Following on from Uphillcursing’s thread on WW1 battlefields, there are also lots of fascinating places to visit in the UK

Let’s start with Cannock Chase (near Birmingham):
Museum of Cannock Chase
German War Graves
Freda’s Grave
Memorial to Katyn Massacre

There’s a lot more to Cannock Chase than following dogs and monkeys 😉

I’m lucky enough to live near both the BBMF and East Kirkby and so get to hear plenty of Merlins, lovely noise. Sadly the Lancaster at Kirkby doesn’t fly but they still start it up and drive it up and down the runway. BBMF have a (the) flying one and various other planes.
The Lanc flew over me at about 200ft last Monday!

I did a little tour of the remaining HAA batteries around Bristol. Quite interesting and slowly disappearing. Some pics here: http://www.darkplaces.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=115361#115361

Alnmouth Battery near me was firs built in the 19th century.

And then there’s the sea defences.

Embleton Beach Pill Box.

Pill Box by Lee Collis, on Flickr

Not one of the WW’s but thought I’d post as I’ve just been up there. They are doing tours this weekend of the decontamination plant at the old US air base up at Greenham Common. Bit geeky but worth a visit.

Fovant Badges are nice

http://www.monkton-farleigh.co.uk/sc_monktonfarleigh1.htm

interresting place to visit.

I found Bletchley Park very interesting, they were some clever people

Couple of German war gravestones on Raasay from WW1. (Bodies later relocated)

todays ride took in a usaaf wwii airfield, (theres loads of them around here) this one still has the main runway, taxiway and dispersal ramps just as they were (if a little worst for wear) in 1944. The bomb dump is there all overgrown with a copse, the blast banks can still be seen within in the wood. I often ride there and Its very eerie , I always get goose bumps when I imagine the B17s thundering around the taxiway weighed down with bombs. Lovely in the spring and early summer when there lots of skylarks about. One of the other local bases though the runways have gone still has it’s defense bunker network still in place with connecting tunnels.

Spern point on the Humber loads of bunkers tunnels,etc

+1 for bletchley park, it’s 100 yards from my front door and very interesting and for geeks it holds the national museum of computing, best visited in the summer during an open day if you fancy a spitty fly past.

duxford is also a must

+1 duxford

mrblobby – Member

Not one of the WW’s but thought I’d post as I’ve just been up there. They are doing tours this weekend of the decontamination plant at the old US air base up at Greenham Common. Bit geeky but worth a visit.

Snap! Thought it was a fascinating insight into cold war mentality and the architecture and engineering of paranoia.

What time were you there? We were there about 2.00pm.

It’s also interesting to walk around Greenham Common – especially where the runways were and to imagine aircraft using them.

Totally OT, but there’s loads more places around there open tomorrow…

Heritage Open Days

+another Duxford

Eakring, maybe ten miles from Sherwood Pines. Where a big chunk of UK’s oil came from when not enough was making it over the Atlantic in the convoys. Was a big secret at the time and not many know about it even now. The American roughnecks brought over to drill and run the wells had to stay in a monastery so the secret wouldn’t get out if they were put up in a local village.

http://www.dukeswoodoilmuseum.co.uk/

Have a trip out to the Montgomery if you dare. 🙂

BOOM.

I’m lucky enough to live near both the BBMF and East Kirkby

You really need to find the things out there to be lucky enough!

Klunk – somewhere near the A1 are you? Sort of near Cottesmore?

http://www.Subbrit.co.uk

and Rhydymyn near cilcain, a secret nerve gas factory in north wales, are worth a visit.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/northeastwales/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8077000/8077550.stm

Countless air fields around here in varying degrees of disrepair. Pretty much all on now strictly no access which is a shame.

For both first and second WW, I can recommend the tank museum at Bovingdon. Off topic, but the recent exhibit on Afghanistan is very moving too.

I work on what was RAF Bircham Newton, built during WW1 and used until the 60s. Amazing history, much of it now being swallowed up by nature. Makes for interesting lunch time walks to see bits most of the staff never see. We also have several ghosts, including in the squash court, somewhere I go at least twice a week to play.
Lots of great pictures and info online about it.

try bawdsey and the secret at shingle street.

My house is built on part of an old runway.
<img src=”http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2513/3897918688_19d8ffdea5.jpg&#8221; width=”500″ height=”375″ alt=”RAF Heathhall”>

Klunk – somewhere near the A1 are you? Sort of near Cottesmore?

a bit further south RAF Deenethorpe.

Pretty much all on now strictly no access which is a shame.

fortunately there are two bridlepaths straddling the field which are never returned to original state after ploughing so I use it as an excuse to ride the taxiways.

Torcross, Southams, South Devon.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torcross

Operation Tiger, biggest loss of American lives during WW2.

EDIT: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Tiger_Memorial

[thinks aloud] in this age of 9/11 memorials to the +/-3000 that died in the terrorist attacks it got me thinking that its so odd that the USA have never made any recognition let alone memorial to their near 1000 servicemen that died during Operation Tiger, and thats from a country that usually won’t leave their dead and wounded behind, mebbe Barak Obama needs owes a visit to the site in Devonium [/thinks aloud]

I’d heard about Operation Tiger but didn’t really know the details…

Truly dreadful and very very sad that very little recognition has been officially made!

+ 2 for Bletchley Park, the Park is at the bottom of my garden and when the open days (and sometimes anytime) we have all the old planes coming over, it really cool to see and hear them.

I think it only a £10 each to get in to, so if it good enough for the Queen then it good enough for us, enjoy.

Loch Ewe still has the old gun battery’s on the cliffs overlooking the entrance to the loch.

And while you’re up there, there is a USAF Librator wreck in the Fairy Lochs. along with 13 crew 🙁

Holy F*** what a mess. I know a reasonable about about WW2 blunders, but I’d never heard of that 🙁

If you wish to read more, now deceased local man Ken Small wrote a book detailing the event, called THE FORGOTTEN DEAD, he is also the guy that salvaged the tank currently standing as a memorial to those who died.

Loads of Atlantic Wall defences in the Channel Islands, Adolf was quite keen on heavily fortifying the islands so there’s bunkers everywhere. Guernsey has the Mirus batteries and an Underground hospital, plus a couple of restored bunkers and gun batteries.

The Occupation Museum gives a good insight into life under Nazi rule.

Klunk – go and have a look at RAF Kings Cliffe some time – you might like it. The control tower isn’t in bad condition, there are a load of ‘mushroom’ defensive positions still intact, the technical site is mostly gone but there is a memorial where Glen Miller and his band played their last ever public performance before he vanished en route to France. The old domestic site can also be seen – esp if you follow this rather lovely ride:

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/6193976

will do TooTall, combine a visit there with a loop of Wakerley, just need to summon up the energy for a 70 miler 🙂

Have a ride along the side of the new fangled guided busway between Cambridge and St Ives. Good selection of pill boxes and a few of the mushroom variety for good measure on what was Oakington airfield