Watchfield, Naafi Corner 1951
Photo ref:
W253015
Photo ref:
W253015
More about this scene
With a large military presence in the area, a NAAFI store is never far away. Today the store operates as part of the Spar grocery chain, and the entrance has moved round to the left of the building. A small electricity sub-station now stands on the site occupied by W H Smith & Son.
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Memories of Watchfield, NAAFI Corner 1951
For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our website to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was, prompted by the photographs in our archive. These memories are of Watchfield, Naafi Corner 1951
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I was first at Watchfield in 1958 when I attended a Military Course there in "Aerial Delivery". It was the home of 16 Parachute Heavy Drop Coy RAOC and other units involved in Air Supply. In 1962 I was posted there transferring from The Parachute Regiment. I made 39 of my 218 Parachute descents there, many at night. The DZ was also used for the Air Dropping of vehicles and Supplies. When my Unit moved to RAF ...see more
I moved to Watchfield in 1940 and left in 1950. My dad, Mr Woolman, worked for the army and had his office in Homelees Farm in the camp. What a change has taken place at Watchfield. Gone are the places we could play in safety. The brook is now overgrown and no where to paddle. The cottage at Tuck Mill has gone and the stepping stones are nearly covered in weeds. We used the pathway to Shrivenham and used the ...see more
This was the NAAFI shop that served the military quarters at Watchfield, which housed the then many miltary and civilian staff of the Royal Military College of Science, and some of the students at the college, many of whom were from overseas.The RMCS is now the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom and is multi-service.
I am not a native, so to speak, of Shrivenham/Watchfield, but lived in one or ...see more
Hi I was at Arnhem camp in 1958/59. This was where the heavy drop platforms were rigged with Landrover+trailer, before being transported to Abingdon airfield. There they would be loaded into a Beverly aircraft (with the boom doors removed). The RAF would then fly back over Watchfield and drop the platforms on the DZ at Arnhem Camp.
I now live in South Australia, on a trip back to the UK in 2009 it was ...see more
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