Welcome to the blog page all about aspects of RAF Greenham Common.
I'll be posting news, questions, musings and thoughts on the history of the base so keep coming back for content!
This month saw the annual remembrance ceremony on Monday Dec 12th of the loss of the US Army 82nd Airborne Horsa glider at Greenham Common in 1944. Since 2007, this has included a remembrance of two B-17s that collided very close to the airfield a few days after on December 15 1944. In 2012, a new memorial dedicated to those lost in both accidents was opened by Princess Anne. In 2019, this was relocated and now stands in front of Greenham Control Tower.
Read more here: https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/remembering-1944-greenham-common-aircraft-crashes-9290666/
Cold War Conversations:
Ian Sanders runs an excellent weekly podcast on Cold War topics of a very varied number of aspects of the conflict.
Of particular note is a recent episode called Home Bases on US bases in Britain (especially those in and around London with author Sean Kelly. You can listen to this episode at:
I have also recorded a specific episode on RAF Greenham Common which you can listen to at:
New Greenham Control Tower Video is on the way
This week, a new video history of Greenham Common control tower will be available and on display at the control tower for visitors to see in the near future.
A very positive response was had at the Newbury Volunteer Show at The Newbury Corn Exchange on Saturday 14 Jan so we hope to recruit a new series of volunteers to keep the tower running well through 2023 and on into the future. I'll also be leading more guided walks again from the tower from the summer months into early autumn.
New video on the history of Greenham Common Control Tower:
Here is the new video:
A look at the museum at RAF Welford featured in the Newbury Weekly News
The Newbury Weekly news ran an article on the museum at building 229 at RAF Welford;
Read it at:
https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/private-museum-tour-at-active-american-base-9295557/
40th Anniversary of GLCM arriving at RAF Greenham Common
2023 marks the 40th anniversary of the arrival of Ground Launched Cruise Missiles (GLCM) at RAF Greenham Common. The anniversary comes next November with the Initial Operating Capability reached on January 1st 1984.
80th anniversary of RAF Welford
2023 marks the 80th anniversary of RAF Welford. We look forward to making the long and vital service the base has given to Britain and the US over this time. Check out some of the photos from the event on June 23rd and the write up in the Newbury Weekly News: https://www.newburytoday.co.uk/news/event-marks-80-years-of-historic-berkshire-military-base-9319538/
New article on the history of Greenham Common in Out & About magazine
I've recently worked with Newbury Weekly News journalist Mirek Gosney on the story of US Army soldier Cpl George Tiss. His daughter in law sent me a huge number of the amazing pictures he took when he was sent to Britain in 1952-1953 to rebuild Greenham Common and the airfield. This is a sister publication of the Newbury Weekly News published quarterly and went in the Summer 2023 edition. Have a look at the end result:
40th Anniversary of GLCM arriving at RAF Greenham Common
November 14 2023 marks exactly 40 years since the first Ground Launched Cruise Missiles (GLCM) were delivered to Greenham Common to worldwide attention. Here are some images looking back at the period of the 1980s Cold War:
