Haunted Wartime Airbases

[Radpoe Meteor]

Rad



sorry with everything going on It had slipped my mind

I'll see if I can find anything

Chris

No problem Chris, I appreciate that you've had a lot to deal with.

Thank you again & there is no rush.

Rad.

[SWAMPYRV]

Hi Chris, I think the airfiled near The Rodings you were talking about is definately Matching Green. Its about a mile or so off the A1060.

[CJH]

SWAMPYRV

hi

I think you may be right - I've been looking on Google Earth, and it seems to match somewhat the field that I remember....or possibly Chipping Ongar - although I remember cracked overgrown & weed filled runway or peri track and I think C. Ongar had been cleared of concrete a long time back.

it is certainly in the right part of Essex

and fairly remote

I am compelled to ask - has anyone else had a similar experience at Chipping Ongar or Matching Green ??

cheers

Chris

[SWAMPYRV]

Hi Chris,
Yes I have at Matching Green. I was once a Cab Driver in Great Dunmow, not far from Matching Green, and had to drop off some customers in Matching Green village, as I turned into the approach to the airfield, I knew exactly what I was going to see... the control tower. I had never been there before but as I crossed the airfield which is now a public road, i knew every turn, pothole in the road etc. As in most cases it was at night, and after dropping off my customers, I drove back across the airfield, I found a place to stop,( don't know why as being dark I would'nt see a lot) and after a few minutes, felt as if I was being watched, and was urged to leave. I have only been back during the day!!

Hows the Haunted Airfields web site going by the way?

[CJH]

Thanks for the reply - if it is the airfield that I remember it's a strange place to be.

Hi Chris,

Hows the Haunted Airfields web site going by the way?

A long way to go - ....2 weeks ago had to start all over again (Transferring mostly) because the previous server kept locking up, refusing to let me edit and losing info - eeeek

so as of this am have got over half of my Bomber command stuff up and online at present (1, 2, 3 & half of 6 grp )

it just takes so long to write the airfield histories and link to other info - such as memorials and images of the airfield...fortunately there are some excellent websites with data on out there

Chris

[lotharbucheim]

Hi to all of you. What a great thread, and it has kept me entertained for hours so far. I thought I would add my tuppence-worth..forgive me if the stories I write take up a large amount of space and reading time, but I thought it was time to put them down these experiences on 'paper' as I have only ever told them over a beer with friends up until now.

Before I go on, I will just point out that there is nothing particularly terrifying about any of them, but just eerie.

During 1987 and '88 I was a member of the Northumbrian University Air Squadron. It was a fantastic experience for me, especially as I was set on being a military pilot ( I didn't end up as one...but that's another story ). At that time the Squadron was based at R.A.F. Leeming in North Yorkshire. The station was very quiet because the runways were being re-surfaced ready for the arrival of the Tornado F.3 As far as I remember the staff at the airfield at that time was quite small. As U.A.S. members we practically had the officers mess to ourselves. Outside the mess was a Gloster Javelin standing as "guardian". Our flying on the Scottish Aviation Bulldog was all done out of Teeside airport ( ex-RAF Middleton St George ).

The mess at RAF Leeming definitely had an "atmosphere". I never experienced anything particular , other than an occasional, but very strong, feeling that I wasn't alone when I was padding down the quiet corridors at night. However, one could say, I suppose, that any RAF base with slightly fading wallpaper, and photographs of long-dead aircrew on the walls and with a wartime history, could generate the same spookiness. However, I must admit that there were a couple of occasions when I definitely felt a bit unnerved.

As for Teeside airport : I remember hearing the story about the "Meteor" crash, and the ghost in the hotel ( old officers mess ), but we never stayed there. I do seem to remember our ground-crew ( who were all ex-service, but working for a civilian contractor ) telling me some stories about strange noises and experiences they had had in the hanger we used ( which was next to the control tower ). I am afraid that I can't remember any specifics though.

On one occasion, after a very poor performance by me on a dual flight, my instructor ( quite rightly in my opinion ) made me get out and walk the perimeter track holding my "bone-dome" in one hand, and with my parachute slung over my back. "Learn your bloody checks on the way back " he shouted to me over the noise of the engine, before taxying away. I had to walk past the civilian passenger terminal on the way.... very embarressing..although perhaps I became the subject of one of those "...sad-looking figure in full flying kit" stories

The next story is one that I was told directly by the person who experienced it. It was not one of those "this happened to a mate of mine's mate.." stories, and I am 100% sure that the person who told it to me was sincere, and had no reason to fabricate the story. It is not a ghost story as such, but has a very real R.A.F. connection, as well as an eerie element to it.

