# RAF Staxton Wold, Driffield Camp.



## Kaputnik (Nov 9, 2008)

Opened in 1936, RAF Driffield is in the east riding of Yorkshire.
During the later part of WW2, Handley Page Halifax bombers of the royal australian airforce 466 squadron, took off fom it's 6000ft runway, to attack the heart of nazi occupied europe, after the war, the airfield became home to a number of training schools and night fighter squadrons, until flying ceased in 1959.

RAF Driffield finally closed in 1977, and was handed over to the royal corps of transport, and re-named Alamein Barracks.
like many disused airfields, Driffield lost it's control tower, and in the early 80's it's hangars were converted to store grain. all three runways were also removed.
In 1992 the site changed hands again, and was renamed RAF Staxton Wold, Driffield camp, until it finally closed on june 28th 1996.
the rural payments agency who owned the hangars, closed them in 2003, and sold them to a property development company, the MOD sold most of the rest of the site to Strawsons property developers in 2007.












a short assault training course...















lots of eerie long dark corridors, and strange noises in the windy autumn weather....















sadly, the caped crusader wasn't here today.....





inside Batman's room, his cabinets adorned with 80's newspaper clippings of hot ladies!





best before mar 87!




















an unusual thing to find, a Raleigh 20 shopper bike.....





a fair few rubber bullets dotted around the site....










two bars, one called the Drifft in, and a NAAFI shop.....










projector room....





and silver screen, looking past it's best....





abandonned nest, in abandonned surroundings....





boiler house....





water gauges....





what looks like the stage....






thanks for looking.


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## Foxylady (Nov 9, 2008)

Fantastic photos, Kaputnik. Absolutely love the one of the long narrow window and those corridors do look a tad scary...very atmospheric. Interesting find and history.


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## smileysal (Nov 9, 2008)

Nice info on the history of the place, and good to see a few bits and pieces dotted around from it's time as MOD. Really like the stage, and the projection room windows. Love those stairs, it seems quite a few airfield buildings had the same type of stairs. 

Excellent pics, I do like this.

Cheers,

 Sal


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## Kaputnik (Nov 9, 2008)

Thanks for the comments, yes, the stairs, and other features are very similar in places like RAF Newton, and other sites, guess they were all built at a similar time, and to much the same layout.


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## thompski (Nov 9, 2008)

Great stuff as always Kaputnik, some nice 1930s features and love the retro jaffa cake packet (i'm more of a chocolate hobnob man myself).


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## Kaputnik (Nov 9, 2008)

Sadly, much more chav damage here than other similar places, like Newton.


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## Seahorse (Nov 10, 2008)

An assault course, on an RAF camp? :no:

Must have been in pristine, unused condition then. 

(Apologies to any ex crabs in the forum.)


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## Kaputnik (Nov 10, 2008)

A bit more info i found...
this place was one of the original 'chain home' radar stations, which provided long range early raid warning from 1937, making it the worlds oldest, longest serving operational air defence radar station, when it closed.
there's also a good write up of some of the history here...
http://www.yorkshirepride.co.uk/showstory.asp?link=showstories&story=39&maincat=1


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## MaBs (Nov 20, 2008)

A Batman was usually an Officers "servant" to do his uniform and act as a runner amongst other tasks. In later days civilians who cleaned officers mess were also called this. So may not necessarily a single person  

See .... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_(military)


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## Kaputnik (Nov 20, 2008)

Thanks for that info, MaBs. I was wondering 
there were two Batman rooms there.


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