Memphis Belle B-17, 1943

RAF Bassingbourn

History of RAF Bassingbourn

Listed building:

Control Tower. 1936, adapted 1943. Built to designs of the Air Ministry’s Directorate of Works and Buildings. Rendered brick with asphalt roof.

Although associated with some of the RAF’s first 1000 bomber raids, Bassingbourn – opened as a medium bomber base in March 1938 – is more widely known through its function from 1942 as the USAAF’s flagship station. The control tower, a 1934 design, was extended in association with the remodelling and extension of the airfield in 1942, prior to the arrival of the 91st Bomber Group in October. Proximity to Cambridge and London facilitated visits by many dignitaries, including Eisenhower and the King and Queen, and the ‘Ragged Irregulars’ were chosen as the subject of Wyler’s celebrated colour film of an American bomber raid, known to millions as the ‘Memphis Belle’. It was also the home of the restored ‘Shoo Shoo Baby,’ now in the Wright Patterson Museum, Dayton, Ohio. One of the 4 ‘C-type’ hangars has been demolished.

The first attack on the airfield was on 5th April 1940 when a solitary plane released ten bombs damaging some buildings. In August 1940 11 men were killed when a single bomb hit a barrack block. In 1941 concrete runways were built.

For the ‘Thousand Bomber Raid’ on Cologne in May 1942, 20 Wellington bombers from Bassingbourn, normally used for training were enrolled. In October 1842 the base was transferred to the 8th USAAF Command and became the base of the B-17 Memphis Belle.

---

LO contacted us in 2026 with information about her father, Squadron Leader Douglas Haig Palmer RNZAF. He trained as a navigator in Canada. After further training in the UK, he was posted to No. 11 OTU at Bassingbourn. He collected photos Steeple Morden; no date is given, but a detailed  look at where he was by examining his logbook, NZ Defence File and personal notebooks indicates he was at RAF Bassingbourn from May to late June 1942.  During this time, he formed a crew and these photos show the known crew members. To my knowledge and research, lots of publicity photos were taken and it’s possible that’s what these were.

Wellington at Methwold June / July 1943. Bruce Davis, Gunner / Bombaimer, Eric Moore, gunner, Doug Palmer, Navigator, Harold Player, Pilot, Ron Stewart, Wireless Operator.

Avro Lancaster at RAF Scampton with Harold, Bruce, Doug, Eric, Bryn Tefler, Flight Engineer, ? and Ron Stewart