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RAF Bentley Priory's luxury apartments

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Sad to hear of another base sold off. I know it's a bit late but has anyone heard about this?

http://tinyurl.com/33emr6

I used to work in the building to the right of this one (Bdg 266) before we moved into the bunker.
This bunker has a bit of history - apparently declared operational just 9 days before the start of WWII, the main part of it has just 2 stories. The article states 3 stories but the 3rd one is actually an extension linked by a staircase, built in the 1980s. This 3rd level is roughly about the same level as the top one; the stairs go to the lower level.
The main entrance was originally adjacent to the HQ11Gp building but was moved round to the other side as part of the extension. When it rains, the water forms large puddles on the roof then goes down the sides, penetrating between the old and the new parts.
It was interesting to compare the new build to when I visited the bunker in 1981.
 
Not a great believer in hanging onto the past. BoB is dead and buried. We won thanks to Hitler diverting his attention to Op Barbarossa in Russia.

It's only a building!!!
 
I think it's a crying shame but there's other bases also disappeared with great histories I suppose.

But from a more practical point of view, we've sold a unit that had a Sgts' Mess and a Junior Ranks Block that were only a few years old.

But hey as long as we can keep playing musical chairs in that great feat of architecture and British construction innovation that is the F Block at High Wycombe - why would we want to hang on to Bentley!!!
 
Not a great believer in hanging onto the past. BoB is dead and buried. We won thanks to Hitler diverting his attention to Op Barbarossa in Russia.

It's only a building!!!

C0ck.:PDT_Xtremez_25: The priory is full of memorabilia that is in effect, priceless to the RAF. As a nation, if we continue to get rid of these sort of places we will just end up being American.

I spent 10 years working at BP on and off, and have been fortunate enough to have toured the mess extensively, as well as get p1ssed as a rat in there Xmas before last.

It's a great building, such a shame to lose it.
 
It's only a building!!!

It's a building with a history that pre-dates the RAF by about 150 years. Queen Adelaide (the widow of William IV) died there, just for starters. I spent 2 and a half incredible years at Bentley after 11/18 Gp disbanded. It just oozes atmosphere and when you're stood in the mess bar looking out over the Italian gardens it doesn't take a great leap of imagination to feel that you are part of something important.

There is no good reason to keep BP as a RAF asset but I am disappointed that the Priory is to be turned into apartments; it deserves better than that.
 
Not a great believer in hanging onto the past. BoB is dead and buried. We won thanks to Hitler diverting his attention to Op Barbarossa in Russia.

It's only a building!!!

You really can be a throbber at times!!



It has played such a big part of our history both national and RAF. I can understand the fact that under it's present use it will no longer be required by the Armed Forces, but to sell it of is just wrong.
Some of the comments made by the readers at the bottom of the page are quite right, why not invest in it, and turn it into a wourld class museum for the BoB and the RAF it is after all one of our most famous achevments, I also like what one person suggested and turn it into a hospital for the military both elderly and serving, a little bit like the chealsea pensioners hospital.
 
But the Treasury just see the real estate value, hence Chelsea Barracks getting sold off. In the time I was at BP after SDC broke up, luxury flats went in on the other side of the traffic lights towards Bushey Heath at a quick rate. It's the ideal location for them from an estate agent's point of view with the A1 and M1 so handy.

Quite who can afford it is another thing. London Transport were considering setting up a 'barrack block' for bus drivers who can't afford to live inside the M25 so they can 'live-in' for their shift period.

And when Stanmore Park got redeveloped they didn't provide any new medical or school places for the people now living on the new estate.

As has been said before by other goaters, sentiment goes out the window in these cases. But I do remember the local paper kicking off as I was leaving to go North, about the development of Stanmore Park and how it was handled.
 
ha well I am still there and its really sad! but there will be a museum developed as part of the site. You will pleased to know what memrabellia that is not kept as part of the the BOB trust is being sent to other units.

Moreover, people are the right the accomodation here is fantastic! we act as overspill for Northwood, Halton and High Wycombe. When Uxbridge and here closes I am not sure where everyone will live!!

