More than two hundred local people, historians and aviation enthusiasts gathered in Willingale at the beginning of October to see a new memorial marking the site of the WWII Chipping Ongar (Willingale) Airfield. It was a glorious day, and I was honoured to be invited not only to attend, but also to unveil the granite memorial stone.
The airfield was a World War Two bomber airfield which opened in June 1943 and was the temporary home for American Martin B-26 Marauder medium bombers of the 387th Bomb Group, crew and ground staff. The bombers were used to attack many tactical targets in occupied Europe until after D-Day.
At first sight, the airfield is now just farmland, with some helpful concrete roads running through flat, open arable land. On closer inspection, and with some expert knowledge from local people with a keen interest in the area, it is possible to imagine the wide runway in use, and see the remaining concrete taxi-ing areas and control tower (now a beautiful home).
The memorial has been placed by the Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust, under the expert stewardship of Kenneth bannerman, and with the help of Willingale Parish Council and local farmers, Bernard Green and Stuart Bosworth. The Parish Council’s chairman, David Stokes organised a wonderful event, with an ‘Honour Guard’ from the USAF based at RAF Mildenhall in attendance, and presenting David with the American flag they had paraded in front of the memorial.
This was a fitting tribute to all those who served in Ongar and the villages during the Second World War, and will enable the airfield to be recognised and remembered for many years to come.
