RAF Nuneaton [WIP]

Matt Wynn

Matt Wynn

Charter Member
one of those lesser known fields of the war, saw use by the RAF and USAAC...

Airfield Today:​
MIRA - Motor Industry Research Assosciation​
Tower Type:​
Watch Office for Bomber Satellite and OTU Satellite Stations 13726/41
04/45, Visual Control Room built on the control tower roof, 05/86, VCR was removed and rebuilt on the tower at Duxford.​
Tower:​
In use​
Other Buildings:​
MIRA test track control building​
History:​
raf.jpg
07/02/43 to 27/03/43, Satellite airfield for Bramcote, used by No. 18 (Polish) Operational Training Unit.
raf.jpg
25/06/43 to 21/11/45, Airfield transferred to RAF Transport Command and used by No.105 Operational Training Unit with Vickers Wellington and Douglas Dakota aircraft. 10/08/43, Renamed No.1381 (Transport) Conversion Unit, moved to Desborough.
USAAF-35.gif
03/44 to 06/44, Used by the Air Echelon of 250th Field Artillery, U.S. Army, with the Piper L-4 Cub, 'Grasshopper'.
raf.jpg
30/11/45 to 11/48, Airfield placed on care and maintenance.
10/48 to present, Used as a vehicle proving ground by MIRA.​





I'm Modelling it as seen in mid 1944 to late 1945 just before it was put into Care & Maint... and without further ado the first 2 images of the site.... (Blends with Ultimate Terrain quite nicely i'd say... no erroneous lights within the airbase confines)... AndyG43 will be beta testing it for me when it gets there... still got some poly tweaking to do...
 
Good stuff Matt, like the texture blending, havent done any WW11 fields in a long time, looking forward to this one.
cheers ian
 
Matt Wynn said:
AndyG43 will be beta testing it for me when it gets there... still got some poly tweaking to do...
Click to expand...

Yep! But no beta or thoroughly than me though, and don't worry about your pet parrot; I'll feed him free! :icon_lol:

Keep it coming Matt; don't think I've seen any other scenery for RAF Nuneaton. :applause:


SBuilder or Adex Matt?
 
Bit of both Nigel, Sbuilder for the ground poly, excludes, and flatten and ADE for the airfield layout.... gonna fire up 3DS Max later and get cracking on the Hangar (a solitary T2 type, i know Ted Andrews did some RAF Hangars but...) and put my own spin on it....

Nuneatons main field RAF Bramcote (HMS Gamecock) was home to a royal naval air force training base with Seafires so i might do that next then get slightly more local (i live straight down the A5 from RAF Nuneaton in Tamworth, about 10 miles, perhaps a touch more), RAF Lichfield is about 8 miles away and was where Britains first Jet flying wing flew (IIRC), theres a lot of airfields a lot won't have heard of, but Nuneaton is known thanks to Duxford borrowing the VCR (Visual Control Room) from its tower....
 
Matt Wynn said:
Nuneatons main field RAF Bramcote (HMS Gamecock) was home to a royal naval air force training base with Seafires
Click to expand...
Ahem....Royal Naval Air Station, RNAS Bramcote. Fleet Air Arm.....Tis a sin to use the words air force when talking about the senior service. ;)
 
Fine HMS Gamecock, where an FAA unit of Seafires was based :icon_lol:

better? :p:

(oh and it was RAF Bramcote, even when used by Seafires, until 1946 when it became HMS Gamecock, then afterwards it became Bramcote Barracks, saw all 3 forces use it.. RAF, RN and Army)
 
Matt Wynn said:
(oh and it was RAF Bramcote, even when used by Seafires, until 1946 when it became HMS Gamecock, then afterwards it became Bramcote Barracks, saw all 3 forces use it.. RAF, RN and Army)
Click to expand...
Check your timelines fella. Seafires from the RNVR moved in after it was transferred to Royal Navy use in '47. The base was redesignated a Royal Naval Air Station in '46. RNAS Bramcote. :p:
 
fair cop... not a naval person myself... more accustomed to taking off in a plane and landing on my own 2 feet :icon_lol:

RAF/RNAS Bramcote (HMS Gamecock):

History:​
raf.jpg
06/40 to 03/43, No. 18 (Polish) Operational Training Unit moved here from Hucknall with Vickers Wellingtons, moved to Finningly. 02/42 to 02/43, Bitteswell and Nuneaton used as satellite airfields.
07/40 to 08/40, 300 and 301 Sqns formed here with Fairey Battles, moved to Swinderby. 08/40 to 12/40,304 and 305 Sqns formed here with Fairey Battles then Vickers Wellingtons, moved to Syerston.
04/43 to 10/45, No. 105 (Transport) OTU, No. 44 Group, Transport Command with Wellingtons then 05/45, Dakotas. 11/44 to 07/45, Bitteswell used as a satellite. 08/45, Renamed 1381 (T) Conversion Unit, moved to Desborough.
/41 to 05/46, 1513 BAT Flight with Oxfords. 07/46 to 11/46, 1510 BAT Flight with Oxfords.
FAA.gif
11/46 to /59, Transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Gamecock and used by 1833 (RNVR) Sqn with Seafires.
Airfield then closed and used by the Army as Bramcote Barracks.​




