Bernard Ellis

Name : Bernard Ellis

Rank : T.B.C.

Ser. No. : T.B.C.

Dates at Cranage : 1951

Fire Dept.

Taken from a letter to Hugh Budgen.

19 - 10 - 10

Just flicking through the rear pages of the latest edition of Flashpoint, your name came up in the HELP column asking if anyone was stationed at R.A.F. Cranage. I was stationed at Cranage, Byley, Cheshire only for about one year about 1951 before I was posted overseas.

I cannot remember very much of the camp, I was in the fire section, I can only remember one other lad and a Corporal in the section, we were quite close to the M.P’s in the guardroom and the armoury. Our so called fire engine was a little Bantam Carrier with a foam tank on the back towing a trailer pump. I can remember at meal times we used to drive down to the mess in the Bantam.

At the time the hangars were used by the air ministry to store surplus R.A.F. stock which was auctioned off every now and then to the public. The main body of the camp at the time I was there was used as a transit camp for married family’s returning fro overseas postings whilst awaiting new permanent postings in this country. I had a very old motorbike, which I bought in Croydon, sent up to the camp, I could not ride it at the time, but I did learn on the old perimeter track. I left the bike at the camp when I was posted abroad so goodness knows what happened to it. I can remember the old forge in Byley fitted a new saddle on it for nothing.

I remember the old wire of the runways stacked up and the main field was turned back into farming land growing wheat and corn which we used to help the farmer gather in.

I can remember the long drive from the main gates and the bus to Northwich was once a week which would bring us back in the evening.

It must be at least 10 years ago when my wife and I spent a few days in Blackpool, on the way back to Croydon I came off the M6 and had a coffee at Cranage to try an find the old camp. In the cafe I did ask the waitress if she knew anything and where the camp was, but unfortunately she didn’t know that the camp had even existed.

I expect you know but on google if you type in R.A.F. Cranage there is a page with a few modern photographs of the camp. Quite interesting.

I cannot help you more than this.

Bernard Ellis