the coast between the Deben and the Ore

dylanwinter

dylanwinter

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Buckingham
www.keepturningleft.co.uk
Looking at google earth there are a couple of odd places

the first building is Bawdsey manor house where they housed the scientists working on the early radar

then there is what was presumably the staff accommodation and stables for the manor - and the gardens in front

then after that it gets really interesting

there are some bizarre shapes - like the branches on a chunky tree

one has a helicopter landing H on it

and all around there are what look like fresh bomb craters

does anybody know anything about these places - what were they designed for

D
 
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Dylan

I never served at Bawdsey, just visited occasionally. When radar work ceased the station closed for several years. Whilst it was closed a friend of mine who was the dentist at RAF Wattisham ran the hunting, shooting and fishing rights on the estate. When it reopened it was a Bloodhound missile site. The concrete pads at the end of the "branches" are where the missiles were sited. When you sailed along the coast you could just see the tips of them looking like something from a James Bond movie. I've no idea what the "bomb craters"are - they look recent. The hardened buildings with earthwork blast walls you can see were the missile control facilities. Bloodhounds were incredibly big anti-aircraft missiles with 2 solid stage boosters and were put there to shoot the Russians down before they dropped something nasty on us. Another friend of mine worked there but like many of the staff was quartered in Felixstowe. There were of course some staff permanently on duty but in the event of an alarm or practice alarm all staff had to report in asp. That meant them driving up to Woodbridge and back down to Bawdsey - at least 30 minutes. My friend always reckoned he was the first to report in by getting on his moped down to Felixstowe Ferry pushing his little dinghy into the Deben and rowing across. Ever since he told me that I've had this vision of the defence of UK depending on one man in a rowing boat going for all he was worth against the ebb tide.

The manor house was a combined officers and sergeants mess with a lovely leather panelled bar that had a big brass telescope in a turret on the south eastern corner from where you could see for miles.

Bawdsey closed again as an RAF station several years ago. To get a full history you need to find someone who actually served there.

Keep the videos coming. Ive just got back from keep turning right. Took about 9 weeks but I can see the attraction in doing it slowly and going up every little creek.
 
PeterR said:
Dylan

My friend always reckoned he was the first to report in by getting on his moped down to Felixstowe Ferry pushing his little dinghy into the Deben and rowing across. Ever since he told me that I've had this vision of the defence of UK depending on one man in a rowing boat going for all he was worth against the ebb tide.
Click to expand...



Don't give 'em your name Pike!
 
A friend who was there as an officer when the RAF were in full force reckoned the initiation ceremony for the WAAFs was to ink their feet and turn them upside down so they stamped their foot prints on the ceiling of the mess.

He was most upset that the school painted over the foot prints many years later.
 
good story

davidwf said:
A friend who was there as an officer when the RAF were in full force reckoned the initiation ceremony for the WAAFs was to ink their feet and turn them upside down so they stamped their foot prints on the ceiling of the mess.

He was most upset that the school painted over the foot prints many years later.
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don't care if its true

anyone know anything more about the school

D
 
The whole site is a kind airport for aliens and has been for years. The radar stuff was a part of a technology transfer deal between aliens and HMG for the lease. If you stray on to the site the blond blue eyed children will suck out your brain and render you unable to pronounce dipthongs convincingly, a process known as Suffolkation
 
shmoo said:
The whole site is a kind airport for aliens and has been for years. The radar stuff was a part of a technology transfer deal between aliens and HMG for the lease. If you stray on to the site the blond blue eyed children will suck out your brain and render you unable to pronounce dipthongs convincingly, a process known as Suffolkation
Click to expand...

:D:D:D:D
 
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