Site 4: Communal Site 1

This site contains the recreational and mess facilities for the aerodrome. It is built either side of the road onto the aerodrome.

Main Gate And Barrier

All personnel and visitors had to pass through this barrier to enter the aerodrome. It was sited 50 yards off the main Launceston to Camelford road. It consisted of a small Nissen 16 ft by 18 ft. Constructed of corrugated steel sheeting with T-shaped (in section) arched steel ribs placed at 6 ft centres. Concrete floor. A pole barrier across the road was manually operated by the Service police.

This is no longer extant. [2007]

Picket Post

[Drawing No. 12404/41] (Map Ref. 202)

The same size and construction as the picket post on the Station Headquarters site. A small Nissen hut 16 ft by 18 ft. Constructed of corrugated steel sheeting with T-shaped (in section) arched steel ribs at 6 ft centres. Concrete floor.

This building is no longer extant. [2007]

Airmen's Dining Room And Cinema

[Drawing No. 16677/41] (Map Ref. 203)

The building was the airman's dining room, cook house and cinema and consisted of a central cook house joined together on either side by a servery connecting with two dining rooms. One dining room featured a projection room extension on the end elevation so that this room could become a cinema and also double as the station concert hall.

A large Nissen shed, which was larger than the standard Nissen hut and designed for very large messes and institutes etc. Large Nissen sheds had a 30 ft span. The length could be any multiple of 6 ft. Constructed of corrugated steel sheeting with T-shaped (in section) arched steel ribs at 6 ft centres. Concrete floor. This building was constructed of three huts linked together to form an H-block.

This building is no longer extant. [2007]

Rations Store

[Drawing No. 9041/41] (Map Ref. 204)

The building was of cement rendered concrete block with a pent roof of corrugated asbestos cement sheeting.

This building is no longer extant. [2007]

Fuel Compound

[Drawing No. 9108/41] (Map Ref. 205)

Constructed of a concrete slab 63 ft by 54 ft. It is otherwise of the same construction and use as that on the technical site.

This area is no longer extant. [2007]

Stand-by-set House

[Drawing No. 16302/41] (Map Ref. 207)

The building held the standby generator equipment for use if the main electrical supply failed. It contained two Lister Blackburn generators, one was permanently connected in and the other was there as a second emergency standby item. It was manned 24 hours a day by a three man civilian crew, Jim Orchard, Harry Trethewey, who was the duty electrician and had a permanent bed there, and a Map Ref. Sanders. These three men worked an eight hour shift each.

Constructed of permanent brick with a flat reinforced concrete roof.

This building is no longer extant. [2007]

Tailor, Shoemaker, Barber And Post Office

[Drawing No. 9098/41] (Map Ref. 208)

The building provided on site facilities for aerodrome personnel. A Handcraft hut 18 ft by 36 ft. Constructed of pre-shaped asbestos troughing with seven faces giving the familiar threepenny bit shape. It had no internal framing. Flat asbestos cement sheets internally bolted to a concrete floor.

The building is no longer extant. [2007]

Grocery And Local Produce Store

[Drawing No. 12878/41] (Map Ref. 209)

The store was where personnel could purchase supplies and local farmers could sell produce such as milk and eggs. Map Ref. Gynn at Treslay farm supplied churns of milk.

Constructed of cement rendered concrete block with external piers at 10 ft centres. A pitched roof of corrugated asbestos cement sheeting. A concrete floor.

The building is no longer extant. [2007]

Ablutions And Decontamination For Airmen

[Drawing No. 14433/41] (Map Ref. 211)

This is a single building for use by airman. By clever design, in the event of an enemy air raid with gas weapons, the block could easily be used as a decontamination centre. Men entering the building would be stripped of their clothing which would be taken away for boiling. The stripped men would shower and then scrub themselves with bleach soap. Bleach was an antidote to mustard gas. Having scrubbed themselves the men would shower again and put on fresh clothing.

In normal use the building was as an ablution block.

Constructed of cement rendered concrete block with external piers at 10 ft centres. A concrete floor and a pent roof of corrugated asbestos cement sheeting.

The building is no longer extant. [2007]

Institute And NAAFI

[Drawing No. 13049/41] (Map Ref. 213)

The Public Service Institute [PSI] was responsible for overseeing the NAAFI. The NAAFI was created by the government in 1921 to provide welfare and amenities for servicemen and women. It was non profit making. It ran recreational establishments, sold goods like cigarettes to servicemen and their families, ran bars, clubs and shops. During the second world war it provided over 4,000 artists to entertain the troops.

The PSI had a committee of representatives from squadrons on the aerodrome. They held regular meetings to approve projects such as special entertainments. An entry in the Station Operational Record Book for September 1943 refers to a PSI dance in the concert hall at 2000 hours.

Constructed of Nissen sheds 30ft wide. Constructed of corrugated steel sheeting with T-shaped (in section) arched steel ribs placed at 6 ft centres. Concrete floor. Three were linked together, one was separate and one smaller building was a Nissen hut 16 ft by 36 ft.

The buildings are no longer extant. [2007]

Sergeant's Mess

[Drawing No. 12869/41] (Map Ref. 214)

The buildings held the messing facilities for the sergeants.

Constructed of three Nissen huts 16 ft by 36 ft each. Constructed of corrugated steel sheeting with T-shaped (in section) arched steel ribs at 6 ft centres. Concrete floor. They were set side by side and linked together by brick built corridors.

The buildings are no longer extant. [2007]

Education Block

[Drawing No. 9886/42] (Map Ref. 215)

The building, as it's name suggests, was used for educational purposes. The personnel could avail themselves of lessons in Polish, English, elementary maths for WAAFs, English literature, French for beginners, followed by intermediate French and so on.

