Donnington airfield (sic)

[Dave Smith]

That's what it says as a caption to this photo on Flickr. Could be Castle Donington except that this field doesn't seem to have had a Runway 01.
Opinions anyone, please?

[PNK]

The tower looks wrong for Castle Donington as it looks like a fort type. Could be wrong. I can only assume the Donnington is a typo, Honington maybe?
The only Donnington near an airfield was Atcham but I don't think it was that.

[stevie]

It's definitely not Castle Donnington. The wrong type of tower.

[P Bellamy]

Ok chaps, this one should be reasonably simple to locate by deduction...

1: It would appear to be an Expansion-era "Watch Office with Tower".
Both the upper and lower floors seem to have cement render, so the original building could be either the brick version (1959-60/34) or the concrete version (207/36).

2: The background would tend to indicate a UK-built example.

3: The as-built Tower looks to have been replaced by the WWII-era Control Room to AM Dwg. 4698/43.

4: Most of the 4698/43 modifications used the original internal spiral staircase to serve the first floor, this example however seems to have a new-build straight stairway.

5: The majority of the UK examples backed on to the hangars and the technical site, whereas this one looks to be somewhat isolated.

6: The given runway heading is 01, that should narrow things down even further.

Aeroarchitectology Detective Team Go!

[Dave Smith]

Paul has summed this up extremely well. I thought it looked like a modified fort type but didn't want to display my ignorance by saying so! Atcham had a 518/40, Peter. I assume you were thinking of fairly nearby Donnington camp.

Sudden thought, runway numbering by magnetic heading did not come in until 1944 so that helps date the photo.

Honington is a good suggestion but it would have been USAAF by 1944.

[airfields man]

Where ever it is most look very happy, maybe something to do with the tea-pot the two chaps have in the front row. The chap at the far-right back row doesn't look too-pleased, perhaps he's the one who has to make the tea

[Dave Smith]

The mention of the teapot has just struck me that this is probably almost the entire complement of Flying Control staff, plus perhaps Met and Teleprinter sections. Air Traffic Control as it became postwar has always been fuelled by tea, as I well know. Thus the teapots are symbolic!

[Bomber]

I agree with Paul & Steve most defanatly not Donington for one thing if i am correct fort type towers were only put up on expanstion airfields & having seen the book on the history on Castle Donington there is apicture of the tower when Donington was derolect.
The tower appered to be a standard war time tower .
Regards ,

Bomber .

[PNK]

With the Honington in mind and the 1944 date, could it be the RAF contingent (I assume there was one) as the USAAF base. The teapot would also make sense in that scenario. Not sure of runway heading or tower at Honington.

[tigger]

Honnington had a fort type tower originally but I don't think it ever had a runway close to '01'