Steventon

[Lt Cmdr ( A )]

Can anybody help me with any information on this airfield, location, present use etc.

I was at a Vehicle rally on Sunday, and got chating to a chap who had a former RAF " Green Goddess " Fire Engine on show, fully marked up from when it served in 1977, during the "Firemans Strike ". He was a former RAF Police fficer and had crewed the appliance, with other RAF Police Officers in 1977.

Said the vehicle was built in 1954 and then stored at Steverton/ Steventon Airfiels in Oxfordshire, trandferred to Dunkeswell Airfield and placed in " long term storage " sold off in either 1999 or 2000, he bought then ad has totally refurbished it since.

Cann't find any info on Steverton/Steventon Airfield, that's why the request.

many thanks. Bob. Heywood ( Lt Cmdr ( A ). )

[StuartBr]

I'm not sure of the early history of the Steventon Depot, but it is still very much in existence as the "Steventon Storage Facility"
http://www.mepc.com/miltonpark/Industrial-Units-To-Let/SteventonStorageFacility.aspx
It was a home office storage facility, and was used as a store by the prisons service until quite recently.
An ex-colleague of mine use to drive trucks delivering prison stores from there to all over the country. it was definitely known as a Green Goddess Hideout. Location is 51°37'31.07"N 1°21'6.79"W and it doesn't look like it has changed much.

[Lt Cmdr ( A )]

StuartBr, many thanks for the information concerning Steventon Depot, had a quick look at it on Goole.

Cheers. Bob Heywood.

[NJD]

Hi, I live quite close in Abingdon and can inform you that it was all part of RAF Milton depot in WW2. It did indeed hide many Green Goddesses for a number of years after the war as well as Austin Gypsies, Land Rovers, pumps and all the parafinalia that the Home Office needed to store in the cold war period. I was very friendly with the foreman fitter at Steventon depot and he was very interesting to talk with. I forget now just how many "Goddesses" were housed there but it was quite a few. He did tell me they had several gangs of men that kept the vehicles in tip top order, removing virtually everything and refurbishing it, then reassembling it all culminating in a set 17 mile test run on the roads. then parked up and start on the next one. This went on and on until they got back to the first by which time they would start all over again. They got to know the Goddesses quite well !

[Aeronut]

If you fly over (or use the internet satalite images) Steventon Depot, you can still see that it was connected by rail to the GWR main line at some time with a rail line down each row of buildings. IIRC the points were removed following a derailment of a passenger train.

[spuduka]

I always though the Steventon depot belonged to the army like Milton did, not only that I remember driving past the place an seeing the green Goddesses parked outside the units they were kept in which was near the perimeter fence.

[StuartBr]

Old maps clearly shows the rail sidings present in 1960, no evidence is shown on the 1974 map.

[NJD]

Here is a picture a "Red" Goddess at Steventon. Notice the Romney Huts in the background, of which there were many on site. The photo is from the excellent book called "The Green Machine" by Barry Hollis & John Thompson. It's all about vehicles of the Auxiliary Fire Service and Mobile Fire Columns.
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[NJD]

I just looked at Google Earth and counted 91 Romney huts at Steventon. Plus a number of other large storage sheds. When I can find them I've got some photos we took inside Steventon when we took several WW2 vehicles in there for a photo session.

[PNK]

Just 1.3 miles north was Marcham bombing range. Someone was bound to ask :)

[NJD]

I still can't find the photos that were taken inside Steventon depot several years ago but as editor of a small group magazine at the time I put these three in the mag. Obviously not as clear as originals these should give you some idea of the interior of the depot. The most interesting building was the canteen, so that's where these pictures were taken. Number one shows the canteen, number two a closer look at part and number three the lineup of vehicles we took along. The lineup consists of a Ford GPW Jeep, an 8 cwt Canadian Ford F8, a Hillman "Tilly", a soft cab GMC 6x6 and a hard cab (early) GMC 6x6 and a BSA M20 motorcycle, for those that are interested. (Sorry they don't have wings)!
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