RAF Bentwaters RAF Woodbridge - Reunion Plans and Reports

Before we look at Shepherd's grove in 2001, here are are three good quality pictures contributed by Pete Guise, from the early 1950s.

The F-86 of Lt. Howie Myers, 92nd FIS, at Shepherd's Grove.

Boresighting on the F-86 of Captain Robert J Massoni.

Flightline alert. (Note: the 'alert' status is disputed)

Pictures are shown the order in which I 'found' the base buildings.

1. My first sight of military-looking buildings, uphill from the road.
December 2001 - I since heard that this is/was the BX. However, see below *

2. The Long Building from close up, it lies to the left of an entrance in the perimeter(?) fence

3. The Long Building, joiner/panorama. On the left I think you can make out the fencing at the back of a baseball diamond.

* July 2002 - Phil Chavin comments further:
I believe that long building was probably the base BOWLING ALLEY 1954-57 -- at least during the time I was stationed at the Grove in 1955-57. Partly from memory and partly because the Base Exchange is seen as a Nissen hut structure in the photos on p.65 and p.69 of the 1954 Shepherds Grove album. I believe the bowling alley was a bit south of the BX in '55-'57. Maybe someone else or some other source could give more info... Email Phil for a discussion!

Linn Barringer adds: YES, Phil - I think you've got it! If you look at that picture on page 65 of Charles Lee's 54 Yearbook, and look just beyond the two Nissen huts, I think that's the building shown in my pics 1/2/3 above - compare the roof angle and the buttress right up to the front wall.

building-onrightafterentrance.jpg (22344 bytes)

4. Building on the right of the roadway, a little further inside the fence.

trigpointontaxiway-peri.jpg (43801 bytes)

5. At the top of the hill there is this "Trig Point."

6. From the Trig Point, across the airfield I spotted these two large Nissen huts.

7. On the way to the Nissen huts, this building is off to the left.

8. Further on the perimeter, there is a right-hand 90 degree right turn, that seems to lead to the 2 large Nissen huts. This is a military road.

9. Closer view of the right-hand large Nissen hut.

10. Joiner/panorma of the left-hand large Nissen hut

11. Returned to the road, thinking "that was it" and found many more air base buildings, these are just a few near what seems like an entrance.

12. Beyond the main group of buildings, there is an entrance through a perimeter fence. Is that a control tower ahead?

13. To the left of the tower is this dilapidated fire station .

14. Joiner/panorama of the interior of the lower part of the fire station, on the left of the main building.

15. The tower and fire station .

16. Close up of the tower, a CT-1. The building has, in its later life, been totally clad with roofing tiles, when Redland Tiles wer the owner of the building.

17. View from the outside balcony of the tower!

18. My Eunos Roadster parked right on the Shepherd's Grove runway. Is the same spot as Pete Guise's Flightline Alert?

19. Did someone leave this behind? It's actually a recent import from South Africa, a 1936 Ford V8 Coupe, parked in front of what was the base gas station.