Wethersfield RAF Station, England

Click Here for Base Transfer Ceremony Photos

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Wethersfield RAF Station, March 1945
(Royal Ordinance Survey photo)


 

Organizational Map of Wethersfield - 1944

668th Parking
668th and 671st Bomb Squadron Parking areas - Park Wood to upper right - 1944 (F.J. Cachat photo via Andy Fluxe)

669th Parking

669th Bomb Squadron Parking Area and Central Base Facilities - 1944 (F.J. Cachat photo via Andy Fluxe)


670th Parking

670th Bomb Squadron Parking Area - 1944  (F.J. Cachat photo via Andy Fluxe)


1944 tower Tower image 2

Wethersfield tower 1944
(NARA photo left,  F.J. Cachat photo right)

  

Left: Wethersfield RAF station 1979 (Glyn Baker photo) - - - Right: Wethersfield RAF station1990s (Brian Render photo)



Wethersfield RAF station Satellite Photo 2006 (Google Earth)

A-20 Warm-up
Wethersfield - Warmup 27 May 1944

 

Watchful eyes at Wethersfield Tower 1944 (Ralph Conte photo)




A-20 emergency landing at Wethersfield on or after 6 Jun 44,
one main gear and nose gear still up (Bob Kehres photo)

 

668th officers at quarters on Wethersfield
Back Row: left to right: Meredith(P), Ebenstein(P), Peede(P), Cruze(P) 
Front Row: left to right: Bradford(P), McBrien(BN) (Wayne Downing photo)

 

Capt. Reece Evans (left) and unknown Capt. before 668th quarters at Wethersfield

Billy Conn, Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion 
visiting the 416th Bomb Group at Wethersfield on 5 August 1944 (F.J. Cachat photos)
( for a video of the Billy Conn vs. Joe Louis fight click here )

 

High Street, Wethersfield, England prior to WWII

village of Wethersfield

Village of Wethersfield - 8 Apr 44 (F.J. Cachat Photo via Andy Fluxe)

 
Memories of RAF Wethersfield

The base had an Officers Club and an Enlisted Club. They both had a bar and food.  One could spend off

duty time in his respective club.  Once in a while they would have a dance and bring in a group of English

girls to dance with. The nearest town with any night life was Braintree, about ten miles away.  The base would run a couple of

2 and 1/2 ton trucks into Braintree each night around 6 PM. Anyone who was off duty could go. The trucks returned at

10:30 PM.  Braintree had quite a few Pubs.  They all had plenty of English beer (both mild and bitter) and Port and Sherry Wine.

They were rationed to one bottle of Scotch an evening so it went the first hour.  Pubs were open from 6 to 10 PM.

The routine was to have a beer at each Pub until we found one that had some action i.e. friendly natives and or a lively English

Dart game,  Then we would stay a while. Whenever we could wangle a two day pass, we would go to

Braintree and catch a train to London for some big city activities. (Submitted by Wayne E. Downing)