I was invited to attend a summer barbecue at a flying club in Suffolk or Norfolk ( sorry, can't remember which ) in the late 80's or early 90's. My late uncle was a member of the club.

Being fascinated with aviation history, I soon got talking to a gentleman who was one of the older members of the club. I don't recall his name but to simplify the story he told me, I will call him "Bill". Bill's experience happened during the later stages of the war, 1944-45.

Bill told me that he had been in the R.A.F. during the war, and that all he had wanted to do was be a pilot once he finished school. His elder brother had joined the R.A.F. pre-war, and had been posted to Bomber Command. After finishing his first tour as a flight-engineer, Bill's older brother had come home on leave. He had begged Bill not to join as aircrew because the casualties in Bomber Command were so high. Bill, of course, had just finished school and was totally non-plussed, and applied, and was accepted as aircrew.

In the meantime, Bill's elder brother was posted for a second tour. He was posted to a Canadian squadron on Lancasters ( if my memory of the tale is correct ). Bill had started flying training, when word came through that his elder brother had been posted missing. Bill was then dropped from flying training due to a severe sinus problem. Very disapointed, he was still determined to see action rather than accept a ground posting. So he volunteered to man one of the R.A.F. Air-sea-rescue launches. He told me some great stories about being shot-up by FW.190's etc while doing their work ( a part of R.A.F. history that is often forgotten !).

In the last few months of the war a new man was posted to Bill's boat. In the course of their conversation, Bill realised that this new guy had previously been on the same squadron as his elder brother. It turned out , to their mutual surprise, that the new guy had known Bill's brother as a friend. The new guy told Bill that on the night that Bill's brother had gone missing, he had walked over, stuck out his hand, and said "Goodbye mate, I know that I won't be coming back tonight !". It's not a ghost story as such, but I always remember it with a twinge of sadness for the loneliness and fear that Bill's brother must have felt as he boarded his aircraft that night. Not to mention the incredible co-incidence of Bill meeting his brother's friend !

Okay, my last story is about an actual ghostly experience !
Having spectacularly failed to pass the R.A.F. selection board ( or the Navy one !)...I ended up going to South Africa to do my commercial licence. I didnt have the money to pay for the course, but was very lucky to be awarded a cadetship by the training school. The cadet scheme allowed guys like me to work at the school doing all the crappy jobs in exchange for flying training. It was a fantastic scheme, and I had an amazing time. There were about 6 to 8 cadets at anyone time. The airschool is "43 Air School" in Port Alfred, and its so-called because it was part of the Empire Flight Training Scheme during World War Two.

When I joined in 1994 the cadets lived in one of the old barrack blocks known as "The bunkhouse". It was very basic, with all 8 of us in a small space, with no dividers between the bed spaces, just like an army barracks. During the war they trained air gunners, navigators and bomb-aimers at the school, and most of the current buildings are just the old WWII buildings which have been modernised. There is a memorial which names all the men who were killed either during training, or after being posted overseas. There are a lot of names on it !

At several places around the old base you could feel a definite "presence". A new cadet joined us, and became, and still is one of my very good friends. Several times during my stay I had had the feeling , while sitting alone in the bunkhouse, that I was being watched. I mentioned this to my friend, who immediately said that he had always had a "feeling" for these sorts of things and that he had had exactly the same experience, and that one night he had woken up to see a figure standing over him. Initially he described it as having "indistinct features..but like a very very old man..or someone whose face is badly damaged". My friend told me that he often felt the presence but that it was not one that felt intimidating or unhappy..perhaps just a long-dead pilot interested in the "pilots" who were now occupying his old haunt ( excuse the pun !).

Anyway, a few months later during winter, my friend and I were the only ones in the Bunkhouse one particular night. All the other guys were on leave, or staying with girlfriends in town.

The bunkhouse had no central heating and was very chilly in winter. I was lying on my back with just my face exposed to the cold air, and about 3 blankets piled on top of me. Outside there was not a breath of wind, it was absolutely still. My friend was either in the bed next to mine, or perhaps two beds away, but I could hear him snoring lightly, so he was definitely asleep. His bed was on my right-hand side. Suddenly I felt something which I find very hard to describe ; it was almost like a "buzzing" in the air, but without any noise ( I know that sounds stupid but it's the only way I can describe it ). At the same time I felt a light breeze ( just the same as you would feel if somebody walked past you very close by, or waved a hand in front of your face ) go past my face on the Left hand side !..and this breeze was FAR colder than the surrounding air.

