RAF Rivenhall History

09/10/2026

Sometimes the detail is right in front of you…

I’ve been working through some display plans for the Rivenhall Museum which is due to open next year. The first unit based there, the 363rd Fighter Group of the USAAF, were only there for a matter of months, so getting detail on their time there is limited.

Flying P51 B’s, it was hard to visualise what the aircraft looked like whilst at Rivenhall, most pictures available are undated so usually a bit of guesswork. However, a great source has been the book below.

Sometimes you can spend too much time looking for the detail in archives and inside books. This time, I found the detail on the OUTSIDE of the book!! This picture depicts their last mission from Rivenhall.

27/09/2026

USAAF RAF Rivenhall Airfield Walk

Had a fantastic day today talking about the history of the former USAAF/RAF Rivenhall station. Thank you for the volunteers (you know who you are) who took their Sunday out to impart their knowledge.

It was great to see so many faces turn up, some with family links to the airfield, some whose fathers and mothers had served in WW2.

Looking forward to the next one, watch this space.

25/09/2026

Harrowing narrative from War Correspondent Stanley Maxted in Arnhem. A week later the crews of 295 and 570 Squadrons, who were dropping some of those supplies from their Mk IV Stirlings, moved to RAF Rivenhall.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19VaYb75Rt/?mibextid=wwXIfr

21/09/2026

Bit of a tidy up ready for the upcoming Airfield Walk. Looking forward to talking about the history of this forgotten treasure.

15/09/2026

09/09/2026

Last month I visited Norway to pay respects to Group Captain Surplice, the first Station Commander of RAF Rivenhall. After paying my respects at his grave, I spent some time looking at the headstones of those that lay around him at the Oslo cemetery. I was struck by the fact that many who had ended up in that small Commonwealth War Grave collection were Airborne Forces.

Five members of the Royal Engineers (Airborne) lay in their separate graves, but having arrived together in Norway. Operation Freshman, the first time ever that Horsa gliders had been used on operations. In November 1942 two gliders were towed by Halifax tugs from Scotland carrying these specially trained Royal Engineers. Their task - to blow up the hard water plant at Vemork, Telemark. It was a disaster, both gliders crashed in the mountains along with one of the tugs. Those that didn’t die in the crashes were captured by the Germans. Having endured months of interrogation, these were the last five to be executed under Hitlers Commando Order.

Lining both the front and rear rows of the cemetery plot were members of the 1st Airborne Division, famed for the Battle of Arnhem. After Arnhem the Division had been held in reserve, with many of the units still very under strength after their losses. On 10th May 1945 the Division was flown from bases across Essex and Suffolk (including Rivenhall) to accept the surrender of German forces in Norway. The weather had deteriorated and the order to turn back was given - some aircraft did not get the signal and crashed in Norway. Two days after War in Europe had ended these men, some who had fought in many battles, died in plane crashes. It is hard to fathom the impact that must have had on the Division.

The cemetery in Oslo was immaculate - a very touching place to visit. Thank you to our Norwegian friends who continue to remember our fallen.

28/08/2026

Earlier this week we were given a tour of the brewery house, Woodhouse Farm. This is where the USAAF/RAF Rivenhall museum will be housed.

Indaver and Punch have restored the building brilliantly, keeping to its original looks and features as much as possible but making it usable for the future.

We can now visualise the space available for museum artefacts and information. If you have anything that is part of the former airfield and would like to have it on display, please contact [email protected]

We are planning for a grand opening the last weekend of March 2027. Put the date in your diary.

27/08/2026

After the phenomenal amount of interest about the RAF Rivenhall Walk on 27th September, all places have been filled.

There were a lot of comments/messages on different pages showing interest, but if you didn’t get chance to register with Paul Bass at Airfield Walks then you won’t have been counted.

Because of the demand we will look at a second date for a not too distant day later in the year. If you want to get your names down in advance to avoid disappointment, then please email [email protected]

Also, once the museum has opened next year, we will combine walks on some days there as well.

Sorry if you have missed out this time around.

23/08/2026

If interested please register in the following comment:

22/08/2026

Whilst being hosted in Norway, I was presented a pair of flying boots worn by one of the crew in LK171 Shooting Stars. These will form part of the displays in the museum opening at the former site of the station next year.

Today, I took them back to RAF Rivenhall. In the briefing room that still stands, those boots would have last walked that ground on 2nd November 1944. Later that night during a resupply drop in Norway, the person wearing those boots was forced to parachute into a snow storm and then evade capture with three other colleagues from the aircraft. It took them two months to get home.

So many legends and unknown stories to be told.