Here's an idea - imagine that the War hadn't ended, a stalemate persisted, all airfields etc carried on, no pause in hostilities, where would these airfields be today if never non used......
Having been up and down the A1 since the late 70's, and a keen fan of RAF history, I always looked out for Woolfox & still do to this day. There is actually quite a lot left really, very enjoyable to see this video with some of the original foundations and the control tower. For those who saw it when the missiles were there I do envy you. I am always struck by the original concrete fence posts and slowly degrading base fencing next to the A1, given it has probably been there since the 50's or earlier it has held up really well. None of these things were built to last and thrown together at the time in haste.
The Watch Office (Control Tower) is in pretty good condition considering its age. Most have had their windows knocked out. Those earth mounds around some of the brick buildings are blast walls, which says those buildings held bombs, pyrotechnics, ammunition or bomb fuses. If the building accidentally blew up, the blast walls would help stop the blast from destroying everything close by by deflecting the explosion upwards. Very interesting video.
Hi Trevor. Love this one, as a boy I travelled the A1 frequently in the late 50s early 60s with my parents to visit family in Essex. Many memories of the dualling work & bypassing of villages & the towns like Newark, Grantham & Stamford. Woolfox was always exciting, being able to clearly see the Bloodhounds from the road, pointing to the Eastern skies. In your last couple of minutes with the drone we see 2 distinct groups of what look similar to WW2 fighter dispersals. Each group totals 16 and has its own buildings linked (the now livestock shelters). These would have been the positions of the launchers, and the buildings would have housed radar etc. There would have been hardened storage nearby for whatever number of reload missiles were held on site. I was lucky enough to visit such a site elsewhere in the 80s.
Thanks, really pleased you found my video interesting. You're description of this base sounds fantastic, must have been an incredible site to see all those missiles.
Hi Trevor thank you so much for your time and effort in visiting Woolfox Lodge it is quite surprising how much is still there, my days of walking old airfields are over so again thank you for doing this one, if it's any interest to you i could give you a list of the units that called Woolfox home.
What appeared to be garages, would be where the base's emergency vehicles would probably be housed. The round frying-pan like areas were dispersal areas for parked aircraft, although the paths leading to them don't look wide enough for heavier or larger aircraft.
I was puzzled by those pans, linked by a very narrow taxyway, some spilled onto the runway (16:00). They turn out to be the bases for a 1960s Bloodhound missile battery
They had 32 Bloodhound missiles per Squadron (2 lots of 16). Back in the Late 1970's I was at RAF West Raynham where 85 Squadron's Bloodhound missiles were based. Big old buggers those missiles (about 25-30ft long.) The four solid rocket boosters were powerful enough to shear the hold down bolts (3/4" dia) on the launch ramp when they were fired. The booster rockets had to accelerate the missile up to a speed where the two ramjet motors could take over (Mach 1+). The warhead contained several expanding steel bands that would slice an aircraft up into many bits and pieces, so it detonated in close proximity to the target.
@@trevorsmith1995 when I joined the Navy back in the 70's our training establishment had wooden barracks with a chimney at the end with a cast iron stove in it. Thanks for bringing back that memory 👍
Just come across this video-absolutely fascinating. Passed by on the A1 many a time and was always intrigued by what little I could see and always wanted to know more-now I do! Many thanks.
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If only those old buildings, or what's left of them, could talk. Thanks for your efforts.
You're welcome, I really enjoyed making the video.
Its an incredible place.
Here's an idea - imagine that the War hadn't ended, a stalemate persisted, all airfields etc carried on, no pause in hostilities, where would these airfields be today if never non used......
Food for thought 🤔
Having been up and down the A1 since the late 70's, and a keen fan of RAF history, I always looked out for Woolfox & still do to this day. There is actually quite a lot left really, very enjoyable to see this video with some of the original foundations and the control tower. For those who saw it when the missiles were there I do envy you. I am always struck by the original concrete fence posts and slowly degrading base fencing next to the A1, given it has probably been there since the 50's or earlier it has held up really well. None of these things were built to last and thrown together at the time in haste.