I actually didn't feel any fear..just "spooked".. but I hissed my friend's name to see if there was any response ( even though I was pretty sure he was asleep )....( and I have to say that the hackles on the back of my neck are rising as I type this ) because he immediately replied : "Yes I know.. He is here !" The next day we told the rest of the guys what had happened , and most of them agreed that there was something a bit weird about the place.

A week or so later I was collecting the boss's daughter from East London airport, and during the drive back to Port Alfred we were talking about all the news as she had been away from home for a while. Knowing that she is an incredibly level-headed person, and that she had lived at the air school for years, I decided to casually throw in some "ghost" info and see what her reaction was. I just said "Oh and we think the bunkhouse might be haunted" and she immediately said that she knew. She told me that she could walk around the whole school at night with no worries, but that on several occasions as she had approached the area of the bunkhouse, she had had to turn back as she felt such an overwhelming presence.

Well, sorry for taking up so much space, but I hope that it adds a bit to the discussion. I have never had any ghostly experiences other than that one, and the occasional feelings that one is being watched.

[Jeff Glasser]

Excellent anecdotes, the hairs on the back of my neck went up a bit there too!
I've been to several places and 'felt' similar experiences, though I can't remember ever seeing anything.

Anymore?

Jeff

[Scott Marlee]

Lothar that was a great read, thankyou

PS, is this the jav you refered to at leeming?

[Canaris]

Hi Lothar, I so enjoyed reading your stories. I used to live next to an air stewardess who always feared an overnight stay at Tees Side airport. The ghost of Pilot Officer Mynarski VC is said to make his presence felt. May I offer to yourself and any of our members who are interested in aviation ghost stories to come and join Chris and I at www.soulsearchers.org.uk ?We have built up a fair number of stories that I think you may find interesting along with other subjects that are non aviation related. You are all welcome !! Membership is free !!
Cheers
Jim.

[lotharbucheim]

Scott Marlee.. yes that looks to be the one ! Is that picture taken at the current R.A.F. Leeming ? The building that I remember must have been the original mess..all red brick, and old carpets. The Javelin was on a grass area outside one wing of the mess ( if I remember rightly ! ). I definitely do remember climbing all over it several times after a dining-in night, or a "beer call" in the bar..me and my mates tried several times to open the canopy so we could sit inside, but it was firmly locked. It was a long time ago..but it definitely looks like the same markings !

[Scott Marlee]

yeah its current RAF Leeming, taken a few months ago while down there with the ATC

i believe it may of been moved location, although im not sure

the officers mess is just out of shot

[WB981]

The buildng behind the Javelin is the new 90SU Hq.

[Rogier]

I cannot exactly remember if it was Matching Green or Ongar, or even somewhere completely different

wish I could remember which airfield this was for sure.
Chris

See # 94

Could it be?

[CJH]

Seems to be dying on here...

Yesterday I found a rather oblique reference to a haunting at RAF Swinderby - an airfield not previously in the files (Taking the total of haunted airfields in the UK to 248)

was wondering if anyone knew any more about things going on at Swinderby ????

cheers

Chris

[Peter]

I had heard a story from a chap who was security at Swinderby during ww2 that a fellow was killed walking along the perimeter track when he stumbled into the spinning propellor.

[CJH]

ouch

not a nice way to go...

[Bellarine]

This is a fascinating thread - takes quite a while to read it all !

I remember reading about the possibility that some paranormal presence incidents are more than likely caused by subsonic standing waves (I think thats the term) - this is usually in a bigger place (like a hangar) where the sound frequency (I think 19Hz was mentioned which is below human threshold) bounces around & multiplies on itself and causes a lot of the sensations, like feeling of being watched etc. I've experienced this first hand in an old carpark in inner city Melbourne - was really quite unnerving !

I'm interested in that side of things as I am an audio engineer. BUT! There are too many other aspects that simply make it unable to be dismissed easily. And given the experiences in my family over the last 30 years (including a number of personal ones) I cannot simply dismiss any of these incidents as nonsense. Same goes for the prescient dreams etc..

