Declassified: What Happened To These RAF Bases Since WW2? | Forces TV

really interesting, greetings from a cold Ireland.

Brillent intersting video. Thank you for uploading .

I'm 9 yeard into a disused airfields project recording so far over 200 former military airfields in the air and on the ground where possible. We have a really wonderful aviation heritage in the uk.

We built around 660 airfields on these Islands during WW2 most of them dissapeared into motorway and industrial estate hardcore after the war. Elvington near York has the longest runway in wartime Britain and to the present day as far as I know. Elvington was used by the French Air Force for their modified super long range Halifaxes which flew to Warsaw and back to Britain dropping food and ammunition to the Polish Home Army under siege by the Dirlewanger SS division in the City...

I lived on ferry road
Raf bawdsey was in my backyard

RAF Scampton needs to be preserved. The local Council, owners should be developing the Heritage Centre.
As home to Bomber Command and the Dambusters Scampton is an important base in the history of the UK.
This should NOT be happening:

'How many asylum seekers will be accommodated at RAF Scampton? The Home Office plan to use a phased approach to moving people on site starting with c. 200 people and increasing to 2,000 people over time.'

This is so wrong!

It's just coincidence that they chose Hethel. Nothing at all to do with Sian taking the Lotus for a spin. 😀

During WW2 about 600 airfields/bases were built by compulsory taking of useful agricultural land (you can't fly off the rough stuff) and after the war almost all of them should have been dug up and returned to farming. The government was and still is not working or planning in our interests.

RAF Burtonwood was only just up the road from me and was I heard the largest American base in Europe. It’s first blow I suppose was the building of the M62 which was built on top of its runway in about 1973 even though it was still a military base and served by the railway until the mid 1980s. The local council have ruined the site which has been a crammed with housing estates and massive warehouses over the last 30+ years.

WW1 and WW2 were never our problem to solve, we should have defended Poland, Portugal and Norway. Let the rest slaughter each other

I say put nissen huts on the bases and put asylum seekers in them until it's determined if they're genuine or just economic migrants on an individual basis. Could add a cinema, gym, community hall, football field and I.T room. Cheaper than putting them in hotels and if it was good enough for our air crews it's good enough for them.

I will never understand how every civilized country allows military bases to fall into disrepair, it would at the least be sold to the area to house low income peoples and families.

I chose to go to college in Yorkshire, partly as I had never been there, to Ripon College (now closed). My grandfather was dead set against me going, and I thought he just wanted me to attend the local college to save me money.
In fact there is a village called Dishforth a few miles from Ripon. I later discovered that there was an RAF base there, and my uncle was a pilot stationed there. Sadly, I never met him, as he was killed on a training mission in 1941. That was why grandad was so upset, but he never let on.
On a happier note, as kids we frequently visited Worcester, 12 miles away. The highlight of the trip for us kids (1960's) was driving through Perdiswell, past a wooden building with what I later discovered was a Meteor jet, decommissioned and left just off the A38 as a memorial. Unfortunately at some stage, the last RAF remnants of what had been RAF Perdiswell were removed, in the 70's, including the plane

My dad was at Ibsey, He showed me around when I was little, and we were on holiday. We didn't see the MOD, keep out sign until later.A treasured memory. I think the control tower has been restored now, not so in the 60's

As a British general said on The Times podcast - the cupboards are bare ! So much for a first rate fighting force ! Most likely 3rd tear behind Turkey and Iran !

Thatcher closed them ALL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I lived at RAF Upper Heyford in the mid 80's. my late husband was stationed there and I worked at the exchange.

My Grandad was in the RAF, but with the RAFR he was based at RAF Cranwell then he was sent to RAF North Witham before he was sent to North Africa. But my Grandad did end the war in 1945, he was still fighting in Palestine on the Gaza strip right up to 1948. But now he is at rest and I'm his eldest Grandson and I've got his war medals plus my great Grandads WW1 medals who was in the Middlesex regiment.

Heaps used for raves late 80s early 90s! 🫥👌

Great video and so pleasing that these places still exist. RIP to the brave lads who lost their lives.

RAF Burtonwood???

That so called French documentary footage at around 4.30 is footage from the 1990s film memphis belle overlaid with a black and white filter. That's a bit disingenuous surely and possibly a copyright issue?. Other than that, an interesting programme.

My father was involved in radar during and after the war. He was RAF Squadron Leader.
A life in the RAF as a child meant moving from here to there every 2 years or so. WY primary school was a Nissan hut at RAF Medmenham

RAF Upper Heyford 1991 until it closed. Many good memories of my time there.

