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THE AIRFIELD
The airfield in Acton was once the
Sudbury Station of the United States Eight Air Force. The airfield itself
was about equally devided between Chilton and Acton, the majority of the
temporary buildings were in Great Waldigfield.
This was just one development in a total of
nearly one hundred which in the 1940's turned East Anglia into an
aircraft carrier enabling the Eight Air force to deliver an onslaught against
Germany and Nazi-occupied Europe.
The airfield was constructed by John Lang
&Son during 1943 as a 'class 'A' Heavy Bomber Base'. The 488th Bombardment
Group was originally 'The Old Ninth', an anti-submarine squadron. The Group
started training on B10s and then B24s. The first Liberator arrived at
2.15pm on Sunday, 2nd April 1944. the first mission was flown on Sunday,
7th May-the target, the railway yards at Liege.
'Local' Liberators were involved in
the D-Day attack and the Fortresses helped stem the Battle of the Bulge
in the Ardennes. the total number of missions undertaken was one hundred
and eighty six, Fortysix of those were in B24's, and the remainder in B17's.
Fiftyseven aircraft were lost, thirtythree in action. If the War
had not finished when it did, the runways were to have been extended for
Super-Fortresses.
The last mission was flown on 21st April 1945 and
on 15th July of thet year the Americans returned home, apart from the four
hundred who, from this base, had given thir lives.
LIME TREE PARK ESTATE. The estate was added to the village in the 1970's. The road names are connected with Acton history. De Bures, Daniels, Jennens and Howe are in the previous pages also the name Daniels, who was well known in recent years as the village Nurse and Midwife. Tamage is one of the old Acton Manors amd some of the old village fields still bear this name. Kedinton refers to the Kedington family. Information on this can be found in the Church and Churchyard. |
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