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Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Record Details

NHER Number:	9235
Type of record:	Monument
Name:	Old Buckenham World War Two airfield

Summary

The World War Two airfield was built between 1942 and 1943 for the United States Army Air Force 453 Bombardment Group. Several outlying areas of accommodation are visible on aerial photographs, together with a searchlight battery which has been recorded separately (NHER 54750). In 1945 it was transferred to the RAF and used for storage. It closed in 1960. Little remains except the perimeter track, a few buildings (including a refurbished hangar brought here from Yorkshire) and part of the runway which has been extended to form a private airstrip.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:	TM 073 938
Map Sheet:	TM09SE
Parish:	OLD BUCKENHAM, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

17 November 1976. Visit.
Airfield. 1939 to 1945.
Little remains of this except the perimeter track, much narrowed, parts of dispersal points, and the buildings north of Bunns Bank. Main area has been returned to cultivation.
E. Rose (NAU), 17 November 1976.

Line of removed runways clearly visible from air.

1983.
World War Two hangar brought from Yorkshire and refurbished.
D.A. Edwards (NAU), 25 August 1983.

Built 1942 to 1943 for United States Army Air Force 453 Bombardment Group.
1945 to RAF storage.
Closed 1960.
See (S1).
E. Rose (NLA), 3 March 1993.

Part of runway, altered, in use as private airstrip.
See (S2) in file.
E. Rose (NLA) 2 December 1996.

The dispersal areas that project through the gap in Bunns Bank (the airfield having been aligned to take account of the existing gap) were removed before 2001.
E. Rose (NLA), 25 June 2001.

For further information on the operational history of the airfield and photographs, see (S3).
A. Cattermole (NLA), 13 January 2010.

For details of cropmarks previously recorded as part of this record, see NHER 53770.
A. Cattermole (NLA), 13 January 2010.

May 2012. Norfolk NMP.
The full extent of the airfield has been recorded from the available aerial photographs (S4-S9).
The polygon surrounding the airfield has been extended to the north to include an area of accommodation centred on TM 0832 9546.
Several outlying areas of accommodation and air raid shelters are also visible to the west of the airfield itself on aerial photographs, as far north-west as TM 0584 9441, and as far south-west as TM 0586 9325, together with a searchlight battery which has been recorded separately (NHER 54750). Possible accommodation huts are visible still extant as recently as 1999 at TM 0624 9440 (S10-S11), although the runway itself was already out of use and apparently used for storage as early as February 1946 (S6).
E. Bales (NMP), 29th May 2012.

May 2020. Trial Trenching.
Evaluation of proposed development site at junction of Buckenham Road and Bunn’s Bank Road (TM 0587 9356).
This work revealed modern concrete pad foundations and services that were probably associated with military accommodation units.
See report (S12) and NHER 65430 for further details.
P. Watkins (HES), 3 March 2022.

Monument Types

HANGAR (World War Two to 21st Century - 1939 AD to 2100 AD)
MILITARY AIRFIELD (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
NISSEN HUT (World War Two to 21st Century - 1939 AD to 2100 AD)
AIRFIELD (Cold War to 21st Century - 1945 AD to 2100 AD)

Associated Finds - none

Protected Status

SHINE

Sources and further reading

---	Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1970. OS/70282 162-3 31-JUL-1970 (NMR).
---	Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---	Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2011-2013. [Articles on the promotion and new use of Old Buckenham World War Two airfield].
---	Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1>	Article in Serial: 1973. Airfields of Norfolk and Suffolk. Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum. Vol 7, pp 11-12.
<S2>	Drawing: Various. Various. Architectural plans.
<S3>	Monograph: McKenzie, R.. 2004. Ghost Fields of Norfolk. pp 78-79.
<S4>	Vertical Aerial Photograph: USAAF. 1944. US/7PH/GP/LOC189 5006 02-MAR-1944 (NMR).
<S5>	Vertical Aerial Photograph: USAAF. 1944. US/7PH/GP/LOC264 5051-2 31-MAR-1944 (NMR).
<S6>	Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946. RAF 3G/TUD/UK/59 5007-8 05-FEB-1946 (NMR).
<S7>	Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946. RAF 3G/TUD/UK/101 6209-11 30-MAR-1946 (NMR).
<S8>	Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946. RAF 106G/UK 1634 5382-3 09-JUL-1946 (NMR).
<S9>	Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1947. RAF CPE/UK 1918 3156-7 09-JAN-1947 (NMR).
<S10>	Vertical Aerial Photograph: NMR. 2008. NMR TM 0793/2-8 (NMR 26148/16-19, 27-29) 24-OCT-2008.
<S11>	Vertical Aerial Photograph: Google Earth. ? - present. Google Earth Orthophotographs. https://earth.google.com/web. XX-XX-1999 Accessed 29-MAY-2012.
<S12>	Unpublished Contractor Report: Birks, C. 2020. Land at Wayside, Bunn’s Bank Road, Attleborough, Norfolk. Informative Trial Trenching as part of a Programme of Archaeological Mitigatory Works. Chris Birks Archaeological Services. CB648R.