RAF Rudloe Manor Summer Camp - Memories and Pictures?

Everyone Camps
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Hi All,

As a cadet in the 90s, I was lucky enough to have spent a summer camp at RAF Rudloe Manor. Although I can still recall many of the interesting and exciting activities quite clearly, what is unfortunate is that I have a single polaroid to prove I was ever there (pointing the L98 at the photographer, as one does).

Looking online, it now seems RAF Rudloe Manor is no longer under RAF ownership and it looks as though the site has become somewhat overgrown. I have thus far been unable to find any images online that I recognise and I’d be interested to know if anyone here has any photos of the site from the 80’s or 90’s.

RM summer camp was where I learned how to not drown, where I had my first shooting experience, my first flying experience, my first proper assault course, my first camping experience, first time away from home, and so forth. As I continue to mull becoming a CFAV, I have been reflecting on these experiences as some of the most potent memories I have.

I won’t ask about Burlington, as from what I gather there’s quite the online conspiracy community associated with that! Another place I wouldn’t mind revisiting.

At any rate, thanks for reading. If anyone can help, it would be very much appreciated.
FCB

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My ‘ism is tickled…!

WRT Burlington: the former Regional Seat of Government at Corsham is now extremely well documented; so much so that if you search “Burlington Blue Peter”

(Or just click this…

https://youtu.be/4GkFLppCc04?is=iuGWuuDWqjH37vv_)

To watch when Blue Peter’s Konnie Huq visited…

Or, if you fancy the definitive book: Check out “Secret Underground Cities, by N.J McCalmley

The story goes, during WW1, the Ministry of War worked out that aerial bombardment was the way forward - and to protect items / people of national interest, they needed to be moved, hidden or buried…

Working parties sought to identify suitable locations - and many of these would eventually evince time and again into hardened bunkers to protect a dispersed government etc.

Corsham sits on the Paddington to Bristol main line.

Built by Brunel, the railway passes through Box Tunnel - at the time Britain’s longest tunnel - made possible because it passed through a large area of Bath Stone - an oolitic sandstone, second only to Portland Stone for building fame… and from which many local buildings are constructed.

Corsham and surrounding villages have a subterranean system of mines, that now cover a reputed area the size of Bristol.

Among the uses Burlington evolved out of / included, were the Central Ammunition - accessible via the mainline, peeling off on to siding - with a reciprocal line that ran back - enabling a train to enter, with a dummy train exiting to appear to be the same train!

This branch line would come toserve another purpose…

It was always assumed that in the event of a possible nuclear exchange, there would be a period of building tensions. During which the Royal Family would be evacuated (to the Royal Yacht Britannia) sailing in Commonwealth Waters somewhere deemed to be “low risk”, or to a Commonwealth nation such as Oz /NZ.

However if there wasn’t time - they could be put upon an express train out of Paddington and at Corsham in under an hour.

The Regional Seats of Gov’t would Contain a selection of MPs / civil servants etc for the dispersed continuity of government.

Corsham was intended to be the RSG which would have housed the PM and Royal Family among others.

One of the largest in the country, it had a small hospital, BBC studio and the largest “manual” telephone exchange (think operators patching wire from caller to recipient, like in the movies).

Access to the main complex was via escalator/s that were requisitioned by the War Office and removed from St Paul’s London Underground station.

Built on “another scale”, Burlington also had a “power egg” factory - for the production of aircraft engines during WW2. Enormous kitchens, stores, air handling units and so on… hence the need for electric buggies to get around.

Burlington was kept fully operational until the 90s…

Hitler couldn’t find it - the Russians couldn’t nuke it - but it was eventually shutdown due to large areas of uncontainable asbestos, by Environmental Health & Safety!

RAF Rudloe Manor, Basil Hill and Copenacre have all since been closed / amalgamated and now form MOD Corsham and the CMTA.