While I think of it - has anyone ventured to the old control tower out at Laverton by the freeway? Looks pretty folorn now, though I guess the traffic from the freeway would be a detraction ! I've been to a few old sites around Victoria but they all seem very peaceful to me.

[CJH]

Hi

there are so many causes...it seems to be whatever is this weeks scientific buzz word

unfortunately there is no one single cause to the reported and witnessed phenomena as you say yourself..

everything has to be taken into consideration....magnetic fields, ultrasound, infrasound, claustrapohobia, nictophobia all can have an effect on the sub conscious

and yet none of this explains any of the kinetic activity witnessed at so many locations (dis connected telephones ringing, doors opening non-existant tannoys sounding, engines running up, alarms going off and so on), nor does it really explain apparitions appearing to one or more witnesses and it certainly does not explain conversations with said apparitions who give details which are later checked and found to be accurate

there's a whole lot going on

Laverton.....Is that the RAAF Laverton in Oz ????

cheers

Chris

[CJH]

Ok another query for someone

have an account of a haunting on an unknown airfield in the 1980's

all I have for a description :
1. the perimeter of the airfield fronted a road possibly but by no means certain in the area of Lincoln

2. The airfield was being used by a glider club

3. At the entrance there was a simple stone memorial with a pyramid shaped base with 1500 ?????? pebbles set in it, one to represent each life lost flying from that airfield in WW2


I thought Wickenby.........any better ideas ??

any help gratefully received

cheers

Chris

[Bellarine]

Hey Chris

Thats the one - The Laverton tower is readily visible from the Geelong Rd - many times I have gone past wondering about it - looks pretty vandalised now, but may be worthy of a sunset visit if not for anything more than some atmospheric pics :-)

[CJH]

Bellarine

if you go there and sense/see/hear anything post it up please be great to hear of haunted airfields from around the world

cheers

Chris

[Bellarine]

Will do - I will be doing a lot of trips to old disused bases, crash sites etc over the next few months (as long as it doesn't stay too hot) - I fear some remnants were lost during Black Saturday in 2009 but have the co-ordinates so will keep the site posted !

[Mark_pilkington]

.
There have been reports of an airman's ghost appearing outside one of the early hangars on the Southern Tarmac at Point Cook.

I have'nt heard any similar stories associated with Laverton?


http://defence.gov.au/news/raafnews/.../feature01.htm

Wing Commander Ken Llewelyn’s 1991 book Flight Into The Ages has a chapter “Guests of the Military”, detailing accounts of ghostly encounters on Australian air bases.

All but five pages of this chapter are devoted to Point Cook. “A RAAF guard accompanied by his dog on night patrol in December 1985 ... challenged an officer in what he took to be a WWI pilot’s uniform,” WGCDR Llewelyn writes.

“The guard’s dog was unusually ferocious when the challenge was made. The officer refused to obey the guard’s instructions and continued on his merry way. The frustrated guard forcefully repeated his challenge [but] the figure simply disappeared.”

It’s incidents such as this, or the pilot that was often seen walking past the base’s fire section, that kept running through my mind as I peered inside the office building.

I started to wonder what had led me to believe a midnight wander around Australia’s most haunted airbase was a good idea for a story. Point Cook is the oldest Air Force base in Australia and the oldest continually operating airfield in the world.

regards

Mark Pilkington

[Mid-Upper]

Well,wandering around the runway and control tower at Wombleton last week on four seperate occasions including christmas eve,and christmas day.In the fog and snow i can honestly say i came across nothing spooky !.Very dissapointed

[CJH]

Well,wandering around the runway and control tower at Wombleton last week on four seperate occasions including christmas eve,and christmas day.In the fog and snow i can honestly say i came across nothing spooky !.Very dissapointed

well done for getting out and onto the airfield - in this weather too.

sorry to hear of a disappointing adventure...unfortunately hauntings do not turn on and off at whim

don't get discouraged though, if nobody went out looking we'd have no accounts. The number of times I have been somewhere that is "Oooh you must go there it's really haunted" and nothing happened is legendary.

10/10 for effort and a vote of appreciation from me.

Cheers

Chris

[Air Ministry]

Well,wandering around the runway and control tower at Wombleton last week...

As I related many pages back, I always found Wombleton quite a spooky place after dark, but not so much in the daytime.

One incident I didn't relate happened not long after the uncomfortable night I spent in the car (rather than bedding down in the supposedly haunted watch office).

The owner of Windsports had installed a caravan for the use of members wishing to stay overnight. I decided to give it a try, rather than face the long drive home and back the next day.

