Horsham St Faith
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STATION 123
458th Bomb Group - January 1944 to June 1945
56th Fighter Group - April 1943 to July 1943
Location:
The airfield (now Norwich Airport) lies four miles north of Norwich city centre to the east of the A140 road to Cromer. The Hilton Hotel is situated close to the airport.
All sites are now private property and permission must be obtained prior to visiting. Please contact Memorial Library staff.
Remaining buildings, etc.:
This airfield is very different from all the other former 2nd Air Division bases because in 1967, after the RAF vacated the site, it was bought by the local council and became a regional airport and an industrial estate. Most of the buildings used by the 458th Bomb Group remain, although converted for a variety of purposes.
Three of the five large pre-war hangars are still being used for aircraft maintenance. Two have been converted for commercial use. The control tower still exists although the top has been restored and a new tower has been built adjacent to the present main runway. Other wartime buildings now form part of the industrial estate and are intermingled with many newer structures.
The blocks used as living quarters situated towards Catton were until recently used by the University of East Anglia as accommodation for students. Some of the housing in the same area, formerly enlisted men's quarters, has become married quarters for nearby RAF stations.
As for the runways, taxi-tracks etc., these largely remain. Only one runway is now used and the east-west runway, 10-28, which was extended eastwards by the RAF in 1956, has become the main runway to avoid take-offs and landings over built-up areas. A section of the old main runway is currently used for light aircraft.
Memorials:
In the new airport terminal building opened in 1988 there is a memorial display relating to the 458th B.G. consisting of photographs, paintings, and a plaque commemorating the Group's service at the airfield. There is also a small display commemorating the brief stay of the 56th Fighter Group in the early summer of 1943.
A museum complex for the City of Norwich Aviation Museum occupies part of the northern end of the airfield with access through Horsham St. Faith village. The museum includes a display featuring the 458th Bomb Group. A small memorial commemorating the 458th is situated near the entrance to the complex. You can reach the City of Norwich Aviation Museum at: www.cnam.co.uk, (0)1603 893080 or norwichairmuseum@hotmail.com.
Another memorial relating to the 458th Bomb Group is a plaque set into the wall of a block of flats in Heigham Street, Norwich, in memory of the crew of a 753rd Bomb Squadron aircraft who were all killed in a crash at nearby Barker Street in November, 1944.
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Revised 12 July 2007
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