MYSTERY AIRFIELD - Was it really?

Browsing old copies of Airfield Review I came across a snippet in Volume 8 Number 4 (undated! but late 1986 ish) Page 23 which states:

'Huby Fairhead of the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum and a long standing ARG member has made an unusual discovery in East Anglia. Apparently there was a secret airfield used from 1942-45 by all black Lysander aircraft working for the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Huby is researching this site in more detail but it appears the airfield's existence has never been publlished anywhere before and that it possessed three hard runways and a control tower despite being situated amidst marshland and being virtually surrounded by a river and dykes! Huby will not reveal the precise location until further investigations are made but obviously he would like to hear from anyone else aware of this establishment'

I cannot recall ever seeing a follow-up article in AR on this statement so, to which airfield did this refer?

Not an April the 1st issue then!
How on earth did they completely hide a three hard runway airfield, without any of our own not knowing about it, and stil remained unknown with satellite imagerary and GA over flights?

was it the one at Newmarket just the other side of the now A14 from the racecoarse. My father was there and they took out agents etc

Tarkey

tarkey wrote:

was it the one at Newmarket just the other side of the now A14 from the racecoarse. My father was there and they took out agents etc

Tarkey

Do you mean Snailwell or is this another one Tarkey?

138 Sqn flew Lysanders from RAF Newmarket Heath but it didn't have hard runways, wasn't secret and is located on chalk heathland rather than a marsh.

yes Snailwell which it obviously isnt now

PJH wrote:

I doubt it as well. For a start a Lysander wouldn't have needed a large airfield with hard runways - a small grass field would have been fine. The SOE did use one or two such fields on a regular basis, Somersham being one example. If they needed to pick up someone from elsewhere, they just dropped into the nearest appropriate airfield, albeit keeping themselves to themselves. For example it's believed (but not confirmed) that Lysanders occasionally popped into Cranfield to pick up people, but the aircraft would taxi to one of the dispersals on the far side of the airfield where a car would be waiting.

Interesting subject though.

Peter

Not exactly true Peter. Tempsford was the wartime home to 161(SD), complete with hard runways. Their forward operating airfield was Tangmere, also with hard surfaces. 138 (SD) did operate from Snailwell and Stapleford Abbotts briefly, they were formed from 1419 flight(SOE) with a nucleus of pilots taken from 2(AC) Squadron, the very squadron that perfected short landings and takeoffs suited to SOE work around Sawbridgeworth early in 1941

*Edit 161(SD) squadron operated Whitleys, Halifaxes, Lysanders and Hudsons. 138(SD) operated Lysanders, a Whitley,and had two Hudsons on strength. One of the best books to read on the subject is 'We landed by moonlight' by Hugh Verity ISBN-10: 0947554750
ISBN-13: 978-0947554750

I am always suspicious of any statement which starts 'Apparently.....'

So, no answers yet then?

Come on NP; you were Acting Chairman of ARG at the time, can you recall any follow-up information being received?

EDIT: I have just found an e-mail address for Huby and have asked him the same question.

EDIT 2: Not unsuprisingly, my e-mail 'bounced'. Is Huby still with us?