The Watch Office (Control Tower) is in pretty good condition considering its age. Most have had their windows knocked out. Those earth mounds around some of the brick buildings are blast walls, which says those buildings held bombs, pyrotechnics, ammunition or bomb fuses. If the building accidentally blew up, the blast walls would help stop the blast from destroying everything close by by deflecting the explosion upwards. Very interesting video.
Hi Trevor. Love this one, as a boy I travelled the A1 frequently in the late 50s early 60s with my parents to visit family in Essex. Many memories of the dualling work & bypassing of villages & the towns like Newark, Grantham & Stamford. Woolfox was always exciting, being able to clearly see the Bloodhounds from the road, pointing to the Eastern skies.
In your last couple of minutes with the drone we see 2 distinct groups of what look similar to WW2 fighter dispersals. Each group totals 16 and has its own buildings linked (the now livestock shelters). These would have been the positions of the launchers, and the buildings would have housed radar etc. There would have been hardened storage nearby for whatever number of reload missiles were held on site. I was lucky enough to visit such a site elsewhere in the 80s.
Thanks, really pleased you found my video interesting.
You're description of this base sounds fantastic, must have been an incredible site to see all those missiles.
I can recall as a young lad in the 60's a row of Bloodhound missiles along the edge of the roadside at Woolfox.
Bet that was an awesome site 🤗
@@trevorsmith1995Yes I also remember them on my way to holiday in Redcar
Hi Trevor thank you so much for your time and effort in visiting Woolfox Lodge it is quite surprising how much is still there, my days of walking old airfields are over so again thank you for doing this one, if it's any interest to you i could give you a list of the units that called Woolfox home.
Hi Dave, yes that would be handy to have.
I'm pleased you enjoyed the video. It was so interesting walking around there, just so much to see. 👍
My father flew from here in Stirling bomber during WW2
Was your father with XV Squadron (15 Squadron)
What appeared to be garages, would be where the base's emergency vehicles would probably be housed. The round frying-pan like areas were dispersal areas for parked aircraft, although the paths leading to them don't look wide enough for heavier or larger aircraft.
Thanks for the info buddy 👍
@@trevorsmith1995 The round pans were for the Bloodhound Missiles.
@@magna4100 Correct. Too small to park a Stirling bomber on.
The earth banks or revetments are suggestive of munitions works, where ammunition was made.
Thanks for the info buddy, was so interesting to walk around there. Must have been quite a camp at one time
I was puzzled by those pans, linked by a very narrow taxyway, some spilled onto the runway (16:00). They turn out to be the bases for a 1960s Bloodhound missile battery
Thanks for the info buddy 👍
They had 32 Bloodhound missiles per Squadron (2 lots of 16). Back in the Late 1970's I was at RAF West Raynham where 85 Squadron's Bloodhound missiles were based. Big old buggers those missiles (about 25-30ft long.) The four solid rocket boosters were powerful enough to shear the hold down bolts (3/4" dia) on the launch ramp when they were fired. The booster rockets had to accelerate the missile up to a speed where the two ramjet motors could take over (Mach 1+). The warhead contained several expanding steel bands that would slice an aircraft up into many bits and pieces, so it detonated in close proximity to the target.
The chimneys are from wooden barracks
Aah nice one, thanks for the info 👍
@@trevorsmith1995 when I joined the Navy back in the 70's our training establishment had wooden barracks with a chimney at the end with a cast iron stove in it. Thanks for bringing back that memory 👍
@@repairworld2367 you're welcome, pleased you enjoyed the video 👍
Those narrow square dispersals have to be for the missiles. Too small for aircraft and also plonked on top of the earlier stuff.
I imagine it must have looked amazing with all those missiles stood already to be deployed
Just come across this video-absolutely fascinating. Passed by on the A1 many a time and was always intrigued by what little I could see and always wanted to know more-now I do! Many thanks.
You're welcome buddy, please you enjoyed my video 👍