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Building a wartime Watch Office


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Hi all

I have this thing whereas I used to visit old airfields and photograph what remained at those sites. I still dont know what possessed me to measure certain buildings but before I knew it, I have a catalogue of around 100 such drawings in 4mm

 

This scratch build is based on the Watch Office at a place called Bardney South-East-ish of Lincoln and home to 9 Squadron - mid 1943 ----> 1945

 Drwg No. 13726/41

 

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I always stall on the handrails  :doh:

 

37157064511_9a8be58ff9.jpg

 

36462673604_264645355a.jpg

 

36462672694_1529262041.jpg

 

Ian

 

 

Edited by Mancunian airman
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1 hour ago, Mancunian airman said:

I still know know what possessed me to measure certain buildings but before I knew it, I have a catalogue of around 100 such drawings in 4mm

 

Ian

 

 

What a fantastic resource you've created!

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Very good job i like your watch office. Would you know if that is a standard size ? Im starting to collect Info and Materials for a large diorama of a WW2 USAAF/RAF Airfield. It will eventually incorporate 15+ aircraft and associated vehicles and ground equipment. These watch offices would you have something for RAF Debden ? 

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Here is a Link to a listing of towers and Debden is here  . . . 

 

http://www.controltowers.co.uk/Dlist.htm

 

and this is the photo of the version you need

31736731603_076b392395.jpg

 

There were so many difference types that there really wasnt a 'standard size'

 

Will you be building something like this I wonder ??

36508124910_33854e3979.jpg

 

I hope this helps . .. 

Ian

 

PS You may be able to get a site plan of the airfield from the 

Royal Air Force Museum (RAFM) Hendon

London.

I dont have the full address but the Internet search should provide such along with other details of the service.

Edited by Mancunian airman
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They do as you state appear to be of American origin . . . (Slightly off topic)

 

We  in Britain had the Royal Observer Corps, (ROC), who manned observation post all over the country. Situated primarily on the coast they were soon appearing in-land and after the Blitz, they soon began to be used to locate our own aircraft when they were returning to 'Blighty' and in trouble.

Any RAF or USAAF station could notify the ROC to be on the look-out for their particular aircraft and relay info as and when.

In some old Black.White films you see British observers on tops of high buildings or in green fields.

 

There are still some disused wartime Observation post still in situ here in Lincolnshire and although I dont know the full details/history, the ROC also had underground bunkers throughout  the 'Cold War' for the original purpose of 'observing'

 

Ian

Edited by Mancunian airman
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39 minutes ago, Mancunian airman said:

.... the ROC also had underground bunkers throughout  the 'Cold War' for the original purpose of 'observing'.

 In 1955 the ROC were given the new role of monitoring and reporting fallout as part of the UK Warning and Monitoring Organisation, funded by the Home Office.  At that point posts began to be relocated underground though the reporting platforms lingered on for a while afterwards: I think I can remember a rusty relic on the peak of a wet and misty hill at Black Rock, Camborne.  The aircraft reporting role died out in the early 1960s.  Members of the organisation continued to wear RAF uniform and, perhaps as incentives to perform a grim role, jollies in aircraft from various RAF stations continued, in my father's case RAF St Mawgan and RNAS Culdrose.  The organisation was stood down in 1991 as part of the "peace dividend" (remember that?) in the wake of the fall of the Berlin Wall.  

 

For anyone walking the South West Coastal Path there is a preserved post, lovingly tended by ex-ROC members under National Trust protection at Veryan on the south coast of Cornwall.    

 

http://www.roc-heritage.co.uk/england.html

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Mancunian airman ... not quite but similar. I have a Photo of the 8th Fighter Command group commanders at a meeting circa August 1944. I am attempting to Recreate the Flightline Photo that shows all the 16 groups represented. There were 11-P-51's, 4-P-47's, and 1-P-38 in the lineup. I already have a few of the planes done. I also will have the watch/control tower, several Ground vehicles, and possibly in a distant background of parts of Debden and the other equipment used there. 

     The photo shows this line up.  What was occuring was the weekly meeting to coordinate the commands weekly activities. These meetings would float. Each week would be hosted by a different group. I chose Debden for three main reasons. First it was the photo's location. And second was the fact that Debden was home to the 4th Fighter Group the former "Eagle Squadrons" that had come from the RAF. Finally Three because i believe it would look very good to pose all the Variations of identifying nose and other colors  and symbols used to identify each group. Im hoping in the long run to maybe eventually donate the whole build to a museum. 

Edited by Corsairfoxfouruncle
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Similar yes ... but that is the general idea ? To show the Diversity of markings off this is what im planning. bt2t7i6.jpg

i have several versions and angles of this photo shoot. This has either been colorized or is original ? Not sure ? But this is Debden according to the wiki page for the 8th Fighter command.  

