It was only when making a delivery to the Bicton Industrial Estate that I first discovered the site of Kimbolton Airfield. As I drove up the hill from Kimbolton I started noting the tell-tale concrete paths snaking off in all directions from the road and, on arriving at the industrial estate, I was confronted not only by a very well presented memorial site but with a wonderful looking nissen hut building that was clearly still being put to good use today.

Having promised myself a return visit to explore the airfield more thoroughly, I duly took a day off work, packed up the camera gear and, armed with a copy of the original 1944 Air Ministry plans and an Ordnance Survey map, set off for Kimbolton which is just a few miles west of Huntingdon, alongside Grafham Water.

I chose to park up at Point 1 (see map above), alongside a concrete pathway at the southern tip of the airfield. My plan was to pick up the public footpath which would lead me towards the Bomb Stores Site and where the old Air Ministry plans showed the Battle HQ to be. First problem, and one that was to become typical of the day, was that the footpath was lost amidst a recently ploughed field.

I then progressed further up the hill in search of a second public footpath that would lead me to the same site. Although the entrance to this path was heavily overgrown, it was there, as was a vaguely marked track into the distance so exploration commenced.

A very large haystack stood on the site of the old 72,000 gallon fuel instalation and also served notice of the end of the marked footpath. Faced with the choice of treading across the field where the footpath should have been or picking up the more robust footing of the southern perimeter track, the latter proved the irresistable and obvious choice.

A narrow concrete path headed off from the perimeter track onto the old Bomb Store site (image 2) but, with ploughed fields either side, it was clear that remains of any description had been long since been removed. Undeterred, I still trod the path down to where the Battle HQ should have been but there was absolutely nothing left to mark the spot.

I briefly continued north west on the perimeter track to the far reaches of the Bomb Store site but, apart from a very dense line of bushes that may have hidden away some remains, there appeared to be nothing of interest to view.

I headed back, due east, along the southern perimeter track to pass the two control tower sites but sadly not only had both of these been levelled (image 3), which I was aware of, but there was again absolutely no sign of their earlier existance. The local landowner was to later inform me that they had been demolished in 1978 as they were proving a nuisance to plough around ......... a decision that he now regrets !

The perimeter track rejoins the Kimbolton - Stow Magna road at the site of Bicton Industrial Estate (image 4) which sits on the only remaining evidence of the airfield's old Administrative Site. I have seen reports of the site still holding buildings from wartime but, unless I'm much mistaken, there is only one building remaining which is the white nissen hut building that greets you as you enter the site ........ and which is clearly visible from the road (image 5).

The old Administrative Site was home to a huge number of buildings of all shapes and sizes so trying to nail the identification of this one stubborn survivor is not easy but, from the Air Ministry plans, it appears to be the old Main Stores Office ........ but I'm willing to listen to other theories !

The memorial site (image 6 & 7), which is at the entrance to the industrial estate, is well laid out and informative, not only offering a visitors book but a nice detailed plan of the old airfield.

I left the site, walking north east along the Kimbolton - Stow Magna road which runs along the course of the perimeter track which can be seen clearly on the immediate western edge of the road (image 8). The road passes the intersection with the eastern end of Runway 1, the path of which can easily be made out on the eastern side of the road, albeit with the concrete runway itself long since removed.

Immediately after the intersection, you can pick up the eastern perimeter track which is now tarmacced over to form the road down to Bigram's Farm (image 9). I headed off down the road towards Site 7 and Site 8 and also to view the "frying pan" dispersal point that is clearly shown on current day ordnance survey maps.

The dispersal point (image 10) proved to be very untypical of the Kimbolton site in general, being completely "as was" and standing in perfect isolation where sixty years ago it would have been merely one of many in the immediate vicinity ........ why this one has been left untouched was left for others to know and for me to guess !

As I left the site, I had the good fortune of bumping into the local landowner who very kindly offered to drive across his field in order to mark out the public footpath towards Site 7....... an offer that I turned down as I was more than happy to pick out and walk the concrete paths !

