(info from wiki)
Thurleigh was built for RAF Bomber Command in 1940 by W & C French Ltd. 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the village of Thurleigh on farmland between the farms of Buryfields, Bletsoe Park, Manor, and Whitwickgreen. It was eventually modified to Air Ministry Class A airfieldspecifications, with three converging runways, extended in 1942 to lengths of 6,000 feet (runway 06-24) and 4,200 feet (runways 18-36 and 12-30) Its first use was by No. 160 Squadron RAF, forming on 16 January 1942 as a ground echelon then deployed to the China-Burma-India Theater at Drigh Road on 4 June 1942.Thurleigh was one of 28 fields listed for use by the U.S. Eighth Air Force on 4 June 1942, tentatively designated station B-4, and was allocated on 10 August 1942. The RAF had found that the initial construction of Thurleigh was inadequate for the combat weight of B-24 bombers. After the departure of the RAF, Thurleigh's runways were lengthened, increased in thickness, and additional hardstands constructed to Class A standards so it could accommodate a USAAF heavy bomber group.Thurleigh was transferred to the United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force on 9 December 1942 and designated Station 111, and used for heavy bomber operations against Nazi Germany.
The airfield was closed in 1997 with the RAE having become the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency(DERA). DERA consolidated its experimental flying operations at Boscombe Down, moving aircraft from Farnborough as well as Bedford.
With the end of military control, the airfield has been divided into two parts. The southern part is now known as Thurleigh Business Park, and includes the runway, which is currently used for the mass storage of new cars and cars from the British government scrappage scheme, although it remains intact for possible future use. The northern part houses the Bedford Autodrome, as well as Thurleigh Museum.
The explore , not knowing much about the site we did the usual walk around for obvious access points we found one to the site of the old military building fairly quickly but decided to do it on the way back as we wanted to see the control tower first eventually we found several ways into the site of the tower keeping low as there were workers in the site opposite after locating a way inside (unfortunately my party couldn't get in so i went alone) i had to wait for the workers to end their break as 3 pf them where chating in view eventually two of them went back inside and the 3rd pulled out his phone, so i used that moment to get in unseen before he looked back up from the screen. Once i had looked round the tower we proceeded to the old buildings to the east of the site out of the way of any prying eyes the buildings are in a pretty bad state of decay and some have been used as animal pens in the past.
Thurleigh was built for RAF Bomber Command in 1940 by W & C French Ltd. 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the village of Thurleigh on farmland between the farms of Buryfields, Bletsoe Park, Manor, and Whitwickgreen. It was eventually modified to Air Ministry Class A airfieldspecifications, with three converging runways, extended in 1942 to lengths of 6,000 feet (runway 06-24) and 4,200 feet (runways 18-36 and 12-30) Its first use was by No. 160 Squadron RAF, forming on 16 January 1942 as a ground echelon then deployed to the China-Burma-India Theater at Drigh Road on 4 June 1942.Thurleigh was one of 28 fields listed for use by the U.S. Eighth Air Force on 4 June 1942, tentatively designated station B-4, and was allocated on 10 August 1942. The RAF had found that the initial construction of Thurleigh was inadequate for the combat weight of B-24 bombers. After the departure of the RAF, Thurleigh's runways were lengthened, increased in thickness, and additional hardstands constructed to Class A standards so it could accommodate a USAAF heavy bomber group.Thurleigh was transferred to the United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force on 9 December 1942 and designated Station 111, and used for heavy bomber operations against Nazi Germany.
The airfield was closed in 1997 with the RAE having become the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency(DERA). DERA consolidated its experimental flying operations at Boscombe Down, moving aircraft from Farnborough as well as Bedford.
With the end of military control, the airfield has been divided into two parts. The southern part is now known as Thurleigh Business Park, and includes the runway, which is currently used for the mass storage of new cars and cars from the British government scrappage scheme, although it remains intact for possible future use. The northern part houses the Bedford Autodrome, as well as Thurleigh Museum.
The explore , not knowing much about the site we did the usual walk around for obvious access points we found one to the site of the old military building fairly quickly but decided to do it on the way back as we wanted to see the control tower first eventually we found several ways into the site of the tower keeping low as there were workers in the site opposite after locating a way inside (unfortunately my party couldn't get in so i went alone) i had to wait for the workers to end their break as 3 pf them where chating in view eventually two of them went back inside and the 3rd pulled out his phone, so i used that moment to get in unseen before he looked back up from the screen. Once i had looked round the tower we proceeded to the old buildings to the east of the site out of the way of any prying eyes the buildings are in a pretty bad state of decay and some have been used as animal pens in the past.
