RAF Chigwell Essex

[ivorjbody]

Anyone out there who was at Chigwell 1950-1952?

[Boblima]

Now I know it says on the ball 'RAF Chigwell' but I used to live in Grange Hill, Chigwell, and I've never heard of RAF Chigwell, however there was a very active RAF Station at Fairlop, about two miles from Chigwell, perhaps Chigwell was a service depot or something ??

Regards

Boblima

[nanny jan]

Hi,

Google came up with this:


http://www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk/council_services/planning/countrycare/sites/roding_valley_meadows_raf_chigwell.asp



Nanny Jan

[Boblima]

Blimey ! Nanny Jan, I never knew, all those fields, and yet thousands would mill around, I am impressed, All the time I lived in the Chigwell area, just goes to show, look around, you just never know, Thanks for enlightening me.

Regarfds,.

 |Boblima

[ivorjbody]

Yes it was Chigwell RAF Station. There was a Gun emplacment outside and I went out with their daughter. There is a Paperback book called not all Airman Fly. They made barrage balloons there. In 1950 when I was stationed there. It was a central trade test board. We had about 750 airman for testing for 7 days a week and of course rations for that period. They went home at the weekend so we had 2 days rations each week for say 700 airman to share between about a couple of hundred permanent staff and the few that stayed, plus our own rations. Eggs, Sausages , Bacon everywhere. Unfortunately this only lasted for about 10 months. Buckhurst Hill being the nearest Station. As you know it is now built on.
ivor

[Douglas P]

This link mentions the book about the base (about 3/4 of the way down),
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/geoff.hamilton1/Chigwell%20Connections.html

Some of the former RAF base is probably now M11 or nature reserve,
www.essexwt.org.uk/visitor_centres__nature_reserves/roding_valley_meadows
www.shepherdpics.com/Exhibitions/Meadows

The base probably covered some of the land that a century ago was being farmed by my ancestors.

[ivorjbody]

Douglas. Very interesting that I may have played football on the land your family used to farm. I am very interested, as my family farmed in Kent and Sussex since the 1700's. This being my great great grandparents.They had a large family ( as they all did then) but the 3 boys represent my cousins once removed on 2 sides and my family. I have found every farm they farmed and Cottages they lived and Mills they had. Have loads of photos old and of course up to date from maps.google.com where they have not been built on. Found every member of the extended family, some of the workers and every servant they had. One side of the family still farms in Sussex.
ivor

[Douglas P]

My grandfather and his brothers were born at Grange Farm. His mother had lived on the opposite side of the river at Bridge Farm. The area has totally changed now, with the motorway, park, playing fields and Debden housing estates. I don't have any old records or photos so I can't be sure how the areas they rented would have related to what is there now. Nevertheless, it appears that the RAF base, motorway and nature reserve would all have overlapped Grange Farm.