The land usage, location and morphology of Cambridgeshire airfields before, during and after World War Two (original) (raw)

Introduction In the last twenty to thirty years, due to advances in technology such as aerial photography and Lidar imagery, the Cambridgeshire landscape has come alive with sites of historical importance. Sites such as Flag Fen and the South Cambridgeshire Dykes, and the recent discovery of Britain’s best preserved Bronze Age dwellings at Whittlesey have revealed Cambridgeshire as a place of great historical significance. However, the importance of more recent history, such as world war archaeology, is often overlooked. The nature of Britain’s post 1945 de-requisition programme has resulted in the destruction or loss of many sites that were of great importance during World War II, particularly airfields. The number of active airfields nationally increased during WWII and decreased again at the end of the war (see Figure 2) and this national change is reflected in the airfields of Cambridgeshire. The boundaries of Cambridgeshire have changed with the incorporation of Huntingdonshire in 1974: to ensure continuity, the county of Cambridgeshire will be defined as prior to 1974, and all images and discussion will relate the county of Cambridgeshire as defined at this time. During WWII there were 18 airfields in use in Cambridgeshire, some previously in existence and others built during the war. The names, locations, types of airfield and years during which these airfields were active are summarised in Figure 1. This dissertation aims to investigate the creation, location, morphology and evolution of these airfields prior to, during and directly after WWII to identify the rationale behind their construction throughout their careers.