Past and Present air bases nearby

Looking at past and present air bases nearby, RAF Marham is our nearest functioning station. However, anyone familiar with the base will notice a change at the entrance gate. A formidable bull has now been placed on guard, where the tornado originally stood.

The ‘Guardian of the Gate’, a full size aluminium ‘Raging Bull’, has recently been installed. It was purchased by the Warrant Officers and Seniors Mess. The bull was cast by Suffolk-based Home and Garden UK from recycled metal and weighs in at 180 kg.

At night it is lit up with blue lights as a nod to the blue bull which features on Marham’s station crest. The logo was approved in 1957 and featured the blue bull with the word “deter”. The bull was a symbol of deterrence and the blue echoed the name of Blue Danube, the RAF’s first atomic bomb.

RAF Marham has a wealth of history since it first opened in 1916 and is now the home of the F-35 Lightning, a 5th Generation, multi-role, stealth fighter. With over 3600 Service Personnel, civil servants and contractors working at RAF Marham it is not uncommon to have guests staying who have a connection to the base in one way or another.

There again, owing to Norfolk’s wealth of wartime USAAF bases in addition to our RAF bases it is not unusual for our guests to have some interesting connections to or knowledge on other nearby deactivated airfields. Between 1942 and 1945 there would have been, at any given moment in time, some 50,000, or so, serving on the 18 USAAF bases alone within the county of Norfolk.

The bases have for the most parts taken on new lives. These range from homes for airports (Norwich) and flying groups (Seething) to industrial estates (Shipdham and Rackheath, for example).The former Attlebridge airbase housed the well-known Bernard Matthews turkey brand for over 70 years. The site closed in March 2024. Or, when you visit the former Hethel airbase today, you are likely to hear the sound of Lotus cars negotiating the test track on the wartime runway rather than B-24’s of the 389th Bombardment Group. Lotus headquarters have been located at Hethel since 1966.

Additionally there are some great museums and heritage centres to visit keeping the history and memories of past air bases alive. The Norwich Aviation Museum is located on the northern perimeter of today’s Norwich airport, which has grown on the former Horsham St Faiths air base. Here you will find an extensive display of preserved, historic aircraft alongside histories of the USAAF Groups that were based there.

Our nearest former base only a few minutes drive away is USAAF Sculthorpe. This has an interesting Heritage Centre which is well worth a visit. Likewise listed in our events diary this is open of the first Sunday nearly every month.

What’s more it is possible to visit some of the former airbase buildings presently being restored. For example the Control Tower of the former RAF West Raynham base nearby holds open days from time to time. These will be listed in our Events Diary as soon as the dates are released on their Facebook page. Meanwhile further restoration work is currently being carried out to the tower.

Finally to mention that Brisley has a connection, albeit a sad one, with the former RAF West Raynham. A Blenheim V5455/L crashed in a field in the village on Tuesday 9th June 1942 due to an engine failure. All 3 crew were killed whilst attempting their return to base. Every November 11th, Rememberance Day, the 3 dead men are honoured. The memorial built for them in the middle of the village is decorated and villagers gather around.