# RAF Grafton Underwood - Dec 2011 (Pic heavy)



## a_little_feisty (Dec 16, 2011)

Finally got around to posting report and pics from our trip to RAF Grafton Underwood and the nearby farmhouse a few weeks ago. I know this place has been reported on so many times already and nothing here that won't have been seen before, but we had a great time in the few hours we spent exploring there and definitely plan to go back and see some more ... particularly to attempt to find the Ops Room!! 

In the company of LadyHayles (+ Lukey1 and MrT - not registered).

First the obligatory history part:

_*RAF use*

The airfield was opened in 1941 and was first used by the RAF Bomber Command 1653 Heavy Conversion Unit with Liberators. The original runways were approximately 1,600 yards and 1,100 yards in length. However, these were unsuitable for the operation of heavy, four-engined bombers and the field was upgraded to Class A airfield standards, including the lengthening of the runways to the required 2,000 yards for the main and 1,400 yards for each of the others, started in late 1942.

*USAAF use*

Grafton Underwood was assigned United States Army Air Force Eighth Air Force in 1942. Its designation was USAAF Station 106.

Subsequently used by 15th Bombardment Squadron (Light), 97th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 305th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 96th Bombardment Group (Heavy) and 384th Bombardment Group (Heavy) during WW2.


*Postwar Air Ministry use*

After the war, Grafton Underwood was used for vehicle storage with No. 236 Maintenance Unit employing up to two hundred civilian drivers and mechanics. The unit at the airfield repaired and stored thousands of Air Ministry vehicles which were sold at monthly public auctions. The airfield was finally declared surplus to requirements and closed on 1 February 1959.

*Civil use*

With the end of military control, Grafton Underwood airfield was returned to agricultural use, however some old buildings remain, in varying condition. Most of the concreted area of the airfield has been removed, except for some single-track agricultural roads which were part of the perimeter track and runways. Several frying pan and at least one double-loop hardstand remains on the north side of the airfield on private farmland. Woods now cover much of the site and these are open to the public. A memorial was installed at the airfield site in the 1990s.
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The pillbox


















A couple of the MANY Stanton shelters ... have never seen so many on one site!










































































The old farmhouse



























Thanks for looking!


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## urban phantom (Dec 17, 2011)

Great report always nice to see an old base thanks for sharing


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## alex76 (Dec 17, 2011)

The ops room is easyer to find than you think a little hidden in the woods happy hunting


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## Chris34 (Dec 17, 2011)

... particularly to attempt to find the Ops Room!! 

You're closer than you think! We visited a few times but only found it on the last one, that's when we realised we'd walked straight passed it countless times!


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## sYnc_below (Dec 17, 2011)

a_little_feisty said:


> we had a great time in the few hours we spent exploring there and definitely plan to go back and see some more ... particularly to attempt to find the Ops Room!!



You walked right past it to get to the Officers & Airmans Boiler house/Water Tower  Also 9 blast shelters, M&E Plinths and a Norden Bomb Sight Building....there's more than meets the eye to that place.....let me know if you want a showie one day


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## davetdi (Dec 17, 2011)

nice piccies Little Feisty

been round that place many a time ......as has been said , theres lots more to see


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## Foxylady (Dec 18, 2011)

Fab report and gorgeous photies. Tis a great site. Cheers for posting.


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## hydealfred (Dec 18, 2011)

Superb report - looks like my kind of explore - well done.


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## a_little_feisty (Dec 18, 2011)

alex76 said:


> The ops room is easyer to find than you think a little hidden in the woods happy hunting



Thanks ... it was your recent report that inspired us to go there  ... will definitely be going back and hopefully there will be a few less leaves on the trees and more will be revealed


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## a_little_feisty (Dec 18, 2011)

tocsin_bang said:


> You walked right past it to get to the Officers & Airmans Boiler house/Water Tower  Also 9 blast shelters, M&E Plinths and a Norden Bomb Sight Building....there's more than meets the eye to that place.....let me know if you want a showie one day



Damn!!! ... all the more reason to go back though ... we only had a few hours and we definitely left feeling that we had not uncovered even half of the place.

Enjoyed your earlier reports on this place


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## sYnc_below (Dec 19, 2011)

a_little_feisty said:


> Damn!!! ... all the more reason to go back though ... we only had a few hours and we definitely left feeling that we had not uncovered even half of the place.
> 
> Enjoyed your earlier reports on this place



I've got 74 locations GPS plotted for the place so far and have at least that many still to plot (probably a lot more). Am happy to show you round some if you get stuck.


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## Ladyhayles (Dec 19, 2011)

This site was so interesting and I am definitely looking forward to more exploring here with a_little_feisty in the future.

It's so frustrating though to hear that we were so close to other buildings and we obviously just missed them. The woods are extremely disorientating though and you constantly second guess whether you've been in buildings or not. We definitely need to try and draw a map or something of where we have/haven't been for future explores.

I'll have to add some of my own pictures to this at some point, unfortunately I'm viewing at work at the moment so I cannot see the pictures posted because they are being hosted by a banned site (stupid IT).


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## Priority 7 (Dec 19, 2011)

tocsin_bang said:


> You walked right past it to get to the Officers & Airmans Boiler house/Water Tower  Also 9 blast shelters, M&E Plinths and a Norden Bomb Sight Building....there's more than meets the eye to that place.....let me know if you want a showie one day *next decade*



Just corrected that for you Tocsin Mate


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## Ladyhayles (Dec 30, 2011)

As with other reports posted by a_little_feisty, we explored together and I thought I should add some of the pics I took on the day. Here are some of my favourites which are a little different to those already posted.









































And this might explain to others why it's so hard to find places in there, even when there's no leaves to cover things!!!





And my true highlight of the day had to be this chap!


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## Chris34 (Dec 30, 2011)

Thanks Ladyhales; 
I really love this place, I've visited this site more times than I care to mention!
A friend who worked at a local museum always maintained there is an underground hospital on this site, but its entrance was sealed with the old run-way concrete in the nighteen eighties, so no chance now. I have looked at a website that claims to show the same sort underground building but a "control room" rather than a hospital at RAF Polebrook, there’s nothing left of polebrook now just the underground room but considering among many famed celebrities of the time that spent time at Polebrook, it’s worth a look to see if it’s still accessible....

The underground control room: 

http://home2.btconnect.com/HarrowdenIT/battlehq.htm

http://www.controltowers.co.uk/P/Polebrook.htm

Massive thanks to whoever put this wonderful footage of planes landing and leaving polebrook in 1943 
(The Polebrook control tower is visible if you watch!!!)

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LUkfkWM-Ro[/ame]


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