RAF Upwood opened in 1917 as a satellite field for RAF Elmswell. Shortly after opening, a few hangars and buildings were built. It closed in 1919. During the RAF expansion period in the mid 1930s the airfield was expanded drastically. Five hangars were built, and around 100 other buildings of varying sizes. The base finally closed in 1995. Wikipedia has a lot more info about the base.
The last twelve years haven’t been kind to the base. It has suffered badly at the hands of vandals. The hangars are in use by a turbine company and are inaccessible. The rest of the buildings are totally gutted, and used occassionally by “airsofters” (people with guns and small balls).
Guard House
This is the first thing you see when entering RAF Upwood. The Guard House. Inside is a little cell to detain people, a small shower block and some other rooms.
Head Quarters
Opposite the Guard House is the main base HQ. Compared to the rest of the site, this is in quite good condition – there are even curtains in some rooms! In one of the back rooms was a huge black-board type thing for aircraft assignments.
Community Centre
Next stop was the community centre. This is where the people stationed on the base would’ve come to relax sometimes. There was a bar inside and a sports court.
Water Tower
The water tower looks the same as West Raynham’s. I would’ve climbed it but the ladders were covered in pigeon mess.
Gas Decontamination Buildings
This is one (two) of the most impressive things at Upwood – two “underground” (under-mound?) gas decontamination buildings. They were built as a precaution – the use of gas weapons had been outlawed in 1925.
Contaminated troops would’ve entered at one end, deposited their clothes in some chutes for washing/destroying; have a shower in the large line of cubicles; get new clothes from the store; and wait until the gas had gone outside. One of the bunkers was attatched to the hospital/sick quarters by a short passage.
Stores
Used for storing stuff.
Boiler House
Couldn’t climb this one – the door was blocked with bricks and debris.
Officers Mess
This is where the officers would have lived and relaxed. There is a huge ballroom and a small cinema room.
Sergeants Mess
The Sergeants Mess is joined to the Officers Mess via a corridor. It’s smaller and not as interesting. It is an E-shape.
Dining Room
No explanation is really needed for this – it’s where the airmen would have eaten. In the back was an impressively-huge oven. And a mortuary tray.
The chefs and staff would have accessed the upstairs level by this crazy little staircase. It was *really* narrow – I could barely fit up it! Upstairs was totally gutted (not a surprise) and the windows sort-of boarded up – again presumably for the gun people.
Out the back was this little room – the back of the ovens.
Entertainment building
This seemed to be some sort of entertainment area. I am not sure exactly what it was.
Random Barrack Blocks
They all look the same, and it got a bit boring looking through them all.
Tanks
There are two tanks at Upwood, used as elaborate props for the airsofters. They’re seriously cool…
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Mark and Pam Hulyo – - – HI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just happened to be checking this site and saw your message. There is a lot of news to share with you. If YOU check this site, please email me at wer4cubs@embarqmail.com, and we can exchange addresses and phone numbers. All the best, John
I have recently reconnected with some old Upwood friends (some of the BEST friendships of my life), so many great memories and life changing times. I wish I wouldn’t have stumbled upon this site and just believed that Upwood was still the wonderful place it was in 89-91.
I was an airmen in the USAF stationed at RAF Alconbury but we lived on RAF Upwood from early 93 until we closed it all up in 95. At that time the only thing still open was USAF clinic and most of the houses used for base housing were still occupied. The history of the base and the well kept grounds made me think I was stepping back in time. It is very sad to see it look like it does now. I made some of the best friends of my life there. We were like a family and the landlord of the George in Ramsey adopted us young airmen making it feel more like home. I remember the wind too, sometimes it would blow our radio antenna down and set off alarms. The memories of that place will keep it alive and this site proves RAF Upwood has a lot of memories.
To all you folk concerned about the houses in Valiant Square, you will be happy to know that they have been restored and are being rented out. We moved into one in October and they are great houses with loads of character.
We are also concerned that the RAF site is being left to the mercy of vandals.
GREETINGS TO ALLWHO BASED AT UPWOOD OUR FLIGHT WAS POSTED TO WHITTON AS
I WAS DEMOBED & I OFTEN WONDER WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ALL THE OTHERS WHO USED TO MOAN ABOUT NIGHT FLYING & LOTS OF OTHER MINOR INCONVENIENCES I HOPE THEY HAVE MADE IT TO PENSIONABLE AGE LIKE ME AND CAN NOW BE DESCRIBED AS AS “A PAIN IN THE A###E,” TO THE YOUNGER GENERATION..
hi there i live in bury next to RAF Upwood my Dad was there on a course in 1974 think it was an advancement course he had to go on when he was promoted to Sgt His name was Frank Burke and he worked in accounts just wondering if anyone remembers him
Hi I worked at Alconbury and Upwood in 90 to 97 defiantly some of the best years so i’ve had, made some great friends…… Unfortunate when the Americans decided to pull out after the Cold War we had the job moth balling the bases. We left each building secure clean and tidy
I was assigned to RAF Alconbury as the 17th Recon was being re-established, and watch RAF Upwood go from a Trash Hip almost to some Very Nice Housing Unit. Stores, A School, Hospital, and after seeing these pictures of it since it almost wants to make me cry.
Buildings were secure, clean and tidy but surplus to requirements. MOD empowered the boys from Hereford to use them as a training facility afterwhich they were not secure, many doors blasted off, likewise windows, not that clean, many burn marks and lots of broken glass, and certainly not tidy. Only really fir for demolition and redevelopment which is why defence estates sold most of the facility off.
I was an instructor at the USAFE NCO Academy in the mid 80s. Loved that school. Hated the Commandant, CMS Benton. I would spit in his eye to this day.
Served R A F Upwood on 214 F M S Squadron from oct 1950 until it was disbanded dec 1954. I then went to A F S until demob April 1955
Informative site ! 49 Squadron served here in the early fifties and the crash that Jill Mason refers to was probably one of their Lincolns. 49 Squadron association is still going strong -please check out our website at 49squadron.co.uk for all 4T9ers and families.
Ed Norman, 49 Sqn Archivist