RAF Bottisham 1944

RAF Bottisham

History of RAF Bottisham

In July 1941 the newly complete airfield was handed over to Army Cooperation Command. Westland Lysanders of 241 Squadron were flown in followed by 168 Squadron with Tomahawks and Mustangs. In 1943 the American 8th Airforce took over the base. Initially using p-47D Thunderbolts, these were later replaced with P-51 Mustangs.

RAF Bottisham

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22 July 1946

Bottisham airfield to become a training centre for builders – 46 07 22 — Mike Petty, Bottisham Scrapbook 1897 to 1990.

6 August 1947

Only in cases of “exceptional hardship” can private householders hope to employ in domestic service the displaced persons now coming into the area to help relieve the labour shortage in certain industries. Since the beginning of June some 1,400 of these displaced persons have arrived from Germany at a West Wratting holding camp. Their nationalities are Latvian, Lithuanian, Estonian and Ukranian. Ages range from 25 to 40. The jobs woman can take include laundry work, domestic service in hospitals and hostels, and agriculture, and these are the sort of jobs they have taken in this region. Men, too have gone into agriculture. I understand that another camp accommodating about the same number will shortly be opened in Bottisham — Mike Petty, Bottisham Scrapbook 1897 to 1990.

30 August 1947

An assurance that he would try and bring their families over to England as soon as possible was given to the displaced persons at West Wratting Eastern Volunteer Workers’ Camp by Mr George Isaacs, the Minister of Labour, when he visited the camp and inspected it. He had lunch with about 250 of the E.V.W.s in one of their two dining rooms. The meal, the normal one served at the camp, consisted of soup, cold beef, salad and potatoes, baked apple and custard and, finally, coffee. After Mr Isaacs had visited all sections of the camp, which houses some 900 volunteer workers awaiting employment, he went on to the former Bottisham airfield where final preparations were being made for opening another camp the following day when the first intake of 270 was to arrive — Mike Petty, Bottisham Scrapbook 1897 to 1990.

19 November 1947

Treasures from European homes guarded during the war years together with many articles made in camps for displaced persons, all of great artistic beauty, were on view at the European Voluntary Workers’ Hostel at Bottisham and the Latvian group presented a concert to celebrate their national day of independence. This hostel is a reception area for voluntary workers in this country, who stay there about ten days while they are equipped with ration books, identity cards, etc, taught a little English and generally “put on their feet” — Mike Petty, Bottisham Scrapbook 1897 to 1990.

19 March 1948

Concern as to whether men at the European Voluntary Workers camp, Bottisham, were getting their correct ration of food was expressed by the Chairman of the Bottisham magistrates when three of them appeared before the courts on charges involving bread units. The proceedings took one-and-a-half hours due to the fact that two of the men spoke German and the other Juoslavian. Each case therefore had to be dealt with separately. It was said that there has been almost a trade amongst the Displaced Persons with regard to bread. . They have been going into Cambridge very frequently and been obtaining the bread at the shops there and taking it back to the camp where they sell it at the rate of from 2s.6d to 3s. a lb. — Mike Petty, Bottisham Scrapbook 1897 to 1990.

25 September 1964

Cambridgeshire’s 19 wartime airfields are falling into disuse or being reclaimed as farm land. Weed-choked runways, derelict barracks and tumbledown conning towers are all that is left. At Duxford the concrete baffles have been demolished and its runways are disappearing with the rubble being used for housing and road building. Waterbeach had a succession of Vikings and Vampires aircraft but now it is mainly trainers that take off. At Bottisham many of the buildings are used for storing grain. But Mepal, which recently had a Thor missile base, is now in the hands of the Americans – 64 09 25c — Mike Petty, Bottisham Scrapbook 1897 to 1990.

8 June 1987

Bottisham commemorate 361st fighter group – 87 06 08b — Mike Petty, Bottisham Scrapbook 1897 to 1990.