Project News as of July 2010

Open Days

The schedule of open days has proceeded apace, with many interesting visitors. The photograph on the right shows some of our studious guests on the 30th of May. The gentleman in the foreground, Mr. John Massingham, an ex-boy entrant, was stationed at RAF West Raynham in the period 1964-5. He lived in a married quarter at Bircham Newton, and remembered the Kestrel jump jets operating from the airfield at that time. The Tripartite Evaluation Squadron, based at West Raynham, used Bircham Newton as a remote location to test various landing surfaces, tactics and logistical procedures.

The photograph on the left is of Mr. Ken Smith, from Leicester, who visited us on the 25th of July. Ken worked in the Motor Transport Repair and Inspection Section and was stationed here in 1948, when flying was coming to an end, and the station was being transferred from Transport Command to Technical Training Command. He remembered the Berlin Airlift, which seemed to trigger the beginning of the Cold War. Although Bircham Newton was not directly involved in this crisis, Ken remembered that many airmen were posted to Germany at very short notice, overnight in some cases.

Come along and share your stories. There are two more opportunities to visit us this year, during the final sundays of August and September. As usual, we will be open from 11am until 5pm.

To help us display our growing collection of RAF memorabilia, the King George VI School at Great Bircham has generously donated a large wooden display cabinet to the Heritage Room. This cabinet comes with some provenance, as it was donated to the School by the Royal Family many years ago. The School had close ties with the former RAF station, educating many of the children of serving personnel. We also have a second seat adjacent to the Bircham Newton memorial. This was donated by Mr. David Dunkerley in memory of his late father, Wing Commander Claude Dunkerley, a WW2 pilot who served at Bircham Newton with No. 206 Squadron. The seat was created and installed by Mr. Teucer Wilson, the stonemason responsible for creating the main memorial.

Administrative Apprentices

From 1959 until the end of 1962 Bircham Newton was the home of the RAF Administrative Apprentices' Training School, which relocated from RAF Hereford. The 32nd to 46th entries of apprentices did part or all of their training at Bircham Newton.Thanks to the efforts of the RAF Administrative Apprentices' Association, and the generosity of several ex-apprentices, we now have a complete display of entry shields and other apprentice memorabilia.

Many ex-apprentices make one or more pilgrimages back to Bircham Newton. The photograph on the left shows Bob Slater (centre) and other former members of the 43rd Entry posing in front of the RAF Bircham Newton memorial during their visit on Sunday,11th of July. The second photograph shows some of these same visitors examining records in the Heritage Room. The 43rd Entry graduated from Bircham Newton on the 18th of December 1962, the day that the RAF station closed down, participating in the closing ceremony. Following this final graduation parade, and a beating retreat ceremony, the Administrative Apprentices Training School relocated back to RAF Hereford.

A large party of former apprentices from the the 39th, 40th and 41st entries will visit on the 14th of September, as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations; former apprentices from the 42nd, 43rd and 44th entries are also planning a similar event for July 2011.

Project Talks

As part of our ongoing effort to promote the unique history of RAF Bircham Newton and its satellite airfields, several illustrated talks have been given in local village halls and to clubs and other interested parties around East Anglia. If you would like the project staff to give an illustrated talk to your club or association, in return for a small project donation, please contact us.