Also known as Station 167
The story of RAF Ridgewell
The Eighth Air Force then took it over as Station 167. It was the only long-term American heavy bomber base in Essex, and the most easterly of the 1st Division's thirteen. The 381st Bombardment Group arrived on 30 June 1943 with B-17s marked 'Triangle-L'. On 23 June 1943 a bomb-loading accident killed men on the base. On the first Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission, 17 August 1943, the group suffered the heaviest losses of any group. It won Distinguished Unit Citations for Bremen on 8 October 1943 and for central Germany on 11 January 1944. It flew 296 missions, the last on 25 April 1945.
After the group left in July 1945, the RAF used Ridgewell for bomb storage until 1957. The USAF kept the hangars for storage into the early 1990s. The control tower and buildings were demolished, and the runways removed. Memorials and a small museum stand on the site of the wartime hospital.
Flying units
| Unit | Years | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| No. 90 Squadron | 1942–1943 | Short Stirling |
| 381st Bombardment Group (Heavy), USAAF | 1943–1945 | Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress |
What survives
- Memorials to No. 90 Squadron and the 381st Bomb Group on the old hospital site
- Much of the perimeter track, now narrow country roads
- A 2014 memorial to the 23 June 1943 bomb accident, near Ovington
The museum on the airfield
| Museum | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ridgewell Airfield Commemorative MuseumHalstead, Essex | Free | — | Ridgewell was Essex's only long-serving B-17 base (381st BG); the commemorative museum in the old hospital site does jeep rides on event… |