Thorpe Abbotts | |
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![]() The parish church of All Saints, Thorpe Abbots, Norfolk | |
Location within Norfolk | |
OS grid reference | TM190790 |
• London | 106 miles (171 km) |
Civil parish | |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | DISS |
Postcode district | IP21 |
Dialling code | 01379 |
Police | Norfolk |
Fire | Norfolk |
Ambulance | East of England |
Thorpe Abbotts is a village and (as Thorpe Abbots) a former civil parish, now in the parish of Brockdish, in the South Norfolk district, in the county of Norfolk, England. [1] The village is 6.5 miles (10.5 km) east of Diss, 20.8 miles (33.5 km) south south west of Norwich and 106 miles (171 km) north east of London. The village lies .4 miles (0.64 km) north of the A143 Diss to Great Yarmouth road. [2] The nearest railway station is at Diss for the Great Eastern Main Line which runs between Norwich and Liverpool Street station, London. The nearest airport is Norwich International Airport. In 1931 the parish had a population of 170. [3]
The villages name means 'abbot's outlying farm/settlement'. [4]
Thorpe Abbotts has an entry in the Domesday Book of 1085. [5] In the great book, Thorpe Abbotts is recorded by the name Thorp and is said to be King's land, in the charge of William de Noyers.
On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Brockdish. [6]
During the Second World War, Thorpe Abbotts became home to RAF Station Thorpe Abbotts with the designation 139, Thorpe Abbotts. [7] The airfield was built in 1942 by John Laing & Sons Ltd. The airfield had three intersecting runways laid with concrete which were encircled by a three and a half mile perimeter road. [8] The perimeter road had hard standings for fifty aircraft. There were two hangars, a technical site and a domestic area. The station became operational in June 1943 when the 100th Bomb Group of the United States Army Air Forces took up residency equipped with the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. The group became known as the ‘’Bloody 100th’’ because of the heavy losses incurred by the group on a number of their combat missions. [9] The 100th were the only group to fly operations from Thorpe Abbots and during a period between 15 June 1943 and 10 April 1945, 306 [10] missions were flown from the airfield. The USAAF left the station in December 1945 when the airfield was returned to the RAF and it remained inactive until April 1956 when the airfield was finally closed (de-requisitioned).
The land owned by Sir Rupert Mann has been returned to agricultural use but the perimeter road remained intact until 1986 when it was demolished. Some of the buildings including the control tower still survive. Today the old control tower has been fully restored and contains a museum dedicated to the famous 'Bloody Hundredth' Bomb Group. [11] The museum tells the story of Thorpe Abbotts and portrays every-day life on an American bomber base. A D-4 link trainer is on display, while a B-24 tail turret is undergoing restoration. Special events and reunions are frequently staged.
From time to time, visitors to the museum report an overpowering presence within the control tower, occasionally accompanied by the brief glimpse of an airman dressed in full flying gear. [12] The sound of VHF chatter and the sound of aircraft have also been heard. These strange apparitions are not a new phenomenon. "Eddie the Ghost", as American personnel nicknamed him, began to appear after the first Berlin raids by the RAF's Bomber Command, with "Eddie's" apparitions noted as happening from 1942; he was reported as walking through walls of the airmen's quarters. Stories of the ghost persisted with some of the men taking their carbines to bed with them. Fearing an accident, Colonel Jeffrey, the station (base) commander, forbade all talk of Eddie on penalty of court martial. Today, sightings are less frequently recorded although Eddie is occasionally seen when the tower is locked at night. He appears at the first-floor window looking out as if to say good night. [12]
All Saints parish church is one of 124 existing round-tower churches in Norfolk. The church was almost entirely refurbished in the 19th century but still possess its medieval font and screen. The church is a Grade I listed building .
The village hand pump was installed by Lord Justice Kay in 1867 and has a wooden canopy placed over it. The pump has undergone several restorations - in 1924 by a local doctor and, more recently, by the villagers in 1979.
Diss is a market town and electoral ward in South Norfolk, England, near the boundary with Suffolk, with a population of 7,572 in 2011. Diss railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line between London and Norwich. It lies in the valley of the River Waveney, round a mere covering 6 acres (2.4 ha) and up to 18 feet (5.5 m) deep, although there is another 51 feet (16 m) of mud.