I understood that many RAF stations became "Secret" U.S. Air Bases as payment for the Lend Lease supplies of WW2. That the U.S. rarely gives up inroads in foreign countries, as part of the U.S. footprint for CIA operations if not other military uses.

What happened to the abandoned airfields? Most were turned into housing estates, with the run ways dug up to provide 'free' rubble to build homes, roads etc., with a few air bases having Museums, like Hendon. Some still have the old rifle ranges and air raid shelters in the bushes around the perimeter. I explored many when in the RAF (12 years 1961-1975) years ago.

Very interested to see reference to Bawdsey Manor. My grandfather was engaged as engineer by Sir Cuthbert and he eventually electrified the house. I do not know the exact year my grandfather arrived at Bawdsey, but he completed his contract as you might say and then moved on to Caversham Park, Reading to work for Mr Crawshay in a similar role. I am pretty sue he got to Caversham in about 1898. Power was generated by steam engine and generating set at both estates.

Another place to stick the immigrants at least there they will be able to pick the guns they need in order to wipe out the local population which is what the government are planning

I used to live near RAF Upper Heyford (Brackley) and the F1-11s used to roar overhead and they were incredibly noisy as well. If they were really low they'd shake the building.

Then I became a removals porter and we'd move American service men/women off the site. The PX there was amazing! It had so many unknown restaurants that we could use to eat in.

Upper Heyford is not just used for movies it is a huge car storage place.

..my late Dad served with the US Army Air Force B-17's at Thrapston..near Northampton..where he met my late English mother.. playing the piano in a pub..while her brothers and former boyfriend..
were fighting Rommel in North Africa..in tanks..and I have been back there.. many times since..and my British cousin.. is now the well-known actor.. Marc Warren..

Halfpenny Green Airport, South Staffordshire. Still active and the WW11 hangers are still used

When I was a boy, my friend's parents were from the UK, his mother operated a radar and told us she once spilled a cup of coffee and it shorted.

WW! RAF Gilmerton Edinburgh . Station road . They just knocked down the hanger and are building new homes in its place . I said they had no right in doing so

debden had a balloon station for barage balloons, it was flattened but google maps time line its still there.

I was very impressed by the efforts made at Hethel, it's very respectful to the memory of all those who served. This is particularly so as my own father was in the RAF from 1940-46, although in a very unglamorous role in the regiment. Namely driving a staff car and a balloon winch, with the occasional stint on a twin Lewis gun. I'm still proud of him all the same, it still took the best years of his life he once told me, despite an unsuccessful attempt at volunteering as a tail end Charlie, his dear friend Tom Berry was sadly killed doing it. Any information regarding this man would be most welcome as a photo he had kept in a bureau disappeared years ago when I was a child.

During 1973 I worked for John Laing Civil Engineering and I was assigned to the project planning for building these enormous bombproof aircraft hangers. I always wondered what had happened to this base.

Well produced video and extremely factual. A shame Smeatharpe or Winkleigh wasn't featured. Don't forget the efforts of Devon during our finest hour

I need to get my glasses changed, at first sight I thought this lady had a hairy chest, I looked closer and realised it was the microphone.

Failed. Hollywood wins again

This actress of an introducer put me off the subjest instantly. I'm going to attempt to watch further

If you go to Holland/Netherland there are wind turbines all over the place and there are not too many hills in that country. We went to a local football match and there were three of them in just that small area. I wouldn't like to have to parachute out of a plane in that country!!!

Anyone else been told about a secret base under Cairngorms that is supposed to be huge, allegedly?

very interesting to hear about the Halifax Bomber, many of those serving in the RAF and named on our war memorial flew and died in the Halifax. An interesting video.

Hucknall is used by Rolls Royce to test engines, and Silverstone is now a racetrack.

I went to RAF HORNE nr Gatwick,sadly just fields in 2000s 😢

RAF Burtonwood, in the North West of England,leased to the US 50,000 servicemen,ain supporter of the Berlin Airlift

Every camp I served on during my service is now closed, RAF Swinderby, RAF Thorney Island, RAF St Athan, and RAF Machrihanish, other camps I visited that have closed RAF Nocton Hall ,RAF Waddington ,RAF Lyneham RAF Luca, RAF Manston RAF Tangmere ,RAF Nicosia and RAF Finningley, Only one base still open that I have been to that is RAF Akrotiri.

I live about 5 miles from Hunsdon airfield, from which the attack on the Gestapo HQ at Amiens was launched.

what happend to those people whos land it was before the government stole it from them!! .. an now privatised!

Interesting track with energy for anything that goes fast😎