RAF West Raynham is in Norfolk, near a town called Swaffham. It is seriously in the middle of nowhere, and was quite hard to find. It closed in 1994, and at the end of 2005 was put up for auction. There are loads of houses there and the local MP wants them to be used as residential housing again. This will be quite a task – 11 years of non-use have taken their toll.
I didn’t really look round the housing areas, instead concentrating my trip on the cool military stuff. That said, I didn’t manage to explore everything in the time I was there. There is a Bloodhound Missile launch site here (it was over the other side of the airfield) but I decided to leave when a scary dog started following me…
Control Towers
Two control towers are at RAF West Raynham. One is small…
The other one is a “Very Heavy Bomber Station Control Tower” (that means it’s quite big). It was one of only four built in the UK. One has been demolished, and the other two are at active RAF bases.
The windows in the observation area all had (place) names printed on them – presumably to identify directions. Or maybe the glazier was bored.
This control tower also has a fire station.
And some other bits in the building..
Hangars
There were four huge C-type hangars here. I didn’t go into any of them..
… but I did climb onto one though 
I must admit that it wasn’t the brightest thing I’ve ever done. Heights I can tolerate, but it’s the getting to the heights which is the problem – I’m not particularly good with ladders. Also, the walkways on the roof were stupidly rotten. Oh well, I’ve now been on the roof of a hanger. And the views were fantastic…
Missile Training Simulator
This a Rapier Missile Training Simulator. Thanks everyone who has told me this
This was a treat. I’ve never really seen one of these before, let alone been inside one. I thought it would just be a big round room inside. It was. But the thing that struck me was how echo-ey it was – a tiny crack of my knee joint reverberated around the room many times. Turn on my camera – click click click click click….. Awesome.
Water Towers
There are three water towers here, along with boiler rooms and stuff. It would’ve been possible to climb at least one, but I didn’t fancy it as the ladder was covered in pigeon crap.
Accomodation
I mentioned that I didn’t look at the housing areas – that is true. But there were a few accomodation/mess blocks – I had a quick look at these (not in them though).
Other buildings & bits
I had a look at a few other buildings, but couldn’t really get into many.
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Another afterthought. In 1955 , there was a swimming pool alongside the guard room , Officers only (RAF and USAF) .How long did it last .?
Ben Chamley
in reply to Ben Chamley i don’t remember a swimming pool behind the guardroom, but behind SHQ there was an emergency water supply tank which served as a swimming pool, this was in 1961. If i recall it was used by aircrew to practice dinghy drills.
1 was stationed at RAF West Raynham during 1956 and was working in the Control Tower when the Hawker Hunters came down.I also remember the Fairy Delta landing there.Like many others I really enjoyed doing my National Service at West Raynham. I am now 72 and would like to hear from anyone who was in Air Traffic Control at that time..Corporal John Rushmore.
I was at west raynham from 1958-1960 corporal air wireless fitter] working on hunters mk 6&7 alsojavelins a hunter crashed while i was there.[in a sugarbeet field] and we camped out guarding it for acouple of days would like to hear from anybody who was stationed atw.raynham during my time also anybody stationed atRAF horsham st. faith 57-58
John Maclean posted about Sandy Sanderson on the 19 th Nov 2007 , I am searching for a Armourer by same name so any further info would be appreciatted.
The sandy I am looking for is also known as Peter and full name is Charles Peter Sanderson.
I was On 19Sqn in Gutersloh 1968 to 1971 with him.
Great reading
I was stationed at Raynham from 1984-1989, working in the ESF. It’s sad seeing the”old place” look in such a poor state. I had a pint or two with Ron, John Mac, Bob “the Bastard” Ives, and crew in the SAS club over the years. Great to read their comments.
My period of service at West Raynham was early 1970-1971. I worked in the electrical section as an LAC then SAC ground electrician (not a very good one though). I lived for a while at 61 AMQ next door to an Irish couple called John and Nonie, their surname I cannot recall. A few other names that spring to mind are Tom and Sue Barlow (41 Sqn?), Geordie Longmore, Ken Faulkner and Ian Newcombe. I an I still hear from occasionally but the others I have long since lost contact with. If nayone knows either the surname or location of John and Nonie I would be pleased to hear from them.
Matty Oates (Geordie) mentions Bob Etherington – is this, I wonder, the cave explorer who I think used to be a Squadron Leader?
Happy were the days when My (ex) wife Moya and I wandered into the village for a pint or three. I seem to recall an elderly lady stablehand called Vera or maybe Val; workerd in the local big house in the village. She was a dab-hand at shove ha’penny in th evillage bar. Anyone know who I mean?
paul.simonite@sac.co.uk
Served at Raynham from 1981 to 1987, first in the MOTES but most of the time running what was called “Refurb’s”, Over five years I rebulit 22 empty shells of Missiles into fully Functioning Missiles, this was a good job, but I hated the place, stuck in the midddle of nowhere. Revisited in 2007 and walked into my old work places, the MOTES were full of Hay and my refurb section full of Sheep!
