Lest We Forget.

[Breydon]

I am coming to the end of my second two weeks bashes on the Broads and this evening I passed the pontoon bridge at Martham. When I pass there I always look down the road onto the island and pause for a thought for how many brave souls that passed that way, never to return in the cause of freedom in our country and Europe. Many of them met horrific ends for the cause of freedom.

That piece of track was probably the last piece of England that these brave people saw as they passed by. They were our spies who were put onto little Lysander aircraft and landed in France and other places in Europe. There was an airfield on the island dedicated to the transport of  our spies.

Please spare them a thought as you pass by this bridge. "For your tomorrow we gave our today".

Thanks.

Breydon.

[Wussername]

My word. Thank you Breydon. I hope that others may contribute to this post.

[Breydon]

The information is all there for all to see on the internet, I tend to research things and I thought this was a little known thing to us boaters and they should know.

Anyway, just pause for thought as you pass the bridge.

Thanks.

Breydon.

[ChrisB]

In addition to the annual open day a number of Ranger guided nature walks are available at Heigham Holmes. 

[Breydon]

16 hours ago, ChrisB said:

In addition to the annual open day a number of Ranger guided nature walks are available at Heigham Holmes. 

Does anybody have any dates for the guided tour?  I would be very interested in taking part.

No doubt it is on the internet somewhere.

Thanks.

[Breydon]

Found it!

Here is the website for guided tours of Heigham Holmes:

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/heigham-holmes

I am not sure if the tours will go into the WW2 usage but I may go along on one.

[charlesa]

How interesting Breydon, thank you for this.

I thought I knew a lot about SOE ( my mother was at Tatton Park south of Manchester where they taught the agents and others to Parachute in WW2) but I had never come across Heigham Holmes as a Lysander airfield.

I took her to the site of Tempsford airfield just before she died and it was very atmospheric although very poorly maintained.

 

Best wishes

Charles

[charlesa]

For those interested in the history of the Special Operations Executive during WW2 I came across this extraordinary series of interviews on the IWM website a couple of weeks ago:

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80009337

It is 27 reels of interviews with Anthony ( Tony) Brooks who parachuted into Vichy France aged 20 and became one of the most successful SOE agents of all in France (he survived).

He ended up commanding  various disparate groups of Maquis in the Montaubon area and he and his Maquis were largely responsible for ensuring that the notorious " Das Reich" 2nd SS Panzer Division ( of Oradour sur Glane notoriety) took nearly 3 weeks to reach Normandy following D Day, rather than the planned 3-4 days.

The recordings I am finding quite fascinating although the 27 reels last for a total of 800 minutes, so maybe for the cold winter evenings !!

 

Best wishes

Charles

[grendel]

I have just found the following - whether it refers to the airfield here or not I dont know.

Quote

This area is interesting as well in that it was used as a dummy town and airfields. Towards Somerton a decoy airfield was constructed in the fields around Homes farm, manned by some of the old boys in the area drums full of oily rags were lit to distract the Luftwaffe from trying to bomb Great Yarmouth, Horsey Mere provided a night-time reflective surface that was reminiscent enough of Breydon Water to get the area bombed on several occasions.

there seems to be a lot of different stories about the airfield and its secret nature, I suppose the truth may well be lost to time now as the people who were there pass on, but its still good to remember those who fought for us in all their roles, whether it be the agents who went to France, or just the old boys lighting up drums of rags, all risked their necks to save others.

(of course a dummy airfield might just have been another cover story for the local natives to explain its presence)

[grendel]

more research digs up this - from here:- https://www.aviationmuseum.net/AirfieldDecoys.htm

Quote

Ben recalled that, after several weeks of work, a stock of Boiler Wicks and Fire Baskets had built up so it was decided to deliver them to the sites, the nearest being at Bramerton.  This one and another Starfish at Plumstead, were decoys for Norwich, and were manned by RAF personnel.  Baskets and Wicks were also taken to a number of Royal Navy manned sites in Norfolk and Suffolk including: Burgh St Peter in Norfolk, about three miles west of Lowestoft, where the lorry was unloaded in a farmyard, possibly Hall Farm, Somerton, just west of the dunes and north of Winterton-on-Sea, Norfolk.

 

[Timbo]

Ludham was also an RN air station, HMS Flycatcher. Hickling was also an RN air station in WW1 for flying boats.

[grendel]

more memories of a dummy airfield in that area here - http://www.pillbox-study-group.org.uk/defence-articles/building-winterton-on-seas-defences/

between winterton and Horsey puts this in the area.

[SwanR]

Very interesting article. 

[grendel]

some brave unsung heroes there, attracting the bombers to themselves to protect the people living where the bombers wished to drop their bombs

[charlesa]

I have a feeling that Derek Applegate's ( Horsey estate warden) sister was killed by one of these bombs and that Derek himself lost part of an ear to related shrapnel. I may be wrong here but I seem to remember him telling me this.

[C.Ricko]

does the RAF not still own the staithe?

 

[ChrisB]

Just goes to show. I was told Derek lost his lower ear to a horse bite.

[marshman]

I believe the site of Wheatfen Reserve was another Starfish site too.