He confirmed what I was already discovering which was that there really was very little left of the old airfield. If that wasn't a little deflating, his recalling of the demolition of many buildings in the late 1970s certainly was ....... particularly when he recalled that many had original artwork still visible on the walls ! He confirmed that he was still discovering debris in his fields, ranging from rusting old guns through to significant pieces of aircraft ......... he particularly mentioned a nice "Boeing" marked piece which he had recently given to a US visitor !

Spurred on by the landowners belief that there was an intact building still on the grounds of the old Site 7, I headed off down the concrete path (image 11) immediately south east of the "frying pan" dispersal site to what is now a very small, lightly used grass-track airfield on the site. Indeed what is now a makeshift small aircraft store room did turn out to be the second intact building from the old airfield. Marked on the old Air Ministry plan as the "Sergeants & Airmen's Ablutions and Drying Room", it may have been rather unglamourous but it was there, it was intact and it was a true survivor (image 12) !

Although I chose not to follow the public right of way beyond Site 7, you can walk on through to what is now a Go-Kart track which is sitting on an old "spectacled" dispersal site (image 13).

Retracing steps away from Site 7 along the concrete pathway takes you past the entrance to what was Site 8 (image 14) which is now the site of Transco's Huntingdon Compressor Station ......... whatever that is ! It's a strictly "no entrance" facility but it is clear that absolutely nothing remains of the old site so temptation did not prove a problem !

Continuing a short distance south east along Bigram's Lane brings you down around the south-eastern end of Runway 1 from where you can pick up another public footpath along the concrete pathway (image 15) towards the old Communal Site 2. Sadly, the concrete pathway is all that is left of this site and you soon find yourself continuing south west along the path towards Site 10.

A quick detour at the entrance to Site 10 simply confirmed that Site 9 was no more and offered up absolutely no evidence of an earlier presence beyond the concrete pathways that lead you tantalisingly towards it (image 16).

Site 10 offered up some rough pasture, which was at least a pleasant change from immaculately ploughed field, but there was little to show for the old site except the odd lump of concrete and occasional small pile of bricks. As I headed south west to leave the bottom end of the site I was pleasantly surprised to actually find something substantial through the hedgerow but, alas, it proved to be nothing more exciting than the old Static Water Tank (image 17) that marked the lower edge of the site ....... still, it was something and it did prove I was where I thought I was !!!

The public right of way across to Communal Site 3 was lost in the adjacent ploughed field so I decided to just pick a spot and pick my way across. Communal Site 3 would have been a great site to explore, given that it originally housed a rather splendid Officers Mess, Dining Room and a Sergeant's Mess with a projector room add-on but, once again, the site is now sadly nothing more than a ploughed field (image 18).

I did note that the consistency of the ploughed field was rather "lumpy" and appeared to contain as much brickwork and masonry as it did nutrient rich soil (image 19) ! A brief stroll along the edge of the field, through the site of the larger of the original buildings, did turn up a few pieces of broken crockery, one of which was dated 1940 something (last digit was lost !) as well as a rusty old pair of wire cutters. I reckoned a few hours with a metal detector might prove very interesting on this site (image 20) !

The pathway back to the Kimbolton - Stow Magna road, and the completion of my circular tour, took me through Site 6 which was again, you guessed it, a ploughed field !

I did purposefully drive past the site of the old Sick quarters (Site 5) and WAAF Site (Site 4) on my way up to the airfield, both are on the edge of Kimbolton itself, but both appeared to be the sites of more modern housing so I doubt there is anything to show for their former existances.

So ........ that was Kimbolton. For the airfield archeologists, there is very little on offer beyond what appears to be two intact buildings, one static water tank, one "frying pan" dispersal site and numerous concrete tracks. With the various dispersed sites at Kimbolton seemingly being based out in the open rather than in wooded areas, such as at King's Cliffe, they were clearly all too easy to erase from history ....... which is, sadly, what has happened.