With reference to Fred Austin’s comment of 28th July 08, I was also at West Raynham during 1958 to 1960, a national serviceman working as a radar mech. on GCA. During my time there were two crashes. One was a hunter piloted by a foreigner who flashed down the runway but did not take off, lucky for him the plane stuck in the muddy soil and he was uninjured. However when the plane was removed the wings were pulled off leaving a write off. It was used afterwards by the fire section for practice. I may be wrong but I think that the plane that Fred refers to was a Javelin which, after a trip on sunday remembrance day , returned to base, did a circuit or
two,had a flameout and crashed into a beetfield not too far from East Rudham station. I remember this well as we were walking to the station at that time.
I was a child when I lived at RAF West Raynham. My father “ran” the guardroom and my mother worked in the Officers Mess. We lived in three different houses on the camp – Holkham Green, Blicking Street and finally Stephensons Close (on the other side…) :0)
I went to both brownies and guides in Block 101 (and also the hairdresser who was in there too). Mum and I visited the thrift shop and I have a very vivid memory of walking up to the shop past the white gates in a snow storm. I remember there being huge snow drifts one year — well they were huge to me; I was around 4ft 5in I guess. We lived there from 1977 to 1982.
Went back a couple of weeks ago and it felt weird to be there – everything seemed to have shrunk………!!!!!! I definitely recognised everything though but its a shame its all gone to pot. I really do have good memories of Raynham but then I was a kid and we had lots of freedom in the late 70s/early 80s.
Anyone remember my dad, Matt Molloy?
Served at Weat Raynham from 1986 to 1990 in ESF 3 hangar although I spent most of my time in the motor club with Steve Medlen and Paul Avery. I have many fond memories of the place and it’s very sad to see it as it is today. Hoping to do a nostalgia trip there very soon before it changes forever.
Posted to West Raynham in late 83 and found myself running the side loaders at A & H and well remember Simon Allen and Mick Colclough. After being a squadron armourer (19 at Wildenrath & 56 at Wattisham) WR came as a bit of a shock – a sort of armourers rest home! Can’t believe Simon did 23 years. Anyone remember the other hooligans, Skip McCabe, Roger McFarland, Paul Grace, Steve Prescott, Nige Green etc? We won’t mention the SNCOs on the section! Someone has posted the photo of Arm Support on one of the armourers’ web sites, and kindly promoted me to Flight Sergeant – I wish! Have to say that although I had some good times there it was hardly a career posting. Susan, I well remember your Dad Matt, the only SWO with 3 stripes, and Louise, your dad Roy was a classic, I seem to remember the smell of cigar smoke in the his office! All the MT drivers names immediately brought back their faces as we worked with them almost every day although Ernie Knight and Ted Beckham are the only names I recall now. Haven’t been back to WR since going to Wattisham in 87.
Hi Dave those were the days. I cant believe I did 23 as I was leaving from the day I joined
. Looking back they were great days and I have to say Raynham was the tops, perhaps because I was young and foolish in those days. I was shocked when I visited to years ago and did the full tour including the old A&H flight and EFB. Drop me a line and lets catch up simonallen502@btinternet.com.
I was sent to West Raynham, as my first posting from training at Shawbury. Served in the ATC Tower as a Lac 1974 – 1976. I remember you Chriss. The station had two squadrons of Canberra Medium bombers, 100 & 85 Sqdn, also the Bloodhound Missile Battery over the far side of the base. Very impressive sight all the missiles arrayed and ready to go. I remember the ATC Tower, working shifts and also working downstairs in Ops. Used to go on the razzle with Geoff and, blast can’t remember his name, old age creeping in. Also went to various airshows in his old mini moke and drinking Buds at the American bases.
My father also served there in the sixties, hunter pilot.
The one thing I always remember, it was bloody miles from no-where with no mode of transport. The station airfield had a great supply of mushrooms every year. I often remember searching the vast expanse of grass for Mushrooms. I can remember the tiny switchboard area in the Tower, very little room, normally with two female sacw’s ruling the roost so to speak, sitting behind anyone who was busy, knitting rather than working.
As for hauntings, I witnessed a Spirit in the Airmans block closest to the road and the airmens mess, in 1975. On another occasion I was there when a blood curdling scream came from one of the upstairs toilets in the same block. No one came out of those toilets and no one was in there, when we went in. Make your own conclusions.
I have never been back and feel it would not be a good idea, only ruin any memories with the station in a sorry state.
You talk about hauntings at WR and although I never saw anything, the strangest thing did happen. In 1984, when serving on 85 Sqn I lived in Block 104, next the the Airmen’s Mess and nearest to the tennis courts and road (if this is the same block you refer to Alastair). One Friday evening, after having had a couple of beers in the S&S I went back to my room, closed the door, locked it from the inside and left the keys in the lock. I switched on the TV and as I usually did I thought I’d have a short kip before getting ready to go across to the Kestrel Club. The small kip turned into a couple of hours and when I awoke, beret still on my chest where I had left it, there in the middle of the floor was my collection of around twenty empty German beer bottles stacked up in a pyramid shape. If anyone remembers me from that time they might recall that the bottles were on top of my large locker. The door was locked, my window was closed so nobody could have wandered into my room. I remember mentioning this to the lads later that evening and one or two said that the station was known for various hauntings, especially in the ATC tower and the Officers Mess (a spirit of a Polish piolt I seem to recall). Likewise, make your own conclusions.