My unit is transfering to RAF Northolt but some numpty forgort to built the accomodation on time, so we are all moving to Uxbridge!. Its interesting to see how they can close a unit very quickly before everythign else is in place.! Moreover, I can tell you VSM are rubbing there hands with the amount of money they are about to make from the site!
(Most of which will go directly to teh treasury!)
 
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If you're still there you must know a certain ex-scopie who joined MPGS at Bentley. Couldn't get him to do a guard shift when he worked for me and now he does it for a living! I think he only joined because he was too idle to march out of his quarter...
 
Not a great believer in hanging onto the past. BoB is dead and buried. We won thanks to Hitler diverting his attention to Op Barbarossa in Russia.

Where did you get that idea from? I think you'll find it was more a case of The RAF dropped bombs on Berlin, Hitler ordered retaliation, and consequentially Airfields were off the menu allowing the fighter boys to do their job,it was a German cock up due to Hitlers mental instability, not a change of Theatre or strategy....if you are going to make a supposition make the right one eh?

You give off the attitude that past glories, hard won fights and lives lost mean nothing, personally I think you should be bloody ashamed of yourself...........................building it may be, no further use it may be, but if that place hadn't stood where it was when it did, you'd possibly be talking German today and at the very least living in a totalitarian state....i'm not bothered if this drops me in the kack, i'd just like to think that past Jockeys didn't waste their lives, Past Groundcrew didn't work themselves to a point where they slept on their feet for nothing apart from an ungrateful "SO WHAT!": :/:
 
Where did you get that idea from? I think you'll find it was more a case of The RAF dropped bombs on Berlin, Hitler ordered retaliation, and consequentially Airfields were off the menu allowing the fighter boys to do their job,it was a German cock up due to Hitlers mental instability, not a change of Theatre or strategy....if you are going to make a supposition make the right one eh?

You give off the attitude that past glories, hard won fights and lives lost mean nothing, personally I think you should be bloody ashamed of yourself...........................building it may be, no further use it may be, but if that place hadn't stood where it was when it did, you'd possibly be talking German today and at the very least living in a totalitarian state....i'm not bothered if this drops me in the kack, i'd just like to think that past Jockeys didn't waste their lives, Past Groundcrew didn't work themselves to a point where they slept on their feet for nothing apart from an ungrateful "SO WHAT!": :/:


Off Topic.

I am talking in German today :S
 
If you're still there you must know a certain ex-scopie who joined MPGS at Bentley. Couldn't get him to do a guard shift when he worked for me and now he does it for a living! I think he only joined because he was too idle to march out of his quarter...


give me a clue? they don't have it too hard the gates get shut at weekends and nights! I do feel almost slightly guilty for making a few "waddle" down to the gate to let me in.
 
You tube

You tube

Not a great believer in hanging onto the past. BoB is dead and buried. We won thanks to Hitler diverting his attention to Op Barbarossa in Russia.

It's only a building!!!

I heard they are going to sell off edinburugh castle and the parade ground to build a new call centre. Or what about Murrayfield!

Would that bother you?

Sell off uxbridge by all means!

When will they learn? Why not rent out the land? or rent out the rooms? Make a fortune.
Keep hold of the asset ffs!

I was always torn when i ever visited. Seemed so much money would have to be spent to keep it in the pristine state it/gardens always seemed to be in but somehow felt it deserved it? Even when the camp I was at was falling apart.
 
Where did you get that idea from? I think you'll find it was more a case of The RAF dropped bombs on Berlin, Hitler ordered retaliation, and consequentially Airfields were off the menu allowing the fighter boys to do their job,it was a German cock up due to Hitlers mental instability, not a change of Theatre or strategy....if you are going to make a supposition make the right one eh?

You give off the attitude that past glories, hard won fights and lives lost mean nothing, personally I think you should be bloody ashamed of yourself...........................building it may be, no further use it may be, but if that place hadn't stood where it was when it did, you'd possibly be talking German today and at the very least living in a totalitarian state....i'm not bothered if this drops me in the kack, i'd just like to think that past Jockeys didn't waste their lives, Past Groundcrew didn't work themselves to a point where they slept on their feet for nothing apart from an ungrateful "SO WHAT!": :/:

