Ridgewell- Home of the 381 BG USAAF

CAF UK Wing Colonels along with our good friend Mr Neil Howarth from the “Friends of Grafton 384th BG Museum project,  were pleased to be able to visit the fantastic private museum at Ridgewell Essex,  (Ridgewell  Airfield Commemorative Museum).This superb small museum is located in the original WW2 buildings of the Station 167. Station 167 was the home of the USAAF heavy Bombardment group flying the famous Boeing B17 Bombers in the allied air bombardment campaigns across Europe.  Home of the 381 BG group, this historic wartime airfield was the only heavy bomber base for the USAAF in the county of Essex. The Museum houses a fantastic array of original wartime artefacts, many of which are directly attributable to Ridgewell crews, it tells the story of the friendly invasion to Ridgewell by the USAAF during WW2, as well as the home front exhibits and RAF displays associated with the RAF No3 group and RAF No90 Squadron, who flew Short Sterling Bombers from this base. There is a fantastically knowledgeable staff at the museum, and great friendly welcome for visitors, We did not get time during our visit to take up the airfield heritage walking tour, so a return visit will be required to fully see all the WW2 remaining structures and heritage sites, including a historical location where the famous Bing Crosby entertained 4000 people in 1944.    A visit to Ridgewell is a step back in time to the days of the second world war,  educating and keeping history alive, to remember the sacrifices of so many crews who never returned, with their superb RAF and USAAF memorials. Thankyou to the great Folks at Ridgewell for making our group visit so welcome. Find out more about the Ridgewell Museum at :- www.rafcamuseum.co.uk  or visit their facebook page at   www.facebook.com/RidgewellAirfieldCommemorativeMuseum/ Watch out for more great images from our trip to Ridgewell  at our CAF UK Wing web page and FB public page.