My business travels today took me very close to Bylaugh Hall in Norfolk - the WWII HQ of 100 ( Bomber Support ) Group ( motto : 'Confound & Destroy' ). From this highly secret and remote location, complex operations wre planned and directed for the countermeasures Lancasters, B-17s and Liberators equipped with 'Airborne Cigar', 'Jostle', 'Piperack' etc and also, of course, 100 Group's Mosquito Nightfighters hunting the Nachtjagd.

Bylaugh Hall itself fell derelict after WWII but has been recently refurbished into luxury apartments. Here's the view from the road....




Needless to say, my eye was rather taken by the tempting-looking Nissen huts in the woods just below and to the right of the Hall. Luckily, we've had dry weather lately, so a brisk walk around the edge of the field took me to what proved to be an interconnected complex of large Nissen-type buildings ; the administration and signals departments of 100 Group HQ....






Some tangible signs of RAF usage remain.....




The big Nissen huts retain much of their original lining : I wouldn't want to explore these buildings in windy conditions......




A surprisingly well-built fireplace ; vital in the Winter of 1944....





And finally, a nice view of the Hall itself ( 100 Groups' Operations Room was on the top floor ) ; -




Happily, no-one appeared to chase me off ( I'd have looked a strange sight in blue business suit and shiny black shoes - not my usual exploration gear ! ) and I was very pleased to get these pictures of a very historic location. The buildings are in a very poor state and surely will disappear before long. It was strange to explore what would once have been a maximum-security wartime facility......

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Thanks Martin,
Always good to see pics of a wartime nerve centre.

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Regards,

Gordon
History Vault Bookshop
FortressScotland-http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/Historian/

Great pictures Martin ! I am sure the huts don't have long to go as the apartment dwellers will want the "eye sores" to be torn down.

I would have taken a few bricks for keep sakes.

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Work Harder ! Millions on welfare are depending on you.

I'd have liked to have brought a Nissen hut back with me and preserve it in my back yard..... However, that being not entirely practical, I did bring back a tiny keepsake.....the brass keyhole from the teleprinter hut door :

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Good for you !

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Work Harder ! Millions on welfare are depending on you.

I love these photo threads of yours Martin! Great find my friend.

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"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance." Socrates

Bylaugh Hall


..the 'official' web site..

I was wondering about the pronounciation ..apparently its 'bee-la' ....

this is very close to my parents place near Dereham ...but I've never really known of its significance..

....thanks Martin

Thanks for the link, Neil - although I think they need a history lesson : quite what the place had to do with 'dam busting' is beyond me.....

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Excellent find Martin. What a treasure hunter you are. Thanks!

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

Thread *bumped* for Erich !

100 Group's nightfighter/intruder Squadrons were...

192 / 141 / 239 / 515 / 169 / 157 / 85 & 23 ......

__________________
"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

thanks Martin, now the obvious, the 100th grp HQ is based here but what about the squadrons ?

ah the questions continue, the 85th was the highest scoring RAF Mossie nf unit in 100th grp ? I ask as I want to educate myself here with your expertise......my initial sheets on Mossie nf's is from the 1960's and quite watermarked over time due to poor storge moving from spot to spot on this planet, plus the inadequate supply of any Mossie squadron histories on my shelves

The n/f and intruder Squadrons were based at : -

Foulsham ( 192 )

West Raynham ( 141, 239 )

Little Snoring ( 23, 169, 515 )

Great Massingham ( 169, 515 )

Swannington ( 85, 157 )

As for Squadron scores, I will need to dig around a little in my books.....

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

thank you I have the time for the scores when available at your convenience

E ~

In the meantime, here's a little 100 Group 'Then & Now' from the old airfield at Swannington....

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

whoa he shrunk !!! honestly that is a grand before and after pic Martin...thanks for that

E ~ a Mossie 30 in the old WW 2 pic yes ?

Thanks Martin, very nice!

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Scott

In fact it's a Mk XIX. The Mk.30 was a development of this model - the main difference being that the 30 had twin-stage supercharged Merlin 72/76s, as opposed to the XIX's single-stage Merlin 25s.

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

And just to keep the thread tidy for 100 Group fans, here's a shot of the tower at Little Snoring, taken at Easter 2006...

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson