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Woodbridge, Manston and Carnaby, all built to assist returning RAF & USAF aircraft from raids across Europe. I believe all installed with FIDO, with runways so wide they could carry on operations even if there was an accident. History worth remembering.
Although out of print, try getting hold of a copy of "Airfield's of The Eight" by Roger Freeman. I had a signed copy, lent to someone never got it back.
I was stationed at Bentwaters/Woodbridge for about a year and a half. I think I still have an old pair of fatigue pants you can have for that museum. They still have holes from the parachute table and soot from the F-4E's J-79 exhaust. I left for Holoman AFB in the summer of 1977.
In the late 80s when I went there for a semester (should have been 4, thanks UE), it was a good bit more decrepit. We weren't allowed in the conservatory because of falling panes. The gatehouse was closed, but a friend and I snuck in. (The stairs leading to the 2nd floor were actually hay bales that had been plastered over and it was indeed unsafe.). And you could access the dinky rail system and move through the walls of the house. (I lead a good few tours to late night revelers.). The place was indeed awesome, weird, mysterious and just a fantastic memory. And what they did t mention was Abraham Lincoln apparently slept there.
I grew up with these as local landmarks and miss them now they've gone. My late Dad spent most of his working life here and we got to witness the demolition of the first few masts on site in July 2004. I got some good shots of them lying on the ground the following day before they were quickly dismantled and removed. They were particularly useful landmarks by night being marked with red lights (a good signal that you were almost home after a long dark train or car journey). One night my Dad once told my Mum to look out the window at them at 9pm so he could make them 'blink' at her by turning them off and on a couple of times. He got them off all right but then for some reason couldn't get them back on! He and a colleague spent a stressful few minutes frantically trying to get them working before anyone important found out! Suffice to say he didn't pull another stunt like that again! 😉
