RAF Goxhill
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RAF Goxhill
A visit to RAF Goxhill in Lincolnshire.
In August 1942 RAF Goxhill became the first airbase to be taken over by the USAAF, with General Eisenhower attending the ceremony. American airmen referred to Goxhill as “Goat hill”.
Goxhill was a fighter base, with P-38 Lightnings, P-51 Mustangs and P-47 Thunderbolts taking off from but not always returning there.
Below; Al at the site of the control tower which was dismantled in 2003 and shipped to the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia where it has been rebuilt brick by brick, see this page and the museum’s home page here
I had no knowledge of this place – I know of several current and former (although recent) USAAF bases around the UK. There must be several places with history and in a bad state of repair I expect you will catalogue them over the next few years 😉
Looks like you had a grand day for it ! I,m sure USAF bases ran into the thousands , not all airfields of course but they worked from many locations !
Such a shame they end up in this condition. I really need to set aside some time to explore some of these great places 😉
Weird how buildings fall apart. Does look like the inset picture you added of the mess hall.
There’s always a mattress.
I really need to pick up my camera and sneak into RAF Croft before the housing developers erase it… if they haven’t already.
Shame.!!
excellent series from your day out, and an interesting read. particularly poignant touch with the memorial and plaque shots at the end of the series, a reminder of what it really is all about. looks a mint sunny day too.
Looks very like the mess doesn’t it (though the mattress is no doubt more recent). Kinda a shame to see them so dilapidated.
great series of photos and write up ian , great work
take care
certainly looks like the mess hall, great to see some of it still standing
Hi Ian, great set of shots. hope you are well
good one mate
Interesting stuff Ian
Very nice mate, love this place. I am the proud owner of a map of the site now; I’ll have to print it and go back to see if I can work out what it was.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/32431958@N07] You’ll have to come and have a look it yourself sometime!
A few of these left around the airfield at Elvington, York, too – great to see the period shot to imagine how they were used.
Good one and interesting info as usual too!
thanks Ian
keeping history alive
in: Traces of War
some great work Ian missed your Images.
brilliant. I will post some of the pictures i took at the victory air show 2012.
if you can help with any info of history that would be great.thanks mate.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/cjpaul] Yeah give me a shout anytime. Good to see you around again.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/stopherjones]
I thought that was at Goxhill when I first looked at it!
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kingfleab]
It is worth a visit – I have some photos of Croft buried somewhere in my stream.
I’m so glad I found you here on Flickr Ian. Always inspiring to see what you have unearthed in your exploits as you have such a knack of bringing these places to life again with your in-depth info and associated then and now images. All too easy for us to forget what went on in these places only a lifetime ago and the sacrifices these unsung brave but ‘ordinary’ or the more apt ‘extra-ordinary’ men and women made so we can live the lives we so freely enjoy 🙂
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/29288836@N00]
What a bloody nice thing to say, thanks Rob! I’m touched.
fantastic place i remember the site when the farmer cut the grass and the windows was in tact not so long ago. i was told the old farmer passed away and the site was sold off in bits by the family and that is when the tower was demolished. it is a shame about the tower, i have some photos of it before it was demolished. I was in contact wiyh a guy that was an aircraft amorer on the aircraft then he went from there to n africa …. he has past away now but was great to get his storys when it was a USAAF airfield
Great work Ian. Of course I’m interested in any P-38 history, sad to hear of the crash.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/peacelovescoobie] I meant to give you a heads up about this, but you found it anyway! [http://www.flickr.com/photos/7425478@N05] Thanks for your comment. It is so good to remember what these guys told us, would be good to hear his stories too. I keep saying it, this is the last chance to see, all this WWII history we have taken for granted all our lives is disappearing, both the tangible remains such as these airbases and also the people who were there are passing on. In my work I am fortunate to meet many older men and women. If they are in their mid 80s or over, I always ask them what they recall, and even younger than that I ask about their memories as children.
Interesting to read your memories of this place too. Al (Highy) has put me on to a lot of photos of the control tower. It is a pity it has gone, more so that I don’t think it is has been reconstructed. Would love to know if it has, be good to add a photo of it here.
I enjoy seeing shots of these old abandoned bases. Some look as though they were in use until quite recently, while some have nearly been reclaimed by nature. We have no such things here in the US.
Hi Ian,
Went past here not long ago – only had a limited amount of time so the only shots I got were of the nearby memorial:-
https://www.flickr.com/photos/davel59/17792514080/in/photolist-t7ghy9-toVoWi-toUC3v-rQV212-rQTsQ2-rbnnPd-rQRWjf-rUCCNR-rSks1L-rfpN5p-rdxsFD-qu3FLr-qsrbo5-qsrUh7-qHv5KB-qcAW6b-qcDAiH-q3t58g-p99rw4-oZosQW-pWaRA2-pWaSfi-pDKefV-oRSNLp-fMfR9u-fLYgq6-fLYftX-fLYfNr-fMg81d-ekrrav-ekxcDU-ekxcAy-ae9iWi-aec6qY-p9mBdA-oFFzGE-oDXB3j-otW6QM-hnGBzi-dFGfWL-9rMbed-9rJcrT-9rMbYw-9fHV6K-98JoGa-98Mnch-98MkJh-98Je9c-86Qr22-7Ry82n
yeah nice memorial that. The blade is from a P38 if memory serves?
It lives! I am proud to say that the Goxhill watch tower is currently being reconstructed at the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach VA. Expected to be finished late spring 2016. This is a quality reconstruction not some cheep mock up. It will be well worth the trip to see it.
Interesting news!
My father was stationed at Goxhill during ww2. He spent almost 3 years there. He was a tech sargent 8th Army Air corp.