Despite the overwhelming potential for an absolutely astonishing STEM Blue Camp - the accommodation blocks aren’t serviceable for cadets…

Hope someone has some photos!

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There used to be guided tours of parts of Burlington, that were like hens teeth to get on. But they have since been stopped.

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I wasn’t sure what you meant, but then it took me 4 scrolls to reach the bottom of your post.

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I was trying to be succinct!

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Definitely a fascinating place. I knew none of that.

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There’s an awful lot more “interesting stuff”, and stories that are known locally - but not fully in the public domain!

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That was a really excellent read – thanks for filling in the details. I didn’t realise Brunel was involved, although on reflection it’s not all that surprising.

We were lucky enough to spend a good couple of hours in Burlington and we seemed to walk for miles. I have vivid memories of what I described at the time as “computer rooms” – spaces that looked like NASA mission control – along with rooms full of bunk beds (dozens of them), supply rooms, machine rooms and so on. Everything felt like a lot. The scale of it was enormous.

We were taken in through a fairly nondescript, shed-like building that led to a staircase which felt like it had hundreds of steps. Once down, we passed through a huge steel door, incredibly thick and heavy. None of us could move it and I remember the guide propping it open with half a brick. After the tour I’m fairly sure we came back out through a different door, preceded by yet more steps — hundreds, nay thousands, nay millions! Lots of steps.

I do find it rather Monty Python-esque that we could have a facility like Burlington and have Blue Peter covering it. At the time we were told — perhaps slightly tongue-in-cheek, although we didn’t pick up on that if it was — that we should try not to speak about it to anyone.

It really was a fantastic summer camp. Even now I occasionally stumble across places they took us to on that trip, only realising afterwards where I must have been. So far I’ve worked out that we visited Bristol, Bath and I believe Buckingham. We were also taken to the RAF Museum near Edgware — something I only realised years later when I moved to London.

One location I haven’t been able to pin down though, is where we took our Chipmunk flights from. I recall the Pilot, who was about 140 years old, pointing down and telling me that we could see Windsor Castle. I couldn’t make it out and I kept saying as such but he couldn’t fathom my accent.

Anyway, wonderful memories. Hopefully cadets of today get to experience such things in abundance.

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I’d hazard a guess that AEF would have been out of Abingdon.

As for the tunnels and “the big door”…

Because of its location below ground within former mines, there are a number of access points from above ground, which each year some hapless twit has to be “rescued” - having gone in, but become disoriented and forgotten their way out.

But also, every now and again, word goes around the town that a “Truth Seeker” has been detained, sticking their nose where it REALLY shouldn’t be and either setting off a motion detector, or bumping into the poor sod that was on stag - but at least it gave them something to do!

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Yes, always someone trying to find ‘The Red Door’ and gain access!

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I think AEF was at RAF Colerne. There was a civi Vampire call in with engine problems while I was there. Also visited RAF Hullavington. We had the Greenham common protesters there at the main RM gate to the south site. The north site also dealt with UFO reports.

All during a RM camp.

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Could have been RAF Colerne - 3 AEF was transferred there I believe until the mid 70’s…?

But based on the OP’s comment about flying past Windsor Castle, I figured 6 AEF Abingdon was more likely… as it’s only about 30/40 miles away…

Colerne has sadly since not only lost its aircraft museum, but is now Azimghur Barracks, home to The Gurkhas and “some stuff”.

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Hi guys,

Thanks for trying to fill in the blanks, this has turned into a really excellent method for recalling forgotten things!

Two further details I recall about the flying day - in the morning we were at the firing range - I believe we were waiting for the other sqdn to finish their flights, then we were taken an extremely short trip by bus, (the obligatory big green bus) to get prepped for our turn. I also recall the engine cutting just as we were descending over a busy main road to land.

Looking at the Abingdon layout - A34 to the South directly in line with the runway and - is that the remains of a firing range I see?

Might have nailed it!

image
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