Edited by Corsairfoxfouruncle
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On 9/19/2017 at 10:13 PM, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Similar yes ... but that is the general idea ? To show the Diversity of markings off this is what im planning. bt2t7i6.jpg

i have several versions and angles of this photo shoot. This has either been colorized or is original ? Not sure ? But this is Debden according to the wiki page for the 8th Fighter command.  

That photo tells me that it was taken from the side of the tower, probably from the first floor looking towards the rear. The aircraft stand on the steel planking, 6 sections wide, and face the peri-track which ran behind the tower. Note the young trees planted and the enclosed 25yds shooting butt for the aircraft with its concrete stand on which to raise the aircraft for checking gun alignment.

 

Hope very much to see something of your plans and execution of your idea which sounds really great.

rgds

Ian

Edited by Mancunian airman
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Ian ... first off let me say that displays like yours actually help me to keep on this idea. It proves im not alone in wanting to do this. Two i cant say how much i enjoy your build and others both here at BM and in museums. I do have this roughly mapped out in my head and some scetches but my thought was build the aircraft first then build the Debden Ramp.

     

     Aeronut .. I’ve already converted a 1/48 P-47D into a two seater. I will post that here in the Aircraft RFI sometime soon. I did it  in the markings of the 356th Ftr. Grp. Originally i had planned on doing this display in 1/48th scale. Then after having completed 3 of the builds. I Realized my math both scale wise and financially and knew it would never happen.

    I restarted the project in 1/72nd at that point. I am planning on doing both the two seat P-51B/C you see in the photo. As well as the Famous P-47D Doublebolt used by the 56th Ftr. Grp. I figured that they would’ve both been used for something like this as they were both Sqn. Hacks. 

 

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On 9/19/2017 at 3:25 PM, Mancunian airman said:

There are still some disused wartime Observation post still in situ here in Lincolnshire and although I dont know the full details/history, the ROC also had underground bunkers throughout  the 'Cold War' for the original purpose of 'observing'

 

Ian

Yes. I can vouch for one of those bunkers. When I was a lad I lived near the North Downs and spent most of the school holidays playing in woods and south-facing fields with a bunch of other kids of the same age. We were fascinated when excavation work began at the top of one of the fields, just in front of a thick hedgerow. An underground bunker was built there which my dad told me was for the ROC.  The area was fenced off and eventually all you could see of it were a couple of ventilation pipes. This was in the early to mid 60s.

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  • 5 months later...
On 9/21/2017 at 4:15 PM, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Ian ... first off let me say that displays like yours actually help me to keep on this idea.

 I do have this roughly mapped out in my head and some scetches but my thought was build the aircraft first then build the Debden Ramp.

   

 

Its been a while so I presume you have been busy with the Razorbacks etc

My model shown above is the type of tower you are going to need so when you are ready . . .  I have a plan of type 1959/34 tower and associated buildings.

Let me know and I will send you my listings  . . . 

Ian

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So how come I missed this thread when I started messing about with a cardboard control tower?   Loosely based on RAF Bury St Edmunds (Rougham) and RAF Martlesham Heath watch tower with a Cold War tower on top

 

XAyCy2u_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&f

 

Interior or of the tower, walkways and hand rails still being worked on

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Been to a couple of nice watch offices / towers - first was Thorpe Abbotts 100th bomb group museum.  Very nice place & a nice bunch of guys volunteering to run it.

 

AceOIPF_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&f

 

The next is the nearest one to me at Rougham

 

bhLsA3g_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&f

 

There are also surviving towers at Martlesham Heath and Rattlesden nearby.

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I recently made a friend in the United States and he has the interest of old RAF stations.

I sent to him, my list of drawings of buildings found on such sites and the Watch Office 518/40 took his fancy. With technology, currently beyond my comprehension, he somehow converted my 4mm drawing to a 3D programme and produced this building in kit form.  It not commercially available yet but   . . . .

 

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Along my own build . . . 

41198645065_493447277f_z.jpg

 

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It tells me that there is such potential with 3D printing for modellers that I really ought to get into such technology and perhaps produce more buildings from my own listings.

In fact my friend is also going to produce the Night Flying Equipment shed as well as the Floodlight trailer and Crash tender sheds. Oh happy days.

 

Sorry Mr Airfix, you missed the boat.

Ian

 

 

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8 hours ago, Mancunian airman said:

It tells me that there is such potential with 3D printing for modellers that I really ought to get into such technology and perhaps produce more buildings from my own listings.

I think that you should heed your own advice Ian, there must be a gap in the market for these types of buildings, especially the more obscure and not just the old Airfix type of offering. 

I've seen your plans listings and there's some really interesting subjects. 

If you can get this off the ground, you'll have a customer up here in Northumberland. 

 

Chris. 

Edited by cngaero
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