After a very wet and windy June week it was a relief to see clear skies and even a bit of sunshine on Saturday morning for the long run. I’d checked the fluids and tyres and loaded up a few spares the night before and I’d decided to go the scenic route and avoid the A14 as much as I could, so at 8:30 am, top down, snugly wrapped up, we set off and headed for Bury St Edmunds.
The run up was great, diving into the countryside after Bury the roads open up and provide sweeping bends and long straights - definitely suited to classic motoring in an open top Alpine. Passing through Thetford Forrest the sun shone through the trees and the early morning traffic was light so we made good progress. My car was also enjoying the trip having been stuck in the garage for most of the month and definitely felt ‘on song’. We swung west as we passed Kings Lynn and the Wash, soon crossing over the River Nene at Sutton Bridge deep in the Fens. After quick stop for petrol and another hour on the road we were skirting the base getting glimpses of a Spitfire and looking for the entrance.
Coningsby is a fully operational airbase active in the role of national defence. It is home to two frontline, combat-ready squadrons of Typhoons and specialises in Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) - meaning that it ‘scrambles’ aircraft when a threat to UK airspace is detected.
It is also home to BBMF (Battle of Britain Memorial Flight) which consists of six Spitfires, two Hurricanes, a Douglas C-47 Dakota, a Lancaster (one of only two aircraft remaining in airworthy condition) and two de Havilland Canada Chipmunks. The base maintains these irreplaceable aircraft in airworthy condition and is constantly displaying them, so most of us will have seen them flying over events around the country.
We were met at the gate by security and when all of the cars had arrived, our official passes were issued and we drove in convoy onto the base. We were honoured to be shown round by the base Commander, Group Captain Mark Flewin, supported by some of his team. We quickly assembled outside one of the Typhoon maintenance hangar and were escorted inside the main building. The tour started with a short presentation by the Group Captain about the base, its history and its day to day activities - which were quite a revelation. As he concluded the noise of the Lancaster firing up caught our attention, so we quickly went outside to see it.
The four engines of the Avro Lancaster were fired up in succession and warmed as the crew settled themselves in. Standing a couple of hundred yards away the noise was powerful, rising slightly as the plane moved off onto the runway for take-off. A couple of minutes later it roared directly overhead, the noise considerably greater, then did a circuit of the airfield before heading off.
As the Lancaster was leaving a Spitfire had been rolled out of the hanger and was now also starting up. A few minutes later as it taxied for take-off, we were ushered forward much closer to the runway. The Group Captain had arranged for the Spitfire to do a short private display for us before it headed off. Over the next few minutes we were treated to several fly-pasts as it banked dramatically and swept around the airfield showing off the manoeuvrability of the aircraft.
Next we were taken into the hanger where the Typhoons were maintained. One plane was sitting with its canopy open and the electronic systems were engaged as we climbed up to be given a quick lesson in how it flew and the armaments it carried. In fact the aircraft is so complex that it is not ‘flown’ in the analogue sense, with computers constantly tuning the flight for stability and automatically defending plane with chaff etc. should it be attacked - making it the world’s leading in combat fighter.
Here was a photo-opportunity not to be missed. Using the Typhoon emerging from the hanger as the backdrop we assembled the cars in a ‘V’ formation in front of the plane. I’m not sure we’d qualify for the aerobatics team but we made a good job of creating a symmetrical pattern with the patriotically Red, White and Blue cars.
After a short bus tour of the areas of the base we were allowed to see we arrived at the Aviation Heritage Centre. Containing the historical archive of base operations from the first WWII missions to the present day it tells the story of the base operations and service personnel. It traces the evolution of the aircraft operating from the base - from the Lancaster (including the famous 617 Squadron known as the Dambusters) to the Vulcan bombers and Phantom jets, the Tornado and the modern day Typhoon.
We then returned to the huge BBMF hanger where the historic aircraft are stored and maintained. It was a garage that would have made any enthusiast dreams come true. We were given a talk on both the Spitfires and Hurricanes lined up along the sides of the hanger and walked around the planes in for routine maintenance and repair. I spotted a Spitfire I had recently seen in Normandy as part of the WWII commemorations, as well as the commander’s Hurricane having an oil leak diagnosed.
It was hard to leave but we were running out of time, so after a quick BBQ we were just in time to see the Lancaster buzz the airfield and land on its return. We thanked our hosts, said our farewells and were escorted off the airbase in convey again.
As the others headed for home we joined John Hancock at the nearby Petwood Hotel. John is a long term Alpine owner having had his Series IV since 1969 and lives locally. He was able to give us a tour of the building which had an aviation connection as it was where the Dam Busters officers mess was based and all around there was memorabilia from the squadron.
The reason John and I were meeting was also WWII and RAF connected. Many months earlier John had spotted my name (Brazill) next to photo of my Series I in the Horn and got in touch to ask if I was related to William Brazill ? William (or Scottie as I knew him) was my grandfather and was a Navigator in Wellingtons with 150 Squadren. Shot down over Belgium on a night mission in September 1942, Scottie evaded capture and while recovering from his injuries was hidden on a farm near Maredret by a Belgium family. After getting better, Scottie was transported by Réseau Comète (the Comet escape line) through occupied Belgium and France eventually being guided across the mountains by foot and into Spain. He made it to Gibraltar and finally returned back to the UK in January 1943. Scottie went on to be Chair of the RAF Escaping Society and from time to time returned to Belgium to meet with members of Comet and the family that sheltered him.
This is where the connection was - as it turned out that John not only knew the family that sheltered my grandfather but had visited them. John met his partner (Andree) while working in Belgium several years ago. It turned out that Andree’s niece had married Michel Housiaux who was a little boy when his grandparents hid Scottie during the war. Michel still lives on the farm in Maradret which John and Andree visit from time to time.
By that time however it was late and we needed to start back - so we said goodbye to John and headed to the car. As we started to take the tonneau off the heavens opened and we drove the car under a large oak tree and hid under the cover ourselves. After a torrential downpour and thunder claps overhead the rain eased enough for us to brave putting the full hood up and set off home.
Somehow the worst of the weather conspired to follow us back and for the next hour flashes lit up the sky as the storm that hit Lincolnshire that evening tried its best to flood the roads and float us into the ditch. However I’m glad to report that despite running a little rough for a time, the Alpine kept going and got us home. Over the next few days I dried out the carpets, amazed how well the roof had kept the weather off us.
A final thanks to Tom for organising the day and to Commander, Group Captain Mark Flewin for his hospitality and the time he spent with us. We all enjoyed ourselves immensely and learned a lot about the bases modern operations as well as being lucky to get up close to some fantastic historical aircraft.
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