Everyone else departed and I was left alone. I spent the evening wandering around the perimeter track and runways, experiencing all that spookiness that I've already mentioned.

The caravan was sited in the triangle of old wartime buildings that used to be the watch office, night flying store and fire appliance shed, now the clubhouse, workshop and "hangar" for various microlights.

I settled into my sleeping bag around midnight. I was still wide awake about thirty minutes later when "something" hit the end wall of the caravan, somewhere above my head, with an almighty thump that was forceful enough to shake the whole 'van.

I sat bolt upright and listened for movement outside - nothing, just as there hadn't been any before the thump. I admit it was some minutes before I dared pull back the curtain for a look outside. It was quite a moonlit night but there was nothing to be seen. I eventually went outside and had a look around but the place was as quiet as the grave and completely deserted.

I returned to the van but it was quite a while before I fell asleep! Next morning, I looked all over the van for marks that might indicate an animal, maybe a deer, or perhaps an owl had bumped into the van (they would have had to be pretty shortsighted not to see it). I checked out all four corners of the van in case there was a problem with the stays but everything seemed to be in place and secure.

I ruled out prank playing - who would drive all the way back to the 'drome from the pub just to bang on the wall of the caravan and then depart as quietly as they'd arrived? There were no giggles or "loaded" questions the next morning when the usual suspects started to arrive and I never mentioned the incident to anyone.

The caravan disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Word was that the owner of the caravan site across the field had objected to it and a deal had been struck whereby the van moved over there and was available to rent from him. As it happened, I never stayed overnight at Wombleton again, but only because circumstances didn't require me to.

So what made the 'van go bump in the night? At the time I put it down to structural movement, perhaps as it cooled down after a hot day, but that explanation never seemed quite right.

Earlier this year, while overnighting on a campsite adjacent to the Thames, a duck or perhaps a goose (judging by the greasy marks I found on the roof) hit my van after dark one evening. There was a thump and a clatter but it didn't cause the van to shake.

Since Wombleton is in Yorkshire, I expect the ducks and geese are that much bigger and harder!

I've posted this before, but I can't think of Wombleton in the snow without conjuring up this image. Happy new year everyone!

[CJH]

Wombleton is not too far south of me (an hour or so) so will have to look in when the weather warms a bit.

Looks like Hunger Hill Lane is on the line of one runway and it all looks pretty much open

mid upper, Air Ministry -- Interested at all ??

Chris

[Mid-Upper]

Wombleton is not too far south of me (an hour or so) so will have to look in when the weather warms a bit.

Looks like Hunger Hill Lane is on the line of one runway and it all looks pretty much open

mid upper, Air Ministry -- Interested at all ??

Chris

I would be up for that its a 3hr drive for me,but i would be willing.The area is very open,the first few visits i parked by the watch tower.The rest in a field just across from one of the main runways.We stayed christmas day until well after dusk wandering around the dispersal pans,then me and the pet pooch (Who is VERY susceptable to stuff !) departed.

[CJH]

okay

wait until the weather warms...much too bloody cold for the bike at present..Brrrrrrrrrrrr

we'll throw some dates around and see what suits

- Bring the dog...dogs are great.

cheers for now

Chris

[Frazer Nash]

Thats the one - The Laverton tower is readily visible from the Geelong Rd - many times I have gone past wondering about it - looks pretty vandalised now, but may be worthy of a sunset visit if not for anything more than some atmospheric pics :-)

G'Day folks, and all the best thoughts for the new year.

I am a firefighter stationed in the suburb of Laverton, and we have to turnout to the RAAF bases at Laverton and Point Cook quite often. (antiquated alarm system) The 2 bases are quite close to one another.

The tower at Laverton is in an absolutely disgusting state: all windows broken, 'tagged' by morons, etc etc. It's always been my wish to gain access under the guise of a MFB inspection or some such, but rather lamely, I have never gotten around to it. What I will do though, is take some pics and post them here if you're interested. (I live a 5 minute drive from both bases.)

I have never heard of any supernatural tales from RAAF Laverton; not so with Point Cook! These have been detailed in earlier posts in this wonderful thread. One of my major regrets is that I am not a 'sensitive', and seem to struggle to sense a presence, atmosphere or a feeling of being watched, etc. Perversely, I am intensely interested in the paranormal.

I will try for the Laverton pics over the next week!!

Best regards, Matt