Assistance - RAF Scampton or RAF Digby

[Scott Revell]

Hi everyone,

I am posting for a friend who is trying to find additional information on some photos he has in his family.

He is trying to figure out the backstory to the attached photo. The photos were taken by his great grandmother Thelma Stone just prior to the outbreak of WW2.

Back then she and her family used to live on base or right next door to, either RAF Base Digby or RAF Base Scampton. She used tell us stories of cooking the dambuster crews breakfast in the mornings and his grandfather her son John could recall their base being shot up once by a Me109 whilst they were in the chapel on base.

What he wants to know is what base is this photo taken from (based of flight logs I'm guessing), and who are these people potentially disembarking from the aircraft / for what occasion?

So it is pre-WWII but looking for assistance on where and how to commence this research. Is there any way to find a list of civilians that worked on RAF Bases during WWII - Is this possible? Any assistance would be appreciated. Thanks Scott

[MW Giles]

Not Scampton or Digby as both were grass (Scampton got its runways in 1943/4)

I believe the photos were taken at Croydon. Lufthansa flew regular scheduled flights until war broke out

https://londonist.com/2016/01/croydonairport

Martin

[Scott Revell]

Thanks Martin - great information. Was this the only airbase the Germans landed at pre-war?

[MW Giles]

Lufthansa flight schedule for Summer 38 shows flights to

Bristol, Dublin, IoM, Leeds/Bradford, Doncaster, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth/Dundee

However these are very minor when compared to the London traffic, which would land at Croydon

Unless there was an emergency landing, civil aircraft would not generally be welcomed at RAF Stations

Martin

[Scott Revell]

Thanks so much for your help Martin. How can one find information on a civilian that may have worked on a RAF base during WWII?