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Report - - RAF Morpeth - Northumberland - 08/01/08 | Military Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - RAF Morpeth - Northumberland - 08/01/08

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sellers

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Visited RAF Morpeth today. This site is huge but with very little remaining. As well as what I saw there is probably loads of other stuff in the woods but be warned it is shooting season! and there were loads of guns going off in the area. I explored 3 different areas and have tried to identify the remains / structures wherever possible. However I would appreciate if anybody can help me in identifying the rest (or correcting me if I am wrong). Answers on a post card to……..?:D

History of RAF Morpeth

Opened in January 1942 as an Air Gunner School and fulfilled this role until December 1944. The site was home to No.80 (French) Operational Training Unit. Today the site has reverted to agriculture, several of the buildings remain and are used for storage. Parts of the hard standing remain and are used for a weekly car boot sale every Sunday.
The official title of this airfield during WW2 was RAF Morpeth and initially housed No 4 Air Gunnery School (4 AGS). Accommodation was in 10 dispersal sites to the north and east of the airfield near Tranwell village and The Whitehouse Centre (following the war this area became a childrens hospital). The main aircraft used during its early existence for teaching air gunners was the unpopular Blackburn Botha, which was very heavy and under powered, often taking the whole of the runway to get airborne. Following several crashes and collisions, it was eventually replaced with the Avro Anson. Most of the air gunnery practice occurred off shore at Druridge Bay where several of the original war time structures still exist at the National Trust site.

Anyway on with the pics.

Main site next to houses.

Hardstanding Area / Start of Runway?
11-4.jpg

Miskin Blister Hanger
13-2.jpg

12-3.jpg

Front View of Small Bunker
14-2.jpg

Rear View of Small Bunker
15-2.jpg

Main view of Small Bunker
16.jpg

Unidentified Blocks on Structures Surface
17.jpg


Site 2 - Approx 1 mile away from main site

Side view of firing butt
1-13.jpg

Rear view of firing butt
2-12.jpg

Main view of firing butt
3-11.jpg

Unidentified Structure
5-12.jpg

Unidentified Structure with remains of runway infront.
6-11.jpg

Unidentified Structure built into ground
7-10.jpg

Row of unidentified structures adjacent to runway remains
8-7.jpg


Area 3 – Opposite end of woods recently used for car boot sales

Miskin Blister Hanger
10-4.jpg

Remains of runway 23
9-7.jpg
 

IronMaidenFan

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Hi nice photo's but just to correct you.
Photos 4,5,6 are a blast shelter.
Photo 7 shows some tie-downs from after the war which were to hold large balloons to detect nuclear activity/contamination after a Russian PowerStation had an incident.
Photo's 11,12,13,14 are the polices clay pigeon shoot used by the armed response for target practice.
I have the plans for the site from the RAF which show all the buildings.
 

IronMaidenFan

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Thanks for the info and the photo. Do not know how many balloons were there but if I remember correctly it was not run by the army or RAF. Will have a word with the farmer (who can remember it) he is still there now, he was just a kid then..
 

rednax

28DL Member
28DL Member
Update on this
visited today as is pretty close by good walk around the place most things still there sadly didn't get up the water tower ( maybe another day).
but theirs loads of rubble piles dotted about in the woods


anyway here are some photos.
apologies for the quality i only have a compact camera.

Enjoy:)

The hanger from across the field
P1030312.JPG

A blast shelter i think but this one was different to the other two I saw
P1030311.JPG

Another Blast shelter
P1030310.JPG


P1030309.JPG


P1030308.JPG

Pile of rubble with hangar in the background
P1030307.JPG


P1030306.JPG

Inside the hanger
P1030304.JPG


P1030303.JPG

Outside the hanger
P1030298.JPG


P1030296.JPG

Across the air field with back to the hanger
P1030295.JPG

Blast shelter in the woods
P1030292.JPG

Shooting butts in the woods
P1030285.JPG


P1030284.JPG


P1030283.JPG

The water tower a few km away could get up with out a ladder but theirs anti climb paint about 7 ft of the ground so i would recomeng using a ladder to get to the fixed ladders going up witch is about 12 ft of the ground.
P1030314.JPG

do note that the roads around the airfield people go very fast.
definitely recommend checking it out if local tho.
 
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