# Coleby Grange Control Tower, Sept 10



## Black Shuck (Sep 8, 2010)

5 miles south of Lincoln is the remains of ex RAF Coleby Grange.During the Second World War, the Ministry of Defence constructed an airfield at Coleby Grange to the east of the village on open heathland, immediately west of the A15 road. It opened in 1939 with a single grass runway as a relief landing ground for RAF Cranwell. In May 1941 it was transferred to 12 Group, RAF Fighter Command and became a satellite station for RAF Digby.

Once German daylight raids stopped in 1943, RAF Digby took on a non-operational role involving radar calibration and other duties. This left Coleby Grange standing alone to combat the threat of night raids in Lincolnshire. The station closed just before the end of the war in May 1945.

1959 saw the station re-opened as a Thor IRBM launching base, it closed again in 1963. Today the airfield is in private hands and used for agriculture with only the Control Tower, which still stands although in a ruined state, as a visible sign of the station's existence


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## hydealfred (Sep 8, 2010)

Nice one - really like derelict control towers.


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## Black Shuck (Sep 8, 2010)

Me as well mate, We have over 37 Old Airfields in Norfolk, but you can count the amount of Control Towers on one hand. This one at Coleby has been a favourite of mine for a long time.


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## HypoBoy (Sep 8, 2010)

Great pics shuck. Looks a lot like Bodney, but unusual to still see the top floor steps intact. I take it you didn't try climbing them


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## Black Shuck (Sep 8, 2010)

I did mate, got my foot onto the fist step and the whole staircase blew in wind, I nearly shit my britches.


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## Labb (Sep 8, 2010)

Nice pictures. I like the derelict buildings.


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## Black Shuck (Sep 8, 2010)

Thanks Labb.


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## smiffy (Sep 8, 2010)

great stuff..especially evocative with the Anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the row blowing over the proposed Bomber Command Memorial ......thanks really good to see .....


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## Black Shuck (Sep 9, 2010)

smiffy said:


> great stuff..especially evocative with the Anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the row blowing over the proposed Bomber Command Memorial ......thanks really good to see .....



Thanks Sniffy, I do love Airfields, I guess it's because I live in Norfolk, we have so many you see.


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## smiffy (Sep 9, 2010)

Black Shuck said:


> Thanks Sniffy, I do love Airfields, I guess it's because I live in Norfolk, we have so many you see.


yeah you sure have.
When I was kid I had an ex flight map ....guessing it was mid 60s vintage ish....Norfolk , Suffolk and Lincolnshire are covered in those little crossed dots indicating 'dis-used airfield'.....I was so envious of anyone that lived over that way .espeically seeing as how flat the area was a push bike could have got you around half a dozen in one day easy !......Great photos mate and very evocative......love these places but still sort of hate to see them all disused and abandoned like they are.......ah well...


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## Black Shuck (Sep 9, 2010)

Not a lot of people know about the sacrifice made by the lads who flew from these places. Most were half my age, and didn't live to see their 25 birthday. It's so sad, I feel like they should be remembered for how brave they were and the ultimate sacrifice they made.


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## hydealfred (Sep 9, 2010)

Black Shuck said:


> Not a lot of people know about the sacrifice made by the lads who flew from these places. Most were half my age, and didn't live to see their 25 birthday. It's so sad, I feel like they should be remembered for how brave they were and the ultimate sacrifice they made.



You are so right there. To think some of those young lads flying Lancasters and the like were only in their late teens early twenties. If you ever have a chance get hold of Len Deightons "Bomber" on audiobook. This truly shows what they went through. During the Fall Of France the attrition rate of the Battles and Blenheims was horrific, yet they still went out in the face of such adversity day after day knowing what fate probably awaited them. True courage.


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## Black Shuck (Sep 10, 2010)

Well said mate!


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## Faing (Sep 10, 2010)

Pick yoursel a nice evning with no brezeand a good sunset and go visit a disused airfield, it wil make he hares stand up on the back of yerneck. Many yers ago i was at raf waltham in near grimsby where me pal was picking up a lorryload and went for a wander rond on me own.the rtower and loads of the hangars were still there in the 70s and begod does it make you think what them brave men and boys went through. it is also haunted aaparntly by a airman on his bike. many of the lincs airfields are reputd to be hanted and it wold ber a brave man that went exploring them after dark imho. good picsas usual BS, thank you


some good info on airfilds here http://www.raf-lincolnshire.info/grimsby/grimsbyphoto05.htm


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## ThenewMendoza (Sep 10, 2010)

Went here the other week. No sign of the ghosts, Black Shuck? 

M


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## hydealfred (Sep 10, 2010)

ThenewMendoza said:


> Went here the other week. No sign of the ghosts,Black Shuck?


 


Maybe the atmospherics were not quite right


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## Black Shuck (Sep 11, 2010)

Is it supposed to be Haunted Mendo?


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## Black Shuck (Sep 11, 2010)

Mendo could you hit the Edit Button please and remove my name, cheers.


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