now i know I am sane!

[simonkynaston]

As opposed to my woman thinking the opposite... I am aircraft nut , fly and always loved history..grew up on what was Gravesend airfield and got into the poking around peri tracks , buildings etc when just a lad with imagination running wild.. Staying in Bucks for a couple of weeks and poked around Finmere today and went on net to see more old photos and found you lot...the overlay thing on Finmere was great...I'll pop back.. Seriously though .this feels like a good place to learn from and help preserve these historic sites if only by forum discussion , photos and the like. I look forward to contributing..starting at Gravesend...does anyone remember all the shelters in Chobham woods? I think the new railway must have swept them away...however on the north side of the motorway was a network of tunnels and in the mid 1970s even a derelict shed with steam train still in.. I was told this was the old fuel /ammo dump..can anyone enlighten ?

[Denis]

Hello and welcome to the forum.
I think the site you refer to is the one that could be seen from the A2 near the old Laughing Waters restruant. I am sure this was the part used as accomodation of the ground crews from Gravesend airfield. No doubt other forum members from Kent will be along shortly to clarify!

[REF]

Hi Simon

There is a good thread on Gravesend here that may stir some memories for you - a few of the kent locals will know doubt help you out with info too.
http://www.airfieldinformationexchange.org/community/showthread.php?1773-Gravesend

Welcome to the forum too!!

[PNK]

Welcome to the forum.

My late mother-in-law remembered the airfield during and just after the war. Haven't heard of the tunnels though. That area was near a notorious parking area and wandering about was not to be recommended, at least when I went!

Haven't been there since the early eighties though.

[simonkynaston]

yep..i remember Lauging Waters renamed Inn on the lake now i think... the area i mean is a 100 yards or so onthe same side heading towards Dover. You couldn't see it from the A" then , i think as i remember having to climb over fences... there were some tunnels which were walled up after a few yards and in the A" embankment a sort of shed with a rusting locomotive in it... was this part of the airfield outer area or maybe an old quarry ...

[simonkynaston]

cheers...

[simonkynaston]

Thanks...had a quick look... i can add a few things which may be of interest... there was last time i drove past a bit of the peri track left which you can see from the A2...has a pylon on it and the Riverview estate is behind...looking left as you are in the dip heading Dover before climbing hill to laughing Water.. The woods on left had an Trainer crash in them I was told by an old resident who said you could still see scars on trees...I never found them tho. Think he said it was a Hawker Hart. On the right at top of hill there is a road bridge replacing the old one and before they destroyed the woods , just over it was a small pond and lots of big holes... i was told these were caused by bombs going off in a crashing Beaufighter. just near there is Cobham hall also used for accomodation. At the North end of Thong Lane on the east side is an old house ( i forget the name ) which housed pilots apparently. There were stories of a dump where loads of aircraft were chucked in at Wars end , on northern end east side of Thong lane but i have no idea if this is true. The father of a schoolmate was a bit of an expert on the field...Ray Munday...no idea if he is still alive . He had loads of stuff on the field. I even gave him an old aerial photo which hung in my school ( GSFB ) which I 'borrowed'. Would love th have it back! I guess all the shelters ibn cobham woods are gone now.. I took my kids there in the 90s and they were almost all full of rubbish.. what a shame..

[gary.peach]

The trick is to get others to agree with you about your sanity
Each will have his own definition of sanity; it is unlikely that you will conform to all of them and possible that you will conform to none of them; that's when the men in the white suites turn up. Take heart this is by far the most populated group.

Now another has joined you; G'di All.
I'm "Gary", Gary for short 5' 6" [If I'd read the FAQ I'd knoiw how to put in my picture so that you can all judge for yourself], thankfully brevity will suffice.

[REF]

Welcome Gary!

Remember there is a fine line between sanity and insanity depending on which side of the runway you are stood!

Richard

[Colski MkII]

heh heh ... and if you're standing on a runway, well you could only be sane ;)