RAF Peterborough (Westwood)

The modern Peterborough suburbs of Netherton, Westwood and Ravensthorpe offer up very few clues that their foundations lie on an old RAF airfield that played an important role in training aircrews for WW2. This video gives an insight into where the airfield was sited, what it looked like then and what it looks like today.
More at www.peterboroughimages.co.uk/...

[@gramedgar2456]

I was born in a house in Westwood, on what was once the air strip. As a kid I used to climb in the shelters which were situated close to the Halcyon pub. In Westwood park in front of Highlees school there is a raised bit of grass, a little hill, which by legend housed a buried tank.
I’m not sure why sure there is a lump of hill on a former grass airstrip, I doubt it’s a tank but always made me wonder!

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

My father's father served there during WW2. He was in the RA in one of the anti-aircraft batteries.

[@davidjeyes9980]

I was one of those "kids being kids" in the late 60's early 70's but our group never did any damage probably because we were the youngest. I do remember exploring the hangar that was still there and the air raid shelters.

[@PeterboroughImages]

I was more referring to the serious injuries (deaths ?) that I believe occurred from kids falling from buildings.

[@craigedgar8647]

@@PeterboroughImages There was a death in the seventies, as far as I recall there was a boy that fell through the roof of one of the hangars, think it would have been around 1974-75. I was very young at the time so I might be wrong but I think it might have been the building labelled in the video as Aircraft Shed at 2:50. I know it was pulled down not long after.

[@a777bond3]

👌👌👌

[@EastCoastSteam4468]

Know the area well, all I can say is some of the airmen never left the site ;)

[@grimalkin188]

Ghosts?

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

Sorry but your title image isn't RAF Peterborough as it shows SE5A's of 1 Squadron and this type was withdrawn from service c.1920 about 12 years before RAF Peterborough opened.

[@PeterboroughImages]

It was a postcard which was marked "Peterborough Airfield" so I fell for that one ! Too late to change it now unfortunately but thanks for your update.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

@@PeterboroughImages you can only go with the informatio you have.
As far as I know the closest 1 Squadron got to Peterborough in the 1920s was London Colney werd the Squadron was reduced to a cadre on 20-1-1920, the following day the Squadron was re-established in Risalpur, India, as B Squadron which become 1 Squadron on 1-4-1920. It was disbanded again in 1926 whilst in India and then formed at Tangmere in 1927. On 1-7-1958 it was disbanded at Tsngmere, only to be reformed at Strafishall the following day by rdnumbeting 263 Squadron. The history of RAF units is complucated.
The aircaft front left C1114 according to Alan Lake's book "Flying Units of the RAF" was part of 1 Squadron allocation of aircraft c. Aptil 1918.