Hibaldstow

[PETERTHEEATER]

Hello Posters,

I need the location of the WW2 Bomb Store at Hibaldstow.

Compass direction or bearing as related to Rwy head or NGR would be helpful.

Peter H

Sorry, this ended up in the incorrect topic. Mods please move.

[Hawkeye001]

Hello Peter,

I think you will find the domb dump or what was at the south end of the airfield in what is now a little wood area. I found it on google earth by the way.


Regards,

Hawkeye001

[Stevo]

Hi

Anyone noticed the word GARLIC?! spelt out on the runway in Google Earth?

Its the south end of the NW/SE rwy.

Stevo

[PETERTHEEATER]

Hello Peter,

I think you will find the domb dump or what was at the south end of the airfield in what is now a little wood area. I found it on google earth by the way.


Regards,

Hawkeye001

Thanks Hawkeye001,

I figured the wooded area in the south to be a likely location for the bomb store but I could not see any identifiable remains.

What can you see in GE that I cannot?

Often, selecting 'Roads' in the 'Layers' menu indicates the outline of roads hidden in woods or even roads that have since been demolished. I assume that these outlines are derived from Google Maps which probably are older than the satellite imagery.

Usually I would be able to spot the outline of the HE Bomb Stores or the remains of Fuzing Points but in the case of Hibaldstow I cannot see anything except what is probably the remains of an aircraft hardstanding in the wood.

Peter H

[PETERTHEEATER]

Hi

Anyone noticed the word GARLIC?! spelt out on the runway in Google Earth?

Its the south end of the NW/SE rwy.

Stevo

Yes Stevo,

I spotted that too. Beats your bloody crop circles!

Peter H

[Hawkeye001]

Thats what i thought when looking at the roads which bought me to that conclusion as on others that i have looked at it seemed to always be the thing to put the stores in woods that were close to the airfield.

Regards,


Hawkeye001

[CDP]

Peter and Hawkeye - the wooded areas to the south are the dispersed sites. See here: http://airfieldarchaeology.fotopic.net/c924169_1.html

They can be found at (roughly):

SK 982 999
SK 987 999
SK 996 000
SK 002 003
SK 984 001 (sewage works)
SK 980 997

I'm willing to stand being corrected on these locations but NJR and self uncovered not very much at all at these sites. There's not much to see - mainly hut bases, blast shelters (VERY overgrown) and a few trashed Stantons. As usual, there's a lot of door-knocking involved to gain access if it's not secured prior to a visit.

Hibaldstow, as many will know, is now the home to Target SkySports parachuting club and school.

NorwichPaul might have something to say about this but as a very general rule of thumb, the bomb stores are usually (but not always!) on the opposing side of the airfield to the technical and dispersed sites on airfields built during wartime.

If you look on OS maps and can find the tell-tale 'loop' of road through a bomb dump and you don't have a site plan, you can usually begin to make an educated guess as to the location of the dispersed sites. Look for small parcels of woodland and it's normally a winner.

Chris

[Carnaby]

Just wondered if anyone has access to a plan of this station. My feeling is that as the site was never developed for Bomber Command, (e.g. only 12 hardstandings, a single Bellman, and 12 Blisters), it probably had only a very small explosives area.

May be wrong however !

[PETERTHEEATER]

Thanks CDP. I thought from your previous post that you had positively ID'd the BS site.

I agree that the most likely location is the wooded area but, in the absence of a Record Site Plan I am unsure.

Peter H

[PETERTHEEATER]

Just wondered if anyone has access to a plan of this station. My feeling is that as the site was never developed for Bomber Command, (e.g. only 12 hardstandings, a single Bellman, and 12 Blisters), it probably had only a very small explosives area.

May be wrong however !

I agree with your supposition Graham but just wanted to be sure.

Peter H