Record Details

NHER Number:3063
Type of record:Monument
Name:Attlebridge World War Two Airfield

Summary

A World War Two airfield used by the RAF and the USAAF during the 1940s. Most of the runways and perimeter tracks survive, and a variety of buildings and structures are recorded under individual numbers, see NHER 40729 to 40763. This was called Attlebridge airfield, although no part of it falls within that parish. It was probably named, as was the custom of the time, after the nearest railway station. Some of the runways are currently occupied by battery chicken sheds.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TG 099 145
Map Sheet:TG01SE
Parish:EAST TUDDENHAM, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK
HOCKERING, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK
HONINGHAM, BROADLAND, NORFOLK
WESTON LONGVILLE, BROADLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

Umbrella number for airfield.
See NHER 40729 to 40763 for individual structures.
J. Allen (NLA), 7 September 2004.

Airfield. World War Two.
Runways remain but are mostly covered by battery chicken houses. Some buildings remain.
E. Rose (NAU) 13 July 1977.

Known as Attlebridge Airfield. 1941 to 1946, both RAF and USAAF, latterly as bomb dump.
E. Rose (NAU)

World War Two anti aircraft artillery.
See file.
D. Gurney (NLA), 28 January 1997.

April 2003.
Area of site extended to include associated sites.
See (S1) in file and also associated site NHER 38190.
D. Gurney (NLA), 15 April 2003.

September 2007. Norfolk NMP.
Structural elements of the Attlebridge Airfield site are visible on aerial photographs, such as (S3), consulted during the NMP mapping of the area to the immediate southwest of the airfield for the ALSF project (ENF118570). As the main area of the site falls outside of the ALSF project area no additions to the site were made as it would be preferable for the site to be dealt with as a whole as the methodology for mapping and recording will potentially differ from project to project.
S. Massey (NMP), 12 September 2007.

Attlebridge airfield opened in July 1941 as a satellite of the Bomber Command station at Swanton Morley.
See (S4) for further information.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 13 January 2010.

The central grid reference for this site has been altered from TG 101 145 to TG 1007 1479.

April 2010. Norfolk NMP.
The World War Two RAF and USAAF airfield at Attlebridge is visible on aerial photographs (S3, S5-S9). The site is centred on TG 1007 1479 and has been extended to include additional defences and structures visible on the aerial photographs. Extensive and detailed mapping of the airfield, undertaken by the RAF in 1944 (S1) and subsequently by the Ordnance Survey, means that there is little benefit in the mapping of the majority of the airfield structures and layout from the aerial photographs. The airfield has also been the subject of considerable buildings survey as part of the Attlebridge Airfield Survey and individual structures and groups of structures surviving above ground have been recorded individually. Consequently very little detailed NMP mapping and recording will be undertaken of the airfield and associated features. The airfield runways, control tower and main hangars have been mapped however to give the NMP site context when viewed without a map background. The extents of significant areas of structures, such as accommodation sites, have also been defined on the NMP map.
The earlier aerial photographs of the airfield taken in 1942 (S2, S5) reveal evidence of early defences, consisting of several areas of trenches, gun emplacements and barbed wire obstruction, most significantly in the area of TG 0972 1487 and in a linear spread to the north of the northern runway. These have not been mapped due to limited time and reference should be made to the photographs (S2, S5) for a detailed understanding of this phase of the airfield development and defences. The layout and organisation of the site in the 1946 aerial photographs (S6-S9) is consistent with the detailed RAF plan of 1944 (S1) and has therefore not been mapped. Not shown on this map are the accommodation areas, consisting of huts, buildings and air raid shelters are visible situated around the southern periphery of the airfield at TG 0906 1440, TG 0939 1442, TG 0930 1402, TG 0964 1391, TG 1005 1381 and TG 1089 1370. An additional area of camouflaged buildings visible within Fir Covert to the west of the airfield accommodation at TG 0856 1446 (S7) have been added to the airfield, although given the position of the site it is possible that they were related to the RAF Hockering Forward Ammunition Depot in Hockering Wood to the immediate west (NHER (38190).
S. Horlock (NMP), 28 April 2010.

January 2011. Listing request turned down.
A request was submitted for the buildings at Attlebridge airfield to be listed, but the appilcation was rejected. It was highlighted that the site was certainly of local significance and should be considered for 'local listing'.
See (S10).
S. Howard (HES), 21 October 2011.

The flagole from the WW2 airfield was relocated to The Old Rectory, Morton on the Hill (NHER 58757).
D. Gurney (HES), 14 March 2013.

Monument Types

  • ANTI AIRCRAFT BATTERY (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
  • BOMB STORE (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
  • MILITARY AIRFIELD (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)

