RAF Blidworth

[smileysal]

Cheers Hawkeye.

RAF Blidworth has been driving me up the war for years, ever since I found out there was an airfield there. Keep wishing I'd known about it when my oldest used to horse ride not far away at Kirkfields stables.

Will have another look in the woods now where the storage area was, (can't recollect seeing any remains there though when the kids were riding through, but you never know. )

 

[tigger2]

Blidworth No 35 SLG........

was it in AR95? still not been home to check!

 

[HawkEye001]

Nope AR 91 mate

 

[tigger2]

Nope AR 91 mate

LOL. not too bad a guess. Was fairly sure I'd seen it in AR...though now I am confused as I know I'm missing the early 90's!

For those who don't know, Airfield Review is the journal of the Airfield Research Group (www.airfieldresearchgroup.org.uk)

 

[HawkEye001]

Whats your username on AIX mate?

 

[rockhopper]

That map shows where i had worked out that the runway might have been from bits and bobs of information i collected. Today there is no trace of it whatsoever, the hedges have been reinstated and the field closest to Blidworth Lodge is now full of cabbages. None of it is especially flat either!
Interestingly some of the buildings I photographed are on the other side of the main road, so maybe they have been moved, however i would put money on them being in their original locations.
I think in reality it was nothing more than a grass strip with no permanent buildings other than a few wriggly tin huts.

 

[tigger2]

Whats your username on AIX mate?

"tigger"....not sure why I ended up with the 2 on here!

 

[hydealfred]

It would be interesting to know which Squadron the Whirlwinds were with when they were at Blidworth. Westland Whirlwind by Victor Bingham makes no mention of the aircraft being here. Does Action Stations give anymore detail as I dont have this book in my library

 

[smileysal]

According to the man we spoke to at the Longdale Craft Centre, the armoury is at Appleton Dale, (as you go up Rigg Lane it's on the left hand side, before the riding stables). But it's all got new fencing up around the land belonging to Appleton Dale, loads of private property and tresspassing sign on nearly all the trees along that property.

On google maps (or another of the satellite views) there looks like a small brick structure just below the house, (but can't get to it - yet lol).

Did have a wander across yesterday to look for the storage area (on the top left of the map Hawkeye posted up). Not sure now what they stored up in that clearing, as when you look at it, it slopes very steeply down to the right. High on the left side, but low on the right. Very bumpy ground there as well. may have to wait and go wandering around again when it gets colder, hopefully will be able to see a little more of the ground and undergrowth.

 

[rockhopper]

My latest research tells me that 14 Nissen Huts were planned to be on site, the strip was 800 yards long and was extended to 1000 yards. Its unclear if the huts were ever finished and apparently the strip was abandoned in 1942 as ground conditions were unsuitable for the heavier aircraft.
I doubt if there would have been an armoury as it was only ever intended to be a storage facility.

 

[smileysal]

It was the man at the craft centre who said there was an armoury and it was at Appleton Dale. He said the man who lived in the Appleton Dale house offered him the use of the armoury for his sculptures. But he has more room at the craft centre instead.

Had a walk up to where the map said the storage area was. It slopes steeply from the top (on the left) steeply down to the right. Not sure yet what was stored there.

The craft centre man also said he used to watch the planes take off from there as well. He mentioned the airfield was a maintenance base.

 

[rockhopper]

Ah right.
I've found a few times that after 60 odd years peoples memories can easily be distorted and you often can't rely on what they are telling you. Blidworth was No.58 SLG and opened in 1941 as a satellite to No51 MU at Lichfield and it appears to have been abandoned in 1942 which is probably why there is so little information available about it.
Try and get some pics of the building if you can.

 

[Foxylady]

Just a thought, but has anyone bought copies of the original WW2 1940 site plan from the Royal Air Force Museum? They contain every building that was already there (farms, etc), built, intended to be built and the names and uses for them all. They are the best things for the exact info as it was site specific for the war. Each copy is A2 size and costs a couple of quid or so (probably only one page for Blidworth, whereas some airfields have several). Linky below for ordering.

http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/collections/archive/site_plans.cfm

 

[smileysal]

Cheers Foxy, will have a look at that. (and creep around Mendo to use his card

 

[Foxylady]

(and creep around Mendo to use his card

No need! You just order and they send them with an invoice which is payable within a month. Very civilised.

 

[tigger2]

Just a thought, but has anyone bought copies of the original WW2 1940 site plan from the Royal Air Force Museum? They contain every building that was already there (farms, etc), built, intended to be built and the names and uses for them all. They are the best things for the exact info as it was site specific for the war. Each copy is A2 size and costs a couple of quid or so (probably only one page for Blidworth, whereas some airfields have several). Linky below for ordering.

http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/collections/archive/site_plans.cfm

A word of warning...the site plans and drawings show what was proposed at a specific date and not necessarily what was built where. They are a superb resource but not to be taken as gospel. Not every airfield had drawings (and I've never found a reference to one for Blidworth), some airfields have numerous drawings representing many phases of development. Often things are shown that weren't built...or built at a totally different location.

 

[Foxylady]

...the site plans and drawings show what was proposed at a specific date and not necessarily what was built where...

Ah, I guess I was lucky with the ones that I've used, although there was the odd anomaly, which was a little puzzling. Now I know why.

 

[rockhopper]

I've just been looking at the historical imagary on Google Earth and back in 1999 you can see the slightest hint of what might have been the grass strip, but moving on to 2007 its totally gone.

 

[hydealfred]

No need! You just order and they send them with an invoice which is payable within a month. Very civilised.

Agree with you there Foxy - just got the 1927 plan of Worthy Down airfield from the same source.