Podington
PODINGTON: Military aerodrome later private airstrip?
Note: Pictures by the author unless specified.
Military users: WW2: 8th USAAF
40th Bombardment Wing
92nd Bomb Group
325, 326, 327 & 407 Sqdns (B.17 Flying Fortresses)
Location: 6nm SE of Wellingborough
Period of operation: 1942 to 1946
Runways: 05/23 1829x46 hard 17/35 1033x46 hard
11/29 1280x46 hard
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
We have Mike Holder, a great friend of this 'Guide', to thank for investigating what is around today (2023/4) and providing us with this plethora of photos and maps etc.
Note on the mission card, listing his thirty missions completed, how, after D-Day the targets tranferred to France. He was one of lucky ones, he survived.
The excerpt is from Life on the Front Line.
THE SOCIAL SIDE OF THINGS
The USAAF were very keen to provide social events for the benefit of the local community.
Much appreciated mostly, as they were provided with an ample amount of 'goodies' shipped over from the U.S.A. For example, candies for the kids, peanut butter, and of course, nylons for the ladies. Indeed, it didn't stop after WW2. As a young lad I had an old uncle living in the States, he sent brochures of the latest cars, copies of Arizona magazine....and....pint pots of peanut butter into the 1950s. OH SO TASTY!!!
BITS AND BOBS
THE CONTROL TOWER GETS A NEW LEASE OF LIFE
LATER VIEWS
MORE INFORMATON FROM WIKIPEDIA
Mike Holder has also provided us with this information available on Wikipedia.
NOTES: Site of the Santa-Pod drag-racing track from (?) to present day. Very unusually the original control tower has been converted into a private house.
There is a memorial to the 92nd Bombardment Group on the access road into the airfield.
A NEW BEGINNING
In 2003 plans were in hand to restore some limited private flying activity using a 700x20 runway, (presumably grass?), and hangarage for around eight+ aeroplanes and/or microlights. Rather oddly an AAIB report, EW/G2013/06/11 states that PODINGTON is in NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. Has the County boundary been moved?
Barry Lloyd
This comment was written on: 2018-07-14 19:08:21Podington is definitely in Bedfordshire, but only just! Maybe some people are confused by the NN postcode. The only flying which takes place at Santa Pod these days are helicopter pleasure flights when there are major activities taking place. There is a dedicated helicopter landing site near the drag strip. There is a grass strip very close to the airfield, from which aircraft regularly take off and land. In fact I was working at Santa Pod today (14th July) and I saw a Tiger Moth and several other light aircraft flying around in close proximity to the drag strip. Google Earth is not particularly helpful, but shows a potential grass strip with outbuildings at 52.14.07 - 0.34.34
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