RAF Shinfield Park, Reading

[Resmoroh]

[Mods; if this is in the wrong place then can you transfer (or 'bin') as appropriate]

RAF Shinfield Park was the home of HQ Flying Training Command from 27 May 40. Prior to that it had been the home of HQ Training Command since 15 Jan 40. So the RAF had been 'on site' since 15 Jan 40. I have come across some photos which purport to show it as some sort of medical/rehabilitation Unit. The pix on; http://web.mac.com/andre.francis/RAF_Shinfield_Park/Home.html
do look heavily Army-ish?
Two things;
1 Has anyone any knowledge of military occupancy of Shinfield Park before Training Command pitched up?
2 And much more important, does anyone have any knowledge of what happened to the Flying Training Command Memorial which was on the grass opposite The Lodge (the then Officers Mess).
Rgds
Resmoroh

[airfields man]

I've been going past here on + off for years and have never seen any memorial? Or was it one of those not available for public viewing without prior permission?? I'll be around that area tomorrow as it goes.

[Resmoroh]

Airfields Man,
It was quite a small Memorial. If my memory serves me right it was a metal eagle (wings outstretched) mounted on top of a marble(?) column. The eagle was about 4 feet from wingtip to wingtip and the column was about 10 feet high, and a foot in diameter. It was located on the lawn in front of The Lodge. It could not be viewed from the road. It was not normally available for public viewing. Although the site was inhabited by the Met Office College it was, technically, an MoD site and access was, therefore, quite tightly controlled.
If you look on GE (Timeline) at the image of Shinfield for 31 Dec 2004 you will see where the Memorial was at that time 51.418734 -0.950035. It was at the end of the small 'spur' path off the main path. Subsequent images of the area (after the Developer's site clearers had been to work) show no Memorial. It's either lurking in some store-room or (more likely) it's been trashed - or sold for scrap!
HTH
Resmoroh

[airfields man]

Many thanks for all that information Resmoroh, like you said it's probably lurking in some store-room, hopefully not sold or scrapped. Many years ago we called at a hospital in Lincoln to photograph a plaque to 5 Group, couldn't be found until by chance we asked the right person. It was in a cupboard with other hospital paraphernalia, dusted-off, stuck on a wall with bluetack, photographed then put back in the cupboard. There's gratitude for you !!