From Wikipedia:-

The British narrowly avoided defeat in the Battle of Britain. It was a close run battle, and by late August 1940 with the Luftwaffe hammering RAF airfields and communications in south east England, the situation had become desperate.[52] The RAF committed its last reserves, made up almost entirely of inexperienced pilots with only hours of combat training. Czech and Polish pilots were also used to fill the holes in manpower. Saundby concludes, "had the Germans persisted in their policy for another fortnight the result would have been disastrous for Fighter Command." He also stresses the pressure put on the Fighter Units by the Luftwaffe, "The worst hit Squadrons were sent north to quieter sectors to recuperate, but all too soon 'rested' squadrons would have to return to the South East."[53]
The essential plan for the invasion was air superiority over the beachheads. Göring convinced Hitler that the air war was almost won and that in fact the RAF was in its death throes. Hitler switched targets to London. He hoped to draw out the RAF and completely destroy its remaining strength while devastating civilian morale through mass bombing. It was ultimately this critical error that led to Fighter Command's recovery. The airfields were repaired, and pilot numbers were stabilized and then gradually increased through the influx of Commonwealth pilots.
On 15 September 1940 Göring sent nearly 1,000 aircraft against London suffering losses of 175 aircraft destroyed or damaged in the day's fighting. On 17 September 1940 Hitler postponed the invasion. The Luftwaffe switched to a terror bombing campaign against British cities that lasted until the spring of 1941, when most bomber units were redeployed for the imminent invasion of the USSR. The raids often caused spectacular damage but did little to harm the British war effort. Hitler postpone the invasion on 13 October1940 until the spring of 1941. But on 18 December1940 Hitler issued Directive 21, beginning preparations for the attack on the USSR, effectively canceling the invasion.[54] Although defeated the Luftwaffe remained formidable: as Air Marshal Sir Robert Saundby concluded, "it was not the beginning of the end but the end of the beginning." The Battle of Britain cost the Luftwaffe 873 fighters and 1,014 bombers. The RAF lost 1,023 fighters and 524 bombers.[55]
Never again did the Luftwaffe operate in such numbers over Britain.

Yes the RAF did have a big part to play in the defence of the country. But Hitler was dead set in the invsaion of the USSR, hoping to defeat the Soviets before the serious onset of Winter. The 1973 Series World at War shows a commentary from one of the German Top Air Aces Adolf Galland discussing that Hitler personally informed him that he had made his mind up about attacking Russia and that the Battle of Britain was partly a sideshow to have the Russians think that they were under no danger. We were bottled up with the U-boat Wolfpacks (or so Hitler thought) but Hitler's declaration of War on the USA after Pearl Harbour changed all that. If Germany had wanted to persevere with the invasion of the UK they would have done so and won on numerical and material superiority.

My Grandfather (EX RAF bomber mech) had always said that if the Germans were even able to land parachutists into the UK we would have been caught in a serious state especially after the loss of major equipment at Dunkirk. We were in no state for a ground war. You also have to consider that the Royal Navy was a serious stumbling block for the Germans as well.
 
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That's as may be............

That's as may be............

So,we know "Sealion" was far from likely to go ahead, but that's not the point....I'll concede the fact that Russia was a target as it was so obviously at the time, but in Hitlers mind he wanted us out of the war to avoid a "Two front" situation similar to what cost the Imperial German Army so dear in WW1 by either negotiation or as was planned after the "Defeat of the RAF" a limited invasion to bring about a forced solution...but this is waaaay off topic,

I'll just say the only thing that truly insenced me was the flippant remark about BoB not mattering, it's like denying that the Magna Carta has any bearing on British law.

I may have been slightly hasty about a building that's way past it's sell by date, but why flush our history down the toilet?

And i'll admit that most of what I wrote last night was in a state of anger, but it's probably because I give a damn about our heritage.

Anyway, enough said, WW2 is over,it's just sad that given the way the government thinks the RAF should be reduced to the point where it's no longer effective and name changes of Unit,Squadron,Flight and Section are changed to hide the deficiencies...they talk of "Drawing Down"...I think they mean the LOT!
 
Anyway, enough said, WW2 is over,it's just sad that given the way the government thinks the RAF should be reduced to the point where it's no longer effective and name changes of Unit,Squadron,Flight and Section are changed to hide the deficiencies...they talk of "Drawing Down"...I think they mean the LOT!

I have to agree with you there.
 
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