7 ms·

My family used to farm a chunk of land in Lincolnshire, UK. Many of our farms were on or surrounded by active or decommissioned RAF bases. I learnt to drive on

by robrain 3mo ago

My family used to farm a chunk of land in Lincolnshire, UK. Many of our farms were on or surrounded by active or decommissioned RAF bases. I learnt to drive on the unused tarmac at one of those old bases, RAF Wickenby. As the parent poster mentioned, many of the bases are worth a visit and Wickenby in particular has a memorial to airmen lost in the world wars.

zabzonk 3mo ago
Dunholme Lodge was defunct RAF base near the then active V-bomber base RAF Scampton. It was a favourite place for us RAF kids to explore - the concrete of the torn up runway provided all sorts of caves, and there was a deserted multi-storey control tower, which was quite frightening when the winds were blowing. This would have been the early 1960s - I think it is all farmland or new-build housing now.
- robrain 3mo ago
  That was on a neighbouring farm to one of ours. It’s just a bit of concrete in the middle of their fields now. You possibly got shouted at by my famously grumpy grandad.
  - zabzonk 3mo ago
    In my experience ALL Lincolnshire farmers are grumpy. But we may have escaped as one of us was the local Police Constable's son.
    - robrain 3mo ago
      Didn't see this before. My dad was a happy farmer, but the stereotype holds in general. Weather, markets, governments, voters (bloody Brexit) all attract farmers' ire. And even when it's going well, they're still working harder than 63.5% of the populace. Seems the stereotype might have skipped a generation :)
      - zabzonk 3mo ago
        Well, I don't think farmers had to worry so much about those things back when I was a chid - they seemed to just like shouting. It's not like there was much we could wreck - the last use of Dunholme Lodge (as far as I'm aware) was as a Bloodhound SAM battery, notionally protecting Scampton. Anyway, I enjoyed playing at the place (RAF did not unfortunately leave the odd missile around), and as I said I never encountered your grandpa. :-)

by robrain 3mo ago

zabzonk 3mo ago

Dunholme Lodge was defunct RAF base near the then active V-bomber base RAF Scampton. It was a favourite place for us RAF kids to explore - the concrete of the torn up runway provided all sorts of caves, and there was a deserted multi-storey control tower, which was quite frightening when the winds were blowing. This would have been the early 1960s - I think it is all farmland or new-build housing now.

robrain 3mo ago
That was on a neighbouring farm to one of ours. It’s just a bit of concrete in the middle of their fields now. You possibly got shouted at by my famously grumpy grandad.
- zabzonk 3mo ago
  In my experience ALL Lincolnshire farmers are grumpy. But we may have escaped as one of us was the local Police Constable's son.
  - robrain 3mo ago
    Didn't see this before. My dad was a happy farmer, but the stereotype holds in general. Weather, markets, governments, voters (bloody Brexit) all attract farmers' ire. And even when it's going well, they're still working harder than 63.5% of the populace. Seems the stereotype might have skipped a generation :)
    - zabzonk 3mo ago
      Well, I don't think farmers had to worry so much about those things back when I was a chid - they seemed to just like shouting. It's not like there was much we could wreck - the last use of Dunholme Lodge (as far as I'm aware) was as a Bloodhound SAM battery, notionally protecting Scampton. Anyway, I enjoyed playing at the place (RAF did not unfortunately leave the odd missile around), and as I said I never encountered your grandpa. :-)