Memories of serving at Langham
We're building an online archive of the memories of those who either served at or were connected with Langham Airfield. Please get in touch if you or your family have any memories you'd like to share....
Ian Jessiman's Memories of National Service at Langham 1950-51
Ian was called up for National Service at the end of 1949 and remembers spending a miserable Christmas at Oswestry, the Royal Artillery basic training camp, before being posted to 43rd LAA/Searchlight Regiment RA which was based at Langham.
Langham base was a remote posting for a young man - with just a weekly Langham to Norwich bus service, and generally a truck laid on to take the lads to the 'bright lights' of Norwich at the week end.
Describing the base, Ian remembers sleeping in a wooden hut next to the Medical Reception Station, which was in the old House on the main cross roads in the village. Also on the cross roads where the Church and, set back a bit, the post office. Most of the camp was wooden huts and Ian's troop (or some of it) was in a wooden hut behind the Church.
On the way to the airfield, before the Dome, stood the NAAFI shop and there was a regimental capentry workshop in another hut on the road to Morston. Apart from the Dome, there were two large hangars and a petrol pump on the airfield. There was also the Guard Room, which was on the Binham/Cockthorpe road on the opposite side of the road to the airfield. This was a very heavy concrete building and on Ian's last visit to Langham he remember's being there to see it demolished!
Read the rest of Ian's memories here - including being caught out at the Blakeney Hotel just after the 2/6 meal price limit had been removed!
Marching to the 'Blue Danube'
Dominick arrived in Langham in November of 1950 and one of his first memories of Langham was being told to keep his spare boots on a chair, the reason why became clear next time it rained - the water poured off the gutters and into the rooms. His battery used the dome around once a week. He remembers that the target was projected onto the wall and the gunners had to aim at it and there was some system for telling whether they had hit the target! Click here to read the rest of Dominick's memories, including a march-past to the 'Blue Danube'!
Larry Anderson, who was based in Langham in 1956
This short film features an interview with US Army veteran, Larry Anderson, of the 39th AAA Battalion MET Section who was based at Langham in 1956.
It combines Larry's memories with footage from his visit to his former barracks and the other sites in the area some 55 years on, in October 2011.
Also look out for the special effects of reconstructed RCATs flying over the Weybourne range!