Royal Air Force Horsham St Faith or more simply RAF Horsham St Faith is a former Royal Air Force station near Norwich, Norfolk, England which was operational from 1939 to 1963. It was then developed as Norwich International Airport.
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Royal Air Force Hethel or more simply RAF Hethel is a former Royal Air Force station which was used by both the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. The airfield is located 7 miles (11 km) south west of Norwich, Norfolk, England and is now owned by Lotus Cars.
Royal Air Force Tibenham or more simply RAF Tibenham is a former Royal Air Force station located 13.5 miles (21.7 km) southwest of Norwich and 5.8 miles (9.3 km) north of Diss, Norfolk, England.
Royal Air Force Eye or more simply RAF Eye is a former Royal Air Force station located 11 miles (18 km) northeast of Stowmarket, Suffolk, England on the northwest edge of Eye and south of Diss.
Royal Air Force Seething, or more simply RAF Seething , is a former Royal Air Force station located around 9 NM south-east of Norwich, Norfolk, England. The base was located on the parish boundaries of Seething, Mundham and Hedenham.
Royal Air Force Rackheath, more commonly known as RAF Rackheath, is a former Royal Air Force station located near the village of Rackheath, approximately 6 miles north-east of Norwich, in the county of Norfolk in England.
Royal Air Force Thorpe Abbotts or more simply RAF Thorpe Abbotts is a former Royal Air Force station located 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Diss, Norfolk, in eastern England.
Royal Air Force Framlingham or more simply RAF Framlingham is a former Royal Air Force station located 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of Framlingham, Suffolk, England.
Royal Air Force Great Dunmow or more simply RAF Great Dunmow is a former Royal Air Force station in the parish of Little Easton, Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately 1.4 miles (2.3 km) mi west of Great Dunmow, north of the A120; about 42 miles (68 km) northeast of London
Hethel is a small village in the civil parish of Bracon Ash, in the South Norfolk district, in Norfolk, England, approximately five miles (8.0 km) southeast of the market town of Wymondham, and approximately ten miles (16 km) south of the city of Norwich. In 1931 the parish had a population of 118. On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Bracon Ash.
Royal Air Force Matching or more simply RAF Matching is a former Royal Air Force station located 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Harlow, Essex and 22 miles (35 km) northeast of London.
Matlaske is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is 21.6 miles (34.8 km) North-north-west of Norwich, 9.3 miles (15.0 km) south-west of Cromer and 136 miles (219 km) north-north-east of London. The nearest railway station is at Sheringham for the Bittern Line which runs between Sheringham, Cromer and Norwich. The nearest airport is Norwich International Airport. The parish of Matlask in the 2001 census, a population of 124, increasing to 139 at the 2011 Census. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of North Norfolk.
Royal Air Force Merryfield or more simply RAF Merryfield is a former Royal Air Force station in the village of Ilton near Ilminster in southwest Somerset, England. The airfield is located approximately 7 miles (11 km) north of Chard, about 130 miles (210 km) southwest of London. It is now RNAS Merryfield and serves as a satellite to the larger RNAS Yeovilton; it is used mainly as a training facility for helicopter pilots.
Cockthorpe is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Binham, in the North Norfolk district, in the county of Norfolk, England. It is 5.2 miles (8.4 km) north-west of Holt, 28.9 miles (46.5 km) north-west of Norwich and 127 miles (204 km) north of London. In 1931 the parish had a population of 55. On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Binham.
Tibenham is a village and civil parish located in the Depwade district of South Norfolk, England. The parish is 2 miles (3.2 km) north west of Tivetshall railway station. It has a public house called The Greyhound.
The 100th Bomb Group Memorial Museum, located in the original control tower and other remaining buildings of the RAF Thorpe Abbotts airfield east of Diss in Norfolk is named after the 100th Bomb Group and is dedicated to the American soldiers and members of the US 8th Air Force who fought with the Allies in Norfolk in World War II. The area also became known as the "Fields of Little America" due to the number of Americans stationed there.