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| HER Number | MWB20643 |
|---|
| Record Type | Monument |
|---|
| Name | Fire plane, RAF Greenham Common |
|---|
Summary
Locally listed mock up metal plane in fenced circular compound on military air base, used for fire fighting training in late 1980s
Monument Type(s):
- FIREPLANE (Late 20th century - Present - 1986 AD to 1992 AD)
Full Description
A mock up metal plane in the form of a Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft was made by Ray Theodore Welding in Newbury (at a cost of £15,000) and installed at Greenham Common airbase in August 1986 <5>. The structure is c 14m in length and is located in a fenced circular compound and was used for fire fighting training by airfield fire crews and Newbury Fire Brigade <5><6>. It was fitted with dummy seats and passengers prior to a training exercise and was linked with a pipeline allowing the fuselage to be sprayed with aviation fuel <5>. The circular compound is shown on the 1994 masterplan of RAF Greenham, labelled 'Fire fighting exercise area' (RAF Greenham Common Masterplan Sheet 5 of 7) <1>.
The plane is clearly seen on 21st century air photographs <2><3>. It was added to the Local List of Heritage Assets in 2017 <4> as a unique example of Cold War heritage.
Sources and further reading
| <01> | Berkshire Archaeological Services. 2011. Historical Environmental Survey and Management Plan for Greenham and Crookham Commons. 2011 WBC Network. Gazetteer ID 461. [Unpublished document / SWB148355]
http://www.westcombe.org.uk/appindex.html (Accessed 07/09/2015) |
| <02> | GeoInformation Group. 08/04/2003. West Berkshire Council Aerial Survey 2003 (digital aerial photographs). Aerial Photo. Digital. 1:7000. [Photograph / SWB146766] |
| <03> | 2010. West Berkshire Council Aerial Survey 2010 (digital aerial photographs). Aerial Photo. Digital. [Photograph / SWB148137] |
| <04> | West Berkshire Council. 2015-. West Berkshire District Council in partnership with the West Berkshire Heritage Forum - Local List of Heritage Assets. pdf online. 17/00012/LOCAL. [Unpublished document / SWB148860]
https://info.westberks.gov.uk/locallist (Accessed on 01/06/2022) |
| <05> | Sayers, J J. 2006. In Defense (sic) of Freedom; A History of RAF Greenham Common. www.lulu.com ID 310488. [Unpublished document / SWB146796]
https://www.lulu.com/en/gb/shop/jj-sayers/in-defense-of-freedom-a-history-of-raf-greenham-common/paperback/product-qwvvkk.html?page=1&pageSize=4 (Second edition 2021 (accessed on 16/02/2021)) |
| <06> | Hawkings, D. 2003. Greenham: a common inheritance. http://www.greenham-common.org.uk. Accessed 20/03/2008. [Website / SWB13700]
http://www.greenham-common.org.uk (Accessed 11/01/2012) |
Related Monuments
| MWB6570 | Greenham Common Airbase (RAF Greenham Common) (Monument) |
Associated Excavations and Fieldwork
| EWB1256 | Historical Environmental Survey and Management Plan for Greenham and Crookham Commons |
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