disconnected. Other than that there is virtually nothing left of RAF Grove.


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## night crawler (Aug 24, 2021)

Openfields said:


> I'm not even sure if the DH Venom is still there. A 'gate guardian' with no gate to guard! There were many USAAF married quarters in the village of Grove itself. Many of these were equipped with US electrical power sockets to enable US service families to use American domestic appliances. These were still in some of these houses until the early 1990s but presumably disconnected. Other than that there is virtually nothing late of RAF Grove.


It's there on Google earth and streetview


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## Hayman (Aug 25, 2021)

Openfields said:


> I'm not even sure if the DH Venom is still there. A 'gate guardian' with no gate to guard! I thought it was a replica rather than a genuine aircraft but it seems to be an ex Swiss Air Force aircraft that was only sited there in 2007. There were many USAAF married quarters in the village of Grove itself. Many of these were equipped with US electrical power sockets to enable US service families to use American domestic appliances. These were still in some of these houses until the early 1990s but presumably disconnected. Other than that there is virtually nothing left of RAF Grove.


"Many of these were equipped with US electrical power sockets to enable US service families to use American domestic appliances." That would have meant the supply being 110 volts.


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## Dirus_Strictus (Aug 25, 2021)

Openfields said:


> There were many USAAF married quarters in the village of Grove itself. Many of these were equipped with US electrical power sockets to enable US service families to use American domestic appliances. These were still in some of these houses until the early 1990s but presumably disconnected.


This obviously must mean that the properties were supplied from a special separate power source, in no way connected to the National Grid. The US does not use our 250volt AC supply system for domestic appliances.


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## Openfields (Aug 26, 2021)

Dirus_Strictus said:


> This obviously must mean that the properties were supplied from a special separate power source, in no way connected to the National Grid. The US does not use our 250volt AC supply system for domestic appliances.


This must have been the case. I believe I've seen these sockets on a few other American bases in the UK. I was aware of difference in US and UK power supplies. Someone I worked with told of having the US type sockets in her home that had been a married quarters for RAF Grove American personnel. She said although they were still there they didn't work.


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## superplum (Aug 26, 2021)

Dirus_Strictus said:


> This obviously must mean that the properties were supplied from a special separate power source, in no way connected to the National Grid. The US does not use our 250volt AC supply system for domestic appliances.



They use/used a house transformer to reduce the voltage from the National Grid.- still the case!


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## Openfields (Aug 27, 2021)

Thanks for that superplum! A more practical method. I remember the PXs/BXs in the UK and Germany selling American voltage items. For the uninitiated, PX - Post Exchange, BX - Base Exchange I believe. The US versions of our NAAFI stores. They varied from small shops to department stores.


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## Hayman (Aug 28, 2021)

I wonder if the US 110 voltage came from the way Edison claimed alternating current to be dangerous solely in order to promote his direct current power stations. One Quora answer reads: "110/120 is found there because Edison used DC, and the generators of the time simply couldn’t get much higher than that due to flashover on their commutators…and so their electrical system started out on 110v (actually, due to line losses, many houses only got 90v- and you selected your lightbulbs (90, 100, 110) depending on the line voltage available at your house)"

How come most of the rest of the world uses AC at around 220-250 volts with few problems? Although construction site equipment tends to be 110 volts AC, because of the greater chances of shocks from temporary installatons in wet conditions. I see that these days the US supply voltage to houses is 220 volts AC, split to two 110 volt circuits. In that case, it would be possible to have 220 volt sockets to plug in 220 volt appliances.


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