Associated Finds - none

Protected Status

  • SHINE
  • SHINE
  • SHINE

Sources and further reading

---Aerial Photograph: TG0914 A-C.
---Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1996. TG 1115C.
---Photograph: Kent, P.. 1994. KHF 22 - 23.
---Illustration: 466 Bomb Group. Attlebridge Sta 120.
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Unpublished Document: Staveley, J.. 2010. Report on the Airfield at Weston Longville..
---Unpublished Document: Tague, P.. 2011. English Heritage Listed Building and conservations area consent report for Attlebridge Airfield, Weston Longville, Norfolk.. January.
---Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2011. The night Glenn Miller made an airbase swing. 24 December.
---Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2012. Grandfather inspires couple's Norfolk trip. 28 March.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Designation: Norfolk District Councils. [Various]. Application for Listed Building Consent. Consent. NHER3063.
<S1>Map: RAF/Air Ministry. 1944. Attlebridge Record Site Plan. Site No. 1 [Airfield Site].
<S2>Serial: Dobinson, C.S.. 1996. Twentieth Century Fortifications in England.. Vol I.4, p 616. p 616.
<S3>Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1942. RAF/88/Q/D/ 7-9 24-MAR-42 (NMR).
<S4>Monograph: McKenzie, R.. 2004. Ghost Fields of Norfolk. pp 5-8.
<S5>Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1942. RAF 88/Q/D 14-15 24-MAR-1942 (NMR).
<S6>Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946. RAF 3G/TUD/UK51 5190-2 31-JAN-1946 (NMR).
<S7>Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946. RAF 106G/UK/1428 3052-4 16-APR-1946 (NMR).
<S8>Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946. RAF 106G/UK/1428 4030-1 16-APR-1946 (NMR).
<S9>Vertical Aerial Photograph: 1946. RAF 106G/UK/1636 4176-8 09-JUL-1946 (NMR).
<S10>Correspondence: Calladine, A.. 2011. Re: Attlebridge Airfield, Weston Longville, Norfolk.. 4 May.

Related records

40763Parent of: Attlebridge Airfield Administrative Site and Pond Farm (Building)
40759Parent of: Base of World War Two building, Attlebridge airfield Site 2 (Monument)
40752Parent of: Site of a World War Two sentry box at 'Attlebridge airfield' (Monument)
40753Parent of: Site of the Officers' Quarters at Attlebridge airfield (Monument)
44113Parent of: Site of World War Two building, Attlebridge airfield (Monument)
40760Parent of: Site of World War Two sentry box at 'Attlebridge airfield' (Monument)
40735Parent of: World War Two air raid shelter (Monument)
40755Parent of: World War Two air raid shelter at Attlebridge airfield (Monument)
40756Parent of: World War Two air raid shelter at 'Attlebridge airfield' (Monument)
40754Parent of: World War Two air raid shelter at Attlebridge Airfield (Monument)
40748Parent of: World War Two air raid shelter at 'Attlebridge Airfield' (Monument)
40749Parent of: World War Two air raid shelter at 'Attlebridge Airfield' (Monument)
40750Parent of: World War Two air raid shelter at 'Attlebridge Airfield' (Monument)
41298Parent of: World War two air raid shelter, Attlebridge airfield Site 1 (Monument)
41299Parent of: World War Two air raid shelter, Attlebridge airfield Site 1 (Monument)
40742Parent of: World War Two air raid shelter, Attlebridge airfield Site 2 (Monument)
40743Parent of: World War Two air raid shelter, Attlebridge airfield, Site 2 (Monument)
40744Parent of: World War Two air raid shelter, Attlebridge airfield, Site 2 (Monument)
40746Parent of: World War Two air raid shelter, Attlebridge airfield, Site 2 (Monument)
40747Parent of: World War Two air raid shelter, Attlebridge airfield, Site 2 (Monument)
40745Parent of: World War Two air raid shelters, Attlebridge airfield, Site 2 (Monument)
40729Parent of: World War Two aircraft anchorage, Attlebridge airfield (Monument)
40733Parent of: World War Two barracks (Monument)
40734Parent of: World War Two barracks (Monument)
40758Parent of: World War Two building at 'Attlebridge airfield' (Monument)
41295Parent of: World War Two building of unknown function, Attlebridge airfield Site 1 (Monument)
44114Parent of: World War Two building, Attlebridge airfield (Monument)
44115Parent of: World War Two buildings, Attlebridge airfield (Monument)
44116Parent of: World War Two buildings, Attlebridge airfield (Monument)
40730Parent of: World War Two control tower, Attlebridge airfield Site 1 (Building)
40736Parent of: World War Two fuel store (Monument)
40757Parent of: World War Two fuel store at Attlebridge airfield (Monument)
40751Parent of: World War Two fuel store at Attlebridge Airfield (Monument)
40737Parent of: World War Two generator house (Monument)
41302Parent of: World War Two generator house, Attlebridge airfield Site 1 (Building)
41300Parent of: World War Two generator house, Attlebridge airfield Site 1 (Monument)
40761Parent of: World War Two hangar, Attlebridge airfield Site 1 (Building)
41301Parent of: World War Two hut or sentry post, Attlebridge airfield Site 1 (Building)
40741Parent of: World War Two loading ramp, Attlebridge airfield (Monument)
40738Parent of: World War Two officers quarters (Monument)
41968Parent of: World War Two pump house, Attlebridge Airfield (Building)
40732Parent of: World War Two road blocks, Attlebridge Airfield (Monument)
40739Parent of: World War Two sewage works at 'Attlebridge Airfield' (Monument)
40762Parent of: World War Two shooting butts, Attlebridge airfield, Site 1 (Monument)
41342Parent of: World War Two structure at 'Attlebridge Airfield' (Monument)
41343Parent of: World War Two structure at 'Attlebridge Airfield' (Monument)
41296Parent of: World War Two structure, Attlebridge airfield Site 1 (Monument)
41297Parent of: World War Two structure, Attlebridge airfield Site 1 (Monument)
40731Parent of: World War Two underground battle headquarters, Attlebridge airfield Site 1 (Monument)
57236Part of: Possible site of World War Two prisoner of war camp (Monument)
57235Part of: Possible site of World War Two rubbish dump (Monument)
57233Part of: Site of World War Two road blocks (Monument)

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