Exhibition Opening Talk

Saturday was a busy day, I rose very early as I had to be at work by ten, and it takes a while to get ready.  Before ten I arrived to be greeted with the phrase "Go away!"  This was because the email system at work had failed, again, and the email telling me to arrive at one p.m. had not arrived at my end, it did arrive around 11:30 that day however when I was back home.  So I dragged my weary bulk back home via the market ensuring I bought nothing and rested my intellect until time to retrace my steps.    

At two p.m. we had a talk to open the 'Cold War' Exhibition which runs alongside the exhibition featuring the 60's to 80's period, a very good idea indeed.  Here the curator of the 'Wethersfield Airfield Museum' give a talk on the history of the base during the days of Cold War activity.  This base was used by the USAF from the early 50'suntil sometime in the 90's when the world was once again safe for democracy, if you vote the way we say.  There appears to be no webpage but there is a 'RAF Wethersfield' Museum page on facebook which is worth visiting.  

Originally built for World War 2 bombers, twin engined A-20 'Havocs' flew from here, the runway was lengthened for jet fighter bombers when the US returned in the early 50's.  The 'Thunderstreak' and later the 'Sabre' jet that became famous during the Korean War were later superseded by the 'F100 Super Sabre' supersonic jet and later the first prototype 'F 111' arrived here.  
These and other aircraft put on airshows attended by many locals.  When asked how many in our audience of 60 persons had attended one of these around half had done so.  The locals and the Americans got on very well indeed.  The friendships were such that between the early 50's and 1990 around 4000 weddings took place, not all from the town but from the wider area.  One anecdote concerned a bus driver who often drove girls from Ipswich to the base on a Saturday night for the dances and events staged there.  He commented that when he left for home after midnight the bus was always half empty.  Many women went to the States, some men remained here and one of those was in the audience last night, by chance his photo and details were mentioned during the talk.  Many of the US folks return regularly to the town, often visiting the museum as they ought!

There was little fear during the Cold War that I can remember.  Certainly we knew of the cost if war broke out but the 'Cuban Missile Crisis' was the only time that this came close and then neither side wished to pursue this.  'MAD,' Mutually Assured Destruction, ensured no successful war was possible and few entertained the idea.  Today there is more danger from small militant groups carrying even smaller nuclear weapons in hand luggage!  
However the first CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament') march left from Wethersfield and marched to the House of Commons.  I often wondered why these folks did not march through the streets of Moscow or campaigned to get the Soviets to stand down their weapons.  In war two sides participate not just one, Soviet influence was strong among these groups, feeding on fear and a one sided 'appeasement' attitude that prevailed mostly amongst the middle classes as far as I can remember.  They do not gather in large groups to oppose North Korea or Iran or Israel having such weapons, is there a reason for this? 

A very popular and enjoyable talk which afterwards encouraged some attending to wander again through the exhibits and even spend money in the shop.  This we were delighted to encourage!
It did mean we did not close until late and then I got home just in time for the 6 pm football which was acceptable after a hard day enjoying myself working.  It has been a physical hard week on my knees and I am dead beat today.  Coming home from St P's I had to crawl up the stairs and sleep of my exertions.  Sadly I feel I must do the same tomorrow, but I will manage to do so even if I would rather be hard at work somewhere...honest.

I have just discovered this on YouTube, a video by Ross from the Wethersfield Museum which is worth a look.

Ne'er Cast a Clout till May is Out or Something

Today, as you can tell by my window, is the last day of May.  In less than a months time we reach the middle of the year, the longest day!  Fooled by two or three days when the sun shone and the temperature rose we thought Summer was 'a cummin in,' it hasn't!
Worse still is the photo that arrived this morning from my nieces husband playing around on Lock Fynne up near Fort William in the highlands.  The sun was shining at eight in the morning, the sky blue, the Loch calm.  It makes you sick, it's no fair!
Naturally as the wind, heading towards 40 miles an hour as it threw the heavy downpour at my window, paid no heed to the fact that I had to saunter down the road to the museum in the middle of it.  I was fair drookit when I got there!  Good job I am not the complaining type.

