Davidstow Moor

[Annek]

Mawganmad pictures are as follows. I have included a number with each one. This is the number on www.rafdavidstowmoor.org where you can find a full description.

Nos 47,48,49
Three small buildings for Recovery Unit Small Bomb Components. If an aircraft force landed or crashed it could have Flame Floats or Flares on board. These could be in a live and dangerous condition. They would be removed from the aircraft and stored in these buildings until disposed of.

Shed Location G. No 56
This is whats left of the airmans rest rooms, lockers and drying room. The small building with the chimney was the boiler room. There were three of these buildings. Only one is now standing complete and is used by the Moorland Flying Club.

Shed Location F No 60
Turret Repair Block

Location C No 96
Bulk aviation petrol dump. One of two.

Location D No93
Mechanical and electrical plinth. These are placed around the airfield and were used to switch on the appropriate runway lighting if the mains power failed and the emergency generators had to be used when there was only enough power for individual runways.

Vehicle Shed B No90
Night Flying Equipment Store

Hope this helps. Remember there are guided walks around the airfield bookable through me or the Davidstow Airfield and Cornwall at War Museum. They also sell Air Ministry Drawings of the airfield[£10] and I have maps showing every building that was or is on the airfield. Contact me direct.

[Annek]

The shed is what remains of the airmens locker rooms. The double doors on the side are additions by the local farmer. The fire tender sheds were 1. just north of the control tower outside the peri track and 2. on the north western end of the technical site.

[REF]

Mawgan

The building behind the control tower in Pic 2 is definately a NFE shed, couple examples here;

Rufforth
http://airfields.fotopic.net/p51029716.html

Metfield
http://airfields.fotopic.net/p50459694.html

If you aree reffering to a taller building usually in the same area as the NFE shed (near the control tower) it is the Floodlight Tractor & Trailer shed, examples here;

Ingham
http://airfields.fotopic.net/p47122511.html

Lavenham
http://airfields.fotopic.net/p45568490.html

Hope this helps

[Annek]

A planning application has been submitted for 20 giant wind turbines on the site of RAF Davidstow Moor. I know many of you love this aerodrome which is one of the most untouched and undeveloped of our WW2 airfields. Live flying still takes place here and the military use the area. It is also a great local amenity for learner drivers, picnickers, microlights, radio controllers and aviation enthusiasts alike.It is unknown so far for a 'live' airfield to have a windfarm built on it and if this application goes through it could set a precedent for other applications.


This is the URL for the Davidstow wind farm application on the NCDC site, you can then click on "Submit Comments" to object on line. The application papers are viewable. If you can help preserve Davidstow please send an objection to North Cornwall District Council.


http://onlineplanning.ncdc.gov.uk/eacce ... FCECBCCCDC

[Denis]

The link is not working for me Annek.

[Annek]

I'm sorry Denis. Here is the link again.


http://onlineplanning.ncdc.gov.uk/eacce ... FCECBCCCDC

[tankie88]

Just to let you all know.A friend and member of The Military Vehicle Trust has bought the officers mess and squash court at Davidstow.This has now been turned into a museum and is under going restoration on buildings,bunkers and the like.http://www.cornwallatwarmuseum.co.uk/

[Annek]

Happy New Year to you all. The Davidstow Airfield and Cornwall at War Museum has been open for a couple of years now. The official opening by the Commanding Officer RAF St Mawgan was in June 2008 and the Military Vehicle weekend was the last weekend in July as it will be again in 2009. The Museum is open to the public from Easter to the last half term of the year. All three services are covered. There is a dedicated RAF Davidstow Moor display which includes the station log, details of every squadron that was there and a collection of personal recollections. A research facility is in an infant stage. Outside exhibits include Fairey Gannet XG831, a tracked rapier launcher, Green Goddess fire engines, Hawker Hunter relics, wheel fuel cell, Picket Hamilton fort, Sangers and more. The site is under expansion - so, for those of you who have already visited, there will be more next time you come.
The museum is privately owned and completely self funded and like a sponge will soak up any items that you care to donate.

[Carnaby]

George Comstock, Luis Alvarez and the legendary Arthur C Clarke were there in September 1943.

Just wondered re the source of this info, Annak, as this interview with Arthur C Clarke states he didn't meet Luis until after WWII?

I didn't meet Luis Alvarez until well after the war, in fact until I went to California in '53,

Graham

[Carnaby]

Spent a few hours in TNA browsing all the Davidstow Moor ORBs, plus GCA reports and FIDO files in an attempt to discover the system used in 1943 at this airfield.

The installation / testing at various stations particularly Graveley and Lakenheath is very well documented - if there was anything at DM it would certainly be mentioned. The only mention of Davidstow in FIDO files is a memo dated 10 Aug 1943, in which it was suggested that the party going to inspect St Eval re a possible FIDO installation, should also have a look at Davidstow.

First mention of GCA coupled FIDO tests was at St Eval on 21 April 1944.

A comment April 1945 relates to the problems at St Eval as most of the fog there was sea fog and not radiation fog. The latter was what FIDO was designed to overcome and owing to the height of Davidstow radiation fog would be extremely rare.

A portable / temporary device was first contemplated in the spring of 1944, to be used in Europe as part of the Invasion. Work was undertaken at the Petroleum Warfare Department site at Staines, and a system was available later in the year. Even a temporary system took 2-3 weeks to install.

However there was a bit of kit known as a Mobile Fog Disperser. It was an RAF 8-ton articulated truck carrying a Merlin engine and prop. Behind this were three ICI petrol burners which consumed 2.5 tons per hour and had to be supplied from a separate self-propelled bowser. Was this the world's most powerful hair dryer? It was tested at an unknown airfield, and there are photos.

For the above reasons I have conclude that FIDO was never used at Davidstow, but am willing to accept evidence to the contrary. My feeling is that the 'temporary system' refers to relates to GCA, not FIDO.

Interestingly FIDO is very frequently documented as 'Fog Intensive Dispersal ORGANISATION' (a new one on me). There was also strong pressure to install it at Woodhall Spa and Leeming.

Of great interest however is the Contact Lighting on the main runway at Davidstow. The housings for a large number of the fitting are still extant and the group visit last week revealed that some of them are much closer than the statutory 50ft spacing. I thought of measuring them but was put off by the horizontal sleet of roughly 30mph and -X deg C! I felt my colleagues would revolt.

Contact Light fitting near drain on Main Runway


Threshold Contact Light fitting and transformer pit on Main Runway


Holding Point Light fittings near threshold

These held a pair of Drem MK.II T1 taxi-track lights.
One was connected to the peri-track circuit, and the other was powered from the flarepath. Thus both were illuminated only at an active runway.

Graham