A single Nissen hut 16 ft by 36 ft. Constructed of corrugated steel sheeting with T-shaped (in section) arched steel ribs at 6 ft centres. Concrete floor. The building became Andy's grocery stores after the war and only closed in the 1990's.

It is still extant and in virtually the same condition as it was in wartime. This is probably the best preserved building on the aerodrome. [2007]

Gymnasium And Chancel

[Drawing No. 15424/41] (Map Ref. 216)

The gymnasium was part of the station's recreational facilities. It had changing rooms, stores to house the gym equipment, and a latrine. It was equipped with climbing ropes, rope ladders and three-section wall bars. It was used for basketball matches, boxing tournaments and it was also used as a church.

Constructed of cement rendered concrete block with external piers at 10 ft centres to form nine bays. The roof had 28 ft steel trusses clad with corrugated asbestos sheeting. It was a multifunctional building. A chancel added to the north end elevation converted the gym into a church with the congregation seated in the gym facing the altar and chancel.

The building site had been used as a saw pit prior to construction of the gymnasium and the pit itself had been covered with wooden flooring. After the war the building became Davidstow Village Hall when it was sold to the Parish Council for £600 by Map Ref.s Colwill.

The building is still extant complete with the saw pit under the decaying wooden floor. [2007]

Officer's Showers

[Drawing No. 14438/41] (Map Ref. 217)

This building has a central corridor with individual cubicles on either side. The hot water for this building came from the boiler in the adjacent sergeant's shower block.

Constructed of concrete block with a cement floor and a pitch roof of corrugated concrete asbestos sheeting.

The building is still extant but the roof has been removed. [2007]

Sergeant's Showers And Boiler House

[Drawing No. 12243/41-Showers and 16319/41-Boiler House] (Map Ref. 218)

The building contains both a shower block and an associated boiler house combined. Beyond an entrance lobby were six communal shower cubicles with a corridor on one side only. A boiler was housed at the rear, next to a tower, which held the water supply for this building and the officer's shower block next door.

Constructed of cement rendered concrete block with external piers at 10 ft centres. A pitched corrugated asbestos cement roof which was removed when the building was converted. The building had a concrete floor which sloped towards the outside wall to drain off the shower water.

The building is still extant together with the steel piping and shower heads. It has a new roof and doors and houses the Davidstow Memorial Museum. [2007]

Officer's Mess

[Drawing No. 12952/41] (Map Ref. 219)

These buildings were the officers' mess and associated cook house. They were a combination of interlinked buildings that included a water tower, a cement rendered concrete block officer's mess and three Nissen huts 16 ft by 36 ft. Constructed of corrugated steel sheeting with T-shaped (in section) arched steel ribs at 6 ft centres. A concrete floor.

The only building that was extant [2002] was the officer's mess which had no roof on it. The buildings are part the Davidstow Airfield and Cornwall at War Museum. Restoration work has been carried out to the buildings. There are plans to replace many of the buildings that are no longer extant. [2007]

Squash Court

[Drawing No. 16589/40] (Map Ref. 220)

Part of the stations recreational facilities. Of necessity a tall building of cement rendered concrete block and brick with piers at 10 ft centres. The pitched roof was of corrugated asbestos cement sheeting. Changing rooms were in an extension on the north elevation. A post war lean to had been added to the eastern elevation. There were still extant the remains of the court markings [2003].

On the 17 September 1943 the Operational Record Book [ORB] recorded that the squash court was open to all personnel.

This building is still extant but has been extensively renovated and has a new roof. [2007]

Commanding Officer's Quarters

[Drawing No. 9023/41] (Map Ref. 221)

The station's commanding officer was accommodated in a detached building. The original Air Ministry drawing does not survive and so the completeness of this building is of great historic importance.

Construction is of concrete block, cement rendered with external piers at 10 ft centres forming six bays. The roof comprises standard 18 ft span steel trusses supporting corrugated asbestos cement sheeting. Today [2007]the building is a private dwelling. There is an outside toilet within the south elevation. Steps leading up to the door open into the kitchen. A corridor runs down the western side of the building from which the living and bed rooms are accessed. There is an inside toilet and bathroom. Windows are steel framed. Wartime pictures, taken on 23 November 1943, survive in my collection.

Static Water Pool

[No Drawing No.] (Map Ref. 210)

Static water pools were dispersed throughout the aerodrome. They were fed by the natural water table and used for fire fighting purposes and on occasions for dinghy drill.

Open constructions of permanent brick and concrete they were capable of holding 20,000 gallons of water. Almost every site had it's own static water pool.

The site has been filled in. [2007]

Blast Shelter

[No Drawing No.]

A quick safe retreat from the effects of blast but not giving the same level of protection as an air raid shelter.

Traversed blast walls constructed of permanent brick and built back to back they were capable of holding up to 50 people. An unroofed structure with an open entrance. The protected area ran at right angles to either side of the entrance. Earth was banked against the outside of the walls to give bomb splinter protection.

This is still extant. [2007]

Air Raid Shelter

[No Drawing No.]

Four in number Stanton type air raid shelter as manufactured by Stanton Ironworks company, Nottingham. They were capable of holding up to 50 men each.

An enclosed structure of pre-cast concrete sections which bolted together to form a tunnel of the required length. The entrance was in a wall of concrete block and at the opposite end was a concrete 'chimney' for use as an emergency exit. The shelter was covered with earth to provide bomb splinter protection.

The building is still extant. [2007]

Latrines

[Drawing No. 14397/41] (Map Ref. 212)

A long building of cement rendered concrete block with external piers at 10 ft centres. A single pitch roof of corrugated asbestos cement sheeting.

The building is no longer extant. [2007]