I was there on No 105 Course from Sept '54 to Jun'55 learning to fly Vampires (Mk's T11 and FB5).
If I remember rightly we were in the third hanger from the left, seen from the tower; anyway,it was the one nearest to the tower.
I went on to join the R Aux AF still on Vampires with 605 (County of Warwick) Sqn and then 613 (City of Manchester) Sqn based at RAF Ringway (now Manchester Airport) until their disbandment in 1957.
I flew in there in Aug '55 from RAF Honiley on a liason visit.
The last time I saw anything flying there was about 1965 when, passing by, on the A14, I saw a Varsity taking off. As far as I remember, it became an Army Barracks before the Immigrant Centre took over.
In view of the derelict place it now is, it might be the best idea to turm it into Cambridge overspill!
Thanks for the photos, they brought back many memories.
John Bates
Posted 3 September 2008, 23:30 From mike roberts
I was based at Oakington 1983 to 1986 with 657 sqn Army Air Corps [ gazelle ,scout then lynx helicopters]. The squadron sent detachments all over the world to support Army exercises and operations , the Falklands islands, Belize,and Kenya were amongst the more exotic destinations . There was also an infantry battalion based at Oakington [the Queens regiment and the Royal Anglain Regiment were based there during my time].
To me the camp [called Oakington Barracks], still had a strong feeling of its busy wartime past and although most of the concrete runways had gone , it did'nt take much imagination to picture a stirling or lancaster bomber taxiing out on another mission.
I left the army in 1986 and my last memories of Oakington are of an immaculate and well preserved ww2 RAF bomber base. It's very sad to see the place gradually decaying , I was in the area earlier this year but the current use as an immigration centre precludes any worthwhile walkabout !.
It would be nice to see a memorial remembering the gallant efforts of the RAF from this airfield during the second world war, many young men took off from Oakington never to return .
Many thanks for the photos, its just a little unerving to think it's already 22 years since I lived there ! mike roberts
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Posted 29 August 2008, 17:00 From John Bates
What a sad place it now looks!
I was there on No 105 Course from Sept '54 to Jun'55 learning to fly Vampires (Mk's T11 and FB5).
If I remember rightly we were in the third hanger from the left, seen from the tower; anyway,it was the one nearest to the tower.
I went on to join the R Aux AF still on Vampires with 605 (County of Warwick) Sqn and then 613 (City of Manchester) Sqn based at RAF Ringway (now Manchester Airport) until their disbandment in 1957.
I flew in there in Aug '55 from RAF Honiley on a liason visit.
The last time I saw anything flying there was about 1965 when, passing by, on the A14, I saw a Varsity taking off. As far as I remember, it became an Army Barracks before the Immigrant Centre took over.
In view of the derelict place it now is, it might be the best idea to turm it into Cambridge overspill!
Thanks for the photos, they brought back many memories.
John Bates
Posted 3 September 2008, 23:30 From mike roberts
I was based at Oakington 1983 to 1986 with 657 sqn Army Air Corps [ gazelle ,scout then lynx helicopters]. The squadron sent detachments all over the world to support Army exercises and operations , the Falklands islands, Belize,and Kenya were amongst the more exotic destinations . There was also an infantry battalion based at Oakington [the Queens regiment and the Royal Anglain Regiment were based there during my time].
To me the camp [called Oakington Barracks], still had a strong feeling of its busy wartime past and although most of the concrete runways had gone , it did'nt take much imagination to picture a stirling or lancaster bomber taxiing out on another mission.
I left the army in 1986 and my last memories of Oakington are of an immaculate and well preserved ww2 RAF bomber base. It's very sad to see the place gradually decaying , I was in the area earlier this year but the current use as an immigration centre precludes any worthwhile walkabout !.
It would be nice to see a memorial remembering the gallant efforts of the RAF from this airfield during the second world war, many young men took off from Oakington never to return .
Many thanks for the photos, its just a little unerving to think it's already 22 years since I lived there ! mike roberts
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