This event goes back to 1942, when
Eric Doe at Pricketts Hall distinctly remembers the arrival of a large
American staff car laden with `top brass` parking near to the farm.
They wandered around the area, taking a particular interest in a large
wood at Butlers Farm, which stood there at the time. Locally known as
Nurse Wood, this was demolished shortly after the war ended
Was this going to mean another airfield ?
It became clearer later, Bures Hamlet was to be the site for a Munitions
Dispersal Site. The wood at Butlers Farm was especially useful for the
storage of incendiary bombs away from the prying eyes of the German
Luftwaffe.
The west of the village, fulfilled
the requirements of the military in that:
(a)it was a location sufficiently remote from the airfields at Earls
Colne and Wormingford which were prime targets for bombing;
(b)it was a location sufficiently close to the railway lines and airfields
to reduce transport time and cost;
(c)it was close to a railway line, with links to the main lines
(d) easy access for building materials, Ferriers Farm sand and &
gravel pit on site.
(e)the remoteness of the area meant that security could easily be maintained,
with little chance of strangers going unnoticed or unchallenged.
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Concrete roads were laid by
the USAAF alongside Bakers Hall/Valley Farm/Butlers Farm etc during
1941/42.
All the footpaths around the surrounding area were subsequently
closed by the Secretary of State for Air on 2nd March 1943.
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Towards Valley Farm there was a large "Administration" hut
which contained the office, canteen etc.
Other huts built around the area, such as those at Ravensfield and Peyton
Hall contained boxes of aircraft ammunition in wooden crates which were
not suitable to store outside. One resident, recalls as a child how
these timber crates were ideal for firewood and would be dismantled
and taken home from under the eyes of the guards.
Various one man Guard Posts were placed at strategic corners to deter
unwanted visitors. The main guard post out of the village, was located
in a hut opposite Bakers Hall on the Earls Colne Rd corner.
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Although
the bomb stores have long since disappeared, evidence of their
existence is still available with a keen eye.
Travelling from Bakers Hall to Valley Farm, concrete foundations
can be see by the side of the track
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In this photograph further down
the track, the concrete slab is clearly visible on the left. |
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This concrete slab, clearly visible
on the road between Ravensfield Farm and Daws Cross was the foundation
to one of the huts |
Also along the road between Bakers Hall and the Ferriers Barn corner,
there were 4 bomb stores on each side of the road. It is possible to
see these with careful study, as the hedgerow in these positions is
of a much younger age.
Acknowledgment
to:
Eric Doe, Gordon Webber, Trevor Riches, Arthur Kemp
Ida McMaster & Paul Roberts for their assistance
