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Yesterday was the occasion of the monthly Humbleyard Hoofers walk. This time it was our turn to plan the route, so a few weeks ago Jan and I recced an area around Hethel in Norfolk. On this recce we came across some old buildings from the time when Hethel was home to a second world war American air base. A small group of volunteers have preserved the chapel and created a small
museum in the old gym. One of the volunteers was there and kindly opened up for us to have a look around, even though it wasn't an "official" opening day. It was amazing! A small, very friendly place, with bits and pieces of wartime paraphernalia. Fascinating. We'd known that Lotus Cars uses the old airfield as a test track but we'd had no idea these other buildings were here.
Right, we thought, we'll include this on our walk.
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Back to yesterday. 14 of us (and Jo, the dog) set off from the Bird in Hand pub in Wreningham on a cool November morning. Fortunately the overnight rain had stopped and the sun was now shining: excellent walking weather. Three miles into the walk, having passed the Hethel Engineering Centre near the Lotus Cars factory (Hethel's main claim to fame these days), I directed our group towards the museum. None of the others had been there before, and we were all delighted when, again, a volunteer opened up especially for us.
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The chapel had a preserved mural, and lots of artefacts.
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There was more in the former gym. The 389th Bombardment Group with B-24 Liberator bombers was based here from 1943 to 1945.
Is this a B-24 propellor and engine? I was told but now I can't remember.
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The caption in the photo below reads "Bits and pieces from a B24 Liberator".
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I think these shells were waiting to go into a display cabinet.
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I like the way lots of things are not encased, though. And the
slightly haphazard arrangement leads to surprises when browsing. I could have spent all day here!
That's enough photos for this post. I'll have to continue the write-up of the walk another time.