Snetterton Heath

[29navy]

Greetings All. Does anyone have a wartime photo of the control tower at Snetterton? Preferrably the way she looked up to May 1944.

Thanks

Charlie

[Shadow1]

While at Snetterton for a car event today I literally almost fell over an in-situ light fitting on the access track at the North Eastern part of the circuit which goes behind the bank at the "Bomb Hole" corner. I assume it was an edge light for a taxi-way to one of the dispersals ?

Snetterton-Light Fitting.jpg

[P Bellamy]

Oooh!

That's a (Drem MkII) C6 flarepath/runway edge light fitting, nice find.

All the best,
PB

[Carnaby]

..and I wonder where it came from?

[P Bellamy]

If it's near the Bomb Hole Corner WCs then it's likely on part of the surviving E-W runway surface that's outside the current track.

[Shadow1]

Many thanks for the comments identifying the light fitting. The red X on the aerial photo below shows the position of the light, I think, with reasonable accuracy.

Snetterton-Aerial.jpg

I would go with BP's suggestion it relates to the East / West runway and I think it is facing in the direction of the 27 approach. I'm sure there was the concrete part of another fitting close by too but without the metal part. I may be at Snetterton again at the weekend and if so will try to take another look. There also looked to be some old drain covers still in situ in the same area.

[Carnaby]

Snetterton was down as 'Contact Lighting Required'. However there is very little of the old main runway left, apart from the vestige in the SW corner, and where it crosses the race track. It would be very nice to confirm something.

[Shadow1]

OK - I was back at Snetterton for a classic car race meeting today and between races managed a bit more of a nose about around various publically accessible parts of the circuit.

First off I can confirm the complete Drem Light fitting I came across last week is definitely aligned with the edge of what was runway 27. It would have been on the Northern edge of the runway towards the 27 end. It is located very close to the toilet block at the Bomb Hole corner of the motor racing circuit. (As others have said the name of the corner has nothing what so ever to do with WW2 bombing) Here are two more shots of the fitting - the first one showing the proximity to the remaining old concrete that was part of the runway.

27-NorthEdge.jpg 27-NorthEdge-CloseUp.jpg

A short distance away but quite definitely at the edge of the old 18 / 00 runway is the remains of the concrete part of another edge lighting fixture. This one would have been on the Eastern edge of the runway slightly the 18 side of half way along the runway.

18-EastEdge.jpg 18-EastEdge-CloseUp.jpg

In the main car parking area inside the circuit is another light fitting base that would have been on the Western edge of the North / South runway towards the 00 end.

00-WestEdge.jpg 00-WestEdge-CloseUp.jpg

Near the entrance to the circuit I also spotted a group of what I think are light fitting bases. These are associated (aligned) with runway 18 / 00 and may have been at its Western edge or just might have been on the runway (center line ??). They don't look quite the same as the remains of the other fittings to me but I'm no expert.

18-WestEdge-Group.jpg 18-WestEdge-CloseUp.jpg

There are also a number of old drain covers at the edges of the old 18 / 00 runway.

00-WestEdge-Drain.jpg

Finally just outside the main entrance to the circuit on what I think was part of the original 18 / 00 concrete I came across the numbers 97 5 (or possibly 27 5) which had been scratched into the concrete when it was still wet. I'm not 100% sure these marks are WW2 vintage but they looked like they might be.

18-Numbers.jpg

[stevie]

I'm posting these photos on behalf of Bomber that he took at Snetterton on a recent visit to the airfield -

[stevie]

Following on from Bomber's pics above here's a few i took from the same visit. The security guard kindly gave us access onto the main race track site where we found several remains of hardstandings and a couple of hut bases -



















...and what a fantastic memorial!

Cheers
Steve