Record Details
| NHER Number: | 12414 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Harling Road or Roudham airfield |
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Summary
The site of an airfield, used in World War One as a base for fighter aircraft attempting to intercept bombing raids by Zeppelin airships. In World War Two it was the base for the US army's 513th Ordnance Company, who maintained heavy armoured vehicles, and it is visible on the aerial photographs in use as a large depot during this period. Much of the area is now waste land with later army buildings and a Cold War lookout post, but one hangar remains.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TL 973 874 |
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| Map Sheet: | TL98NE |
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| Parish: | ROUDHAM, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK |
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Full description
Site of Harling Road or Roudham airfield.
26 July 1978. Visit.
In use 1916 to March 1920, and said to have been used by Dakotas in 1944 after D-Day.
Hangars remain and are used by Roudham Transport.
Photograph of crashed FE2b in (S14) (copy Bolingbroke Collection). Information from Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum via [1].
Much of area now waste land, much covered by modern army buildings, and others in ruins but still later than airfield.
However one large hangar remains in good order to southeast. Corrugated iron with brick corner pillars.
Also an Observer Corps Lookout Post.
E. Rose (NAU), 26 July 1978.
The army buildings, including those to the south of the road west of the hangars, were the wartime quarters of the 513rd US Army Ordnance Corps. Information from [1], see notes in file.
E. Rose (NAU), 7 April 1988.
1993. Hangar still remains. Parish council have asked that it be scheduled or listed.
E. Rose (NLA), 25 March 1993.
October 1946. RAF air photograph shows remains of two circular structures, joined, with another more amorphous structure to south at TL 9735 8772. Thought to be a searchlight battery; information from [1].
B.Cushion (NLA), 11 November 1998.
September 2012. Norfolk NMP.
The former airfield described above is visible on aerial photographs (S1-S12) during World War Two and later, and is clearly in use as a storage depot and camp. Large areas of Nissen huts and structures have been defined as extents of area in the mapping.
On the earliest available photographs (S1), in 1943, it is possible to discern at least two rows of tents at TL 9772 8775. It is possible that the site performed a training function as a number of possible practice or slit trenches are visible centred on TL 9775 8775.
The searchlight battery described above is also clearly visible from 1943-1951 (S1-S10), centred on TL 9737 8771.
A railway siding is visible entering the area is visible on the aerial photographs from 1943 until at least October 1946 (S6), and possibly is still visible on photographs from January 1947 (S7), and this reinforces the interpretation of the site as a depot.
A sewage treatment area for the site is also visible centred at TL 9657 8740. A circular treatment structure is clearly visible along with six rectangular features with triangular ends, which appear to be some form of filtration beds.
The main part of the depot is clearly still in use as an industrial park on recent photographs (S13).
E. Bales (NMP), 11 September 2012.
Monument Types
- MILITARY AIRFIELD (Early 20th Century to 21st Century - 1901 AD to 2100 AD)
- MILITARY AIRFIELD (World War One to World War Two - 1916 AD to 1945 AD)
- AIRCRAFT HANGAR (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
- MILITARY DEPOT (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
- NISSEN HUT (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
- RAILWAY SIDING (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
- SEARCHLIGHT BATTERY (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
- SEWAGE WORKS (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
- TRAINING CAMP (World War Two - 1939 AD to 1945 AD)
- ROYAL OBSERVER CORPS SITE (Cold War - 1945 AD to 1992 AD)
Associated Finds - none
Protected Status - none
Sources and further reading
| --- | Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946. TL 98/TL 9887/B. |
| --- | Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card. |
| --- | Secondary File: Secondary File. |
| <S1> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: USAAF. US 7PH/GP/LOC 66 5032-3 18-OCT-1943 (NMR). |
| <S2> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: USAAF. 1944. US 7PH/GP/LOC 276 5035 18-APR-1944 (NMR). |
| <S3> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. RAF CPE/UK/59 5130-1 05-FEB-1946 (NHER TL9787A, C). |
| <S4> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946. RAF 3G/TUD/UK/59 5247-8 05-FEB-1946 (NMR). |
| <S5> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946. RAF 106G/UK/1707 3163-4 29-AUG-1946 (NMR). |
| <S6> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1946. RAF CPE/UK/1801 3091-2 25-OCT-1946 (NMR). |
| <S7> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1947. RAF CPE/UK/1918 3105-6 09-JAN-1947 (NMR). |
| <S8> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1950. RAF 541/512 4041-2 10-MAY-1950 (NMR). |
| <S9> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1951. RAF 58/649 3145-6 23-APR-1951 (NMR). |
| <S10> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1951. RAF 58/651 3277-8 24-APR-1951 (NMR). |
| <S11> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: RAF. 1970. RAF 58/0475 123-4 05-MAY-1970 (NMR). |
| <S12> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1993. OS/93334 29-30 07-JUN-1993 (NMR). |
| <S13> | Vertical Aerial Photograph: Google Earth. ? - present. Google Earth Orthophotographs. https://earth.google.com/web. 02-JUL-2006 Accessed 02-OCT-2012. |
| <S14> | Photograph: April 1974. Norfolk Fair. |
Related records
| 57432 | Parent of: Possible World War Two spigot mortar emplacement (Monument) |
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