 
Matt Wynn said:
fair cop... not a naval person myself... more accustomed to taking off in a plane and landing on my own 2 feet :icon_lol:

RAF/RNAS Bramcote (HMS Gamecock):


History:​

raf.jpg
06/40 to 03/43, No. 18 (Polish) Operational Training Unit moved here from Hucknall with Vickers Wellingtons, moved to Finningly. 02/42 to 02/43, Bitteswell and Nuneaton used as satellite airfields.
07/40 to 08/40, 300 and 301 Sqns formed here with Fairey Battles, moved to Swinderby. 08/40 to 12/40,304 and 305 Sqns formed here with Fairey Battles then Vickers Wellingtons, moved to Syerston.
04/43 to 10/45, No. 105 (Transport) OTU, No. 44 Group, Transport Command with Wellingtons then 05/45, Dakotas. 11/44 to 07/45, Bitteswell used as a satellite. 08/45, Renamed 1381 (T) Conversion Unit, moved to Desborough.
/41 to 05/46, 1513 BAT Flight with Oxfords. 07/46 to 11/46, 1510 BAT Flight with Oxfords.
FAA.gif
11/46 to /59, Transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Gamecock and used by 1833 (RNVR) Sqn with Seafires.
Airfield then closed and used by the Army as Bramcote Barracks.​
Click to expand...
lol No probs mate, I'm Navy through and through. Looking forward to seeing this scenery evolve.
 
Clarke123 said:
lol No probs mate, I'm Navy through and through. Looking forward to seeing this scenery evolve.
Click to expand...

He-he; I have a foot in both camps as it were... while in RAF was sent to tart up Sea Harriers for use in a little war cos there
weren't enough WAFU's left in...

ttfn

Pete
 
Crabs....craphats.... all the same to me.... unless your beret is maroon with silver wings :icon_lol:

my family comes from a few Military Backgrounds, had an Uncle who was a Royal Marine Commando, My Cousin was P-Reg, one Grandfather was an Engine Tech at Gibraltar and Lyneham (Worked on everything from Sea Hawks to the Lightning), other grandfather was a pilot, and my other grandfather (yes i have 3, one is more a figure i see as a grandfather and always called 'grandad' as a kid) was RAF & RHAF (Royal Hellenic Air Force), another Cousin is TA.... and then theres me... out of P-Reg thru Med Grounds....

back to RAF Nuneaton.... the taxiways/peri track is now on and am adding the dispersals
 
decided to use Ted Andrews' 'Standard Type' T2 hangar.... it's in place but as no other images exist i may have to go for 'best estimate' or even 'Best Guesstimate'

onto the Tower now.... and a question.... Ian or Cees..... on these triangular pattern airfields generally where was the windsock? in the middle of the Triangle or elsewhere?

another fun Nuneaton fact, the church spire in a nearby village was removed to allow for safe operations, it was rebuilt after the war when the base closed... aviation had priority over religion :icon_lol:
 
Hi Matt, looking good, been looking through my Action station books and other info, and i can find very little, you really have picked one of the more obscure stations, but a good place to check is the --
Airfield information exchange----http://www.airfieldinformationexchange.org/community/showthread.php?5288-RAF-Nuneaton-Airfield
a very usefull site in the past for my scenery, there's an intresting little pic of the original control tower and the ariel looks intresting also, the guy in the post mentions a windsock, i'll have to zoom in real close to find it and as he states, it may be for modern helo traffic, but it could be original, thay could be anywhere but usually some way from the control tower and visable to pilots during take-off and landing.
hope this helps, cheers ian
 
yeah some of the ancilliary building photos are good so we know what's what but unfortunately they aren't geotagged so locating them is fun :icon_lol:
 
Ian! you absolute beauty you! i owe you a pint or two if i'm ever 'darn saff' :icon_lol:

ok now we can really get things hammered out, any building shapes you recognise apart from the T2 hangar? :wiggle:
 
Matt,

looking great, looking forward to this one. Great progress and thanks for pointing out you used SBuilder for the ground tex, been wondering about that for a while now.

BTW, did you ever get your last scenery finished, it was a bit special IIRC. ;)

Jamie
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top