AAF Station 520: Melton Mowbray

[P Bellamy]

AAF Station 520 Melton Mowbray.
Operated by the USAAF between 1942 and September 1945, but does anyone know where it was?

Apart from being an ordnance depot, the site was also home to a training school known as the Aviation Ordnance School Center.
Established to "train enlisted men and officers of all Air Forces in all types of ammunition", it ran various courses for AAF personnel including a Rocket Grenade Launcher School in late 1944. References to a "Bazooka School" there at around the time are probably the same course.

Units known to have been stationed at AAF 520, thanks to Bernie and Phil on the AAF Forum:

21 June 1943
859th Engineer Aviation Battalion, B Company

14 August 1943
1962nd Ordnance Depot Company (Aviation)

30 September 1943
1515th Quartermaster Truck Battalion (Aviation), 1938th QM Truck Company (Aviation)
1962nd Ordnance Depot Company (Aviation)

14 November 1943
1515th Quartermaster Truck Battalion (Aviation), 1938th QM Truck Company (Aviation)
1962nd Ordnance Depot Company (Aviation)
2085th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)

31 December 1943
364th Engineer General Service Regt, HQ & Service Co, A Detachment
1962nd Ordnance Depot Company (Aviation)
2034th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)
2106th Ordnance Ammunition Battalion, 1916th Ordnance Company, A Detachment

21 February 1944
1961st Ordnance Depot Company (Aviation)
1962nd Ordnance Depot Company (Aviation)
2034th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)
2056th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)

31 March 1944
1514th Quartermaster Truck Battalion (Aviation), HQ & HQ Detachment
1514th Quartermaster Truck Battalion (Aviation), 1946th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)
1720th Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company
1961st Ordnance Depot Company (Aviation) (Part of unit on detached service elsewhere)
1962nd Ordnance Depot Company (Aviation)
2034th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)
2056th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)
2057th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)

30 April 1944
1460th Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company (Aviation)
1514th Quartermaster Truck Battalion (Aviation), HQ & HQ Detachment
1514th Quartermaster Truck Battalion (Aviation) , 1946th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)
1961st Ordnance Depot Company (Aviation) (Part of unit on detached service elsewhere)
1962nd Ordnance Depot Company (Aviation)
2034th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)
2056th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)
2057th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)

31 May 1944
1460th Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company (Aviation)
1578th Quartermaster Battalion (Medium) (Aviation), 2498th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)
2106th Ordnance Ammunition Battalion (Aviation), 1915th Ordnance Ammunition Company (Aviation)

30 June 1944
1460th Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company (Aviation)
1578th Quartermaster Battalion (Medium) (Aviation), 2498th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)
2106th Ordnance Ammunition Battalion (Aviation), 1915th Ord Ammunition Company (Aviation)

31 August 1944
1460th Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company (Aviation)
1915th Ordnance Ammunition Company (Aviation)
2498th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)

31 October 1944
1460th Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company (Aviation)
1921th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)
2218th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation) (Unit transferred from Stn. 583 Sharnbrook during September 44)

25 November 1944
1460th Ordnance Medium Automotive Maintenance Platoon (Unit transferring to Stn. 587 Barnham Warren Wood from 22 October 44)
2218th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)

16 December 1944
2218th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)

2212th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation) (26 January 45 through to about March 45)

2 May 1945
213th Medical Dispensary (Aviation)
1460th Ordnance Medium Automotive Maintenance Platoon (Aviation)
2189th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)
2218th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation)

29 December 1945
No units listed at Station

All the best,
PB

[Carnaby]

I suspect that this is Great Dalby, which was mentioned in several RAF 42 Group TNA documents as a potential new bomb store which was handed over to the USAAF. I seem to remember finding a document showing the railhead, which was HERE (http://wtp2.appspot.com/wheresthepath.htm?lat=52.72241368574568&lon=-0.9121870994567871&gz=17&oz=8&gt=1).

Graham

[PETERTHEEATER]

The location of Great Dalby Ordnance Store has also eluded me. A 'railway' website said this (extract):

The busiest time in the history of Great Dalby Station was in World War Two when American munitions were stored in the nearby woods to the extent of thousands of tons and extra sidings had to be made to accommodate the traffic. When this material was needed for France train loads were sent daily from this otherwise sleepy country station. Today the whole station area is in the possession of a large egg producing firm, the batteries and other buildings cover six and a half acres.

The only 'nearby woods' - avoiding a drive through the village - was here when looking at a contemporary OS map:

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=52.716933&lon=-0.939721&z=14.8&r=0&src=msl

So, this wooded area is a possible location. Anyone fancy a look? Should be some remains if only hut bases.

[Carnaby]

I now suspect that the name is not Great Dalby, but (from my notes):

GADDESBY 129/SK717137 6 m SSW of Melton Mowbray, to the North of the Gaddesby / Gt Dalby Rd

As early as February 1941 the area surrounding Melton had been surveyed for suitable ammunition storage sites, and a wooded areas between Gaddesby and Great Dalby was proposed as being suitable. In fact the site was not used until July 1943 when it was accepted by the 8th Air Force Service Command as temporary munition stores capable of 21,000 tons capacity. The site eventually became a truck storage depot and was handed back to the Ministry of Supply on the 7th May 1946.

The grid reference is consistent with Peter's location.

Graham (wish I was conscientious with my sources in those days)

[PETERTHEEATER]

I have been in contact with the Leicestershire Records Office and had a holding reply; also a local history forum offered me this site:

http://www.old-dalby.com/army.htm

Of interest but not our baby.

I shall update when I get more info. Gaddesby it is then.

I'm pleased your MR agrees with my choice!

[Carnaby]

Strange that Old Dalby is a long way from Great Dalby, and Little Dalby.

The former is HERE (http://wtp2.appspot.com/wheresthepath.htm?lat=52.80757115920545&lon=-0.9859240157734894&gz=16&oz=5&gt=1) (Still having problems with WTP, Peter? That's a pity, but it is here in BING (http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=52.81001259726241~-0.9865687787532806&lvl=16&sty=h&eo=1&w)

Graham

[Carnaby]

Discovered this plan I made a few years ago showing seven subsites, plus the railhead.
http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o102/grahamcrisp/Gaddesby.jpg

Little seems to remain today.

Graham

[PETERTHEEATER]

I too found my old notes which does include 'Gaddesby' but I was not able to record a location; now I can:)

[P Bellamy]

Many thanks chaps.

I managed to find a 6-inch OS sheet in my cabinet that covers the area, showing the camp buildings at Gaddesby clearly.
Sadly, as it's the 1902 edition with partial amendments to 1952, and I don't have the original 1902 sheet to compare, I can't tell which roadways within the woods are additions.

All the best,
PB

[Carnaby]

My map seemed to suggest that Gaddesby Hall itself was requisitioned, and it's mentioned here (http://www.leicesterchronicler.com/johnstone.htm)


Lady Cecilia Johnstone was born in 1913. She was the daughter of Countess Cowley and half-sister of Earl Cowley. In 1944 she was living at Gaddesby Hall, her family home, located about five miles from Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. During the Second World War, the Hall had been seconded to the war effort and was occupied by American troops.31 year old Lady Johnstone and a few hundred American troops - the mind boggles :D.

Hall would be the HQ and probably the Aviation Ordnance School mentioned in post 1.

Graham

[P Bellamy]

I've had a closer look at the camp shown on your plan at Ashby Folville.
It appears to have extended around the Manor House too:

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/ramc181/Ashby2.jpg

From photos taken when the Ashby site was used as a Polish resettlement camp post-war the huts were Laing type, with Nissen communal buildings.

And here's the camp and Hall at Gaddesby:

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k227/ramc181/Ashby1.jpg

(Apologies for the distorted plans. My scanner doesn't work with this new PC so I've had to photograph them.)

Both camps are known to have been used by the Americans, but whether the personnel at Ashby were part of the ordnance depot and school is currently unclear.

All the best,
PB

[P Bellamy]

Units list updated.

All the best,
PB

[P Bellamy]

Unit list updated.

It now shows all available information from individual Unit Diaries and US Army Station Lists for the dates covered.
Many thanks to Phil and Bernie on the AAF Forum for their assistance.

All the best,
PB

[PNK]

You could try www.Old-Maps.co.uk (http://www.Old-Maps.co.uk) and typing in Ashby Folville. There are usually plenty of choices for dates and the scale of 1:2500 is to be recommended for detail.
I haven't looked yet but if you are having problems with the website let us know.