 
Yet another bunch of Yanks coming on Saturday.  These guys are studying the war and the effect of the airfields on the people living in the area.  We have some stuff lined up for them but as always I have not been given much info on what is actually happening.  Still I expect it will be a good day.
Thousands of these men came here and many left their children behind.  Just as many flew away to the east and were never heard off again!  Ridgewell Museum is based on what is left of the airfield there.  B 17's flew from there for two years constantly. Wethersfield on the other hand was in use until recently. 

 

OOPS!

Wiki

The above is a picture of Goldsboro, North Carolina, USA had the bomb dropped from a crashing B-52 exploded when it fell out of the sky!  The 1960's were not a good time for American bombs, they fell not only on the USA itself but also into the sea off Spain and probably elsewhere on areas not yet revealed by whistleblowers.  

During the late 50's and early 60's Inter Continental Nuclear Missiles had not reached a sufficient degree of development.  Therefore B-52's and other giant aircraft flew in formation over the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Circle on a flightpath that took them close, oh too close, to the Soviet airspace.  The Soviet 'Bear' bomber of course did exactly the same in reverse.  The RAF have many photographs taken from 'Lighting' fighters that intercepted such planes as they crossed towards our airspace.  Usually the crew are pictured waving to one another, such flights all part of the game and they all knew it.  President Putin reinstated such activities recently in an effort to make Russia once again appear as a powerful force.  It does not really succeed in doing so, but the home public like it.

On the 23rd January 1961 the B-52 went into an uncontrollable spin, the pilot (apparently) released the bombs, possibly as part of training routine, and allowed them to fall over North Carolina.  Whether he considered the heads of the people below when he did so is not recorded. One bomb fell safely to earth the other underwent action stations!  Having been dropped this bomb, with a capability 260 times more powerful than the 'A'-Bombs that fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the bomb understood it had been dropped on purpose to attack an enemy.  The Mark 39 Hydrogen Bomb went through all the arming procedures required bar one, two of the arming routines failed because the B-52 was breaking up when released, one successfully activated when it fell but a low voltage switch failed preventing the bomb exploding and Goldsboro and much around it vanishing from the earth.  'Friendly fire; from American forces is something British troops have known since the Great War, such 'friendly fire' on US soil is taking things a bit far surely. 

Was it General la Fey the man in charge of the air force during President Eisenhower's time in office?  I only ask because after beginning the flights with fully loaded 'A' and Nuclear Bombs he forgot to tell the president he was doing so.  It was a case of him not 'needing to know,' after all he was just a politician!

I wonder how many Soviet incidents like this lie unreported?   

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Friday Chat

RAF High Garrett

An enjoyable chat at the museum today with two ex-US airmen, based during the Cold War near the town.  The area of course is dotted with airfields built during the second world war and some still in use today.  On the edge of town lies RAF High Garrett, used during the war as a prisoner of war camp for happy Italians who had no intention of escaping.  Some indeed stayed on in the town after release.  The base had no runway but was used as a 'Micro-wave relay site,' during the Cold War.  One of our visitors was based there, and like so many others he took back to Wisconsin one of the ladies of the town.  Having settled back there she has lost all trace of an English accent, so it's not all bad!  The other chap had been based at Weathersfield airfield during the early sixties, possibly the most dangerous period of that era, and he also was accompanying the woman he removed from the town on a visit home.   

There must be many Essex girls now resident in the United States.  The bases were begun while Hitler was still a menace, and many young men flew from the bases nearby and never returned, and continued in use, during that fraught period, some until the late eighties.   This town has been used to servicemen since the first world war of course, and many must have good memories from those days, the publicans certainly have!  This is an interesting site created by one of the men, MSgt Cecil Eversoll, which  contains 'before and after pictures of his time in the town.  Interesting to see the world around here on the video from 1966, how times have changed.  RAF High Garrett

One thing is clear,  without the continuing presence of such men during the years following the war we may well have had to endure a more dangerous time.  I suspect many more will wander in to the museum in days to come.  An enjoyable conversation, and they also appeared to enjoy meeting the others who discussed the things they remembered so well.

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