Egmere




Construction started here in Oct 1942 on what was to be known officially as North Creake airbase.

Taylor Woodrow built the flying field on a £331,000 contract and W. Lawrence & Son Ltd
put up the buildings for £336,000. The site was on an area of farmland known as
Bunker's Hill with the camp on the east side. The road from Burnham Thorpe to
Little Walsingham running across the airfield site was closed.

The technical and administrative sites bordered the unclassified country roads that ran
from Wells to Fakenham and domestic sites for 2,951 males and 411 females were dispersed
in farmland to the east.

The three intersecting runways were 04-24 at 2,000 yds and O1-19 and 13-31 both at 1,400 yds.
All 36 hardstandings were the loop type, six on the east side of the Egmere Wells to
Crabbe's Castle road, which was closed to all civilian traffic.

Hangarage was the standard two T2 and a single B1.

Originally intended for No. 2 Group, North Creake passed to No. 3 and then,December 1943,
to No. 100. It was not immediately occupied as it was selected for upgrading to
heavy bomber standard. However, apparently after further survey work had taken place,
the airfield fell from favour and Sculthorpe took its place.

Reverting to usage by No. 100 Group, in May 1944 the Stirlings of No. 199 Squadron were
transferred from No. 3 Group and Lakenheath to engage in Window and Mandrel sorties
against enemy radar tracking of Bomber Command raids.

In September 1944, No. 199's `C' Flight was used to re-form a squadron, No. 171, and boost
No. 100 Group's radio counter-measures capability. Initially equipped with Stirlings,
No. 171 converted to Halifaxes before the end of the year, No. 199 following suite in
March 1945 - the last Bomber Command squadron still with Stirlings.


The final sorties of the war from the base were flown on the night on May 2nd 1945.
The two squadrons had lost a total of 17 aircraft during operations from the airfield,
eight Stirling and nine Halifaxes.

Three months later both squadrons had been disbanded and the airfield was being
pressed into use for aircraft storage, mainly for Mosquitos.

The RAF finally relinquished Noth Creake in the autumn of 1947 whereupon the flying
field was returned to agriculture and the runways eventually removed apart from
narrow strips used as farm roads.