New name for what was RAF Cottesmore

[CH2]

The base will be now called ‘Kendrew Barracks’ after Major General Sir Douglas Kendrew, who went to Uppingham School (local town) and was one of the most highly decorated officers of the Second World War. He was one of only nine officers to be awarded the Distinguished Service Order four times. The base will soon be home to the 2nd Battalion the Royal Anglian Regiment when more than 600 soldiers take up residence there after moving back from Cyprus. They will be followed next year by 460 personnel from 7 Regiment Royal Logistics Corps.

Would be nice if the Army managed to keep the place in the state that they received it, we can live in hope.

[XPLUMBER]

And just watch the HOUSE PRICES drop!

[C24]

And just watch the HOUSE PRICES drop!

The Council Tax will not; it will stay in the top five of the Country!

Better that it stays in use, it might be needed in the near future.

[CH2]

Yes and noted today that the Radar has stopped turning!

[cottesmore09]

Who's stupid idea of getting the **** Army in a base the size of that, they will probaly now blow holes in that perfect runnway!

[Tiger Tim]

No matter what the Army calls the base it will always will be known has RAF COTTESMORE

[Firefighter]

Went to many Ex-RAF stations when in the RAF and not at all surprised to see stables and paddocks appearing everywhere, at one particular Barracks the planned airlift had to be cancelled due to stables having been built on the approach since the exercise recce, the Army did not seem to understand flight safety. Hangars were renamed sheds, mostly the Army just want four walls and a roof.

[CH2]

Noticed a few days ago that the radar had been finally removed.

[SCARECROW]

RAF Regiment has built barrack blocks on the taxiway at Honington so gawd know what the Army will do to TTTE Cottesmore !

[flyingslug_0]

all we need now is the Army to buy F35s

[phil8561]

Ill be going to Kendrew Barracks for my resettlement courses next week (thanks to the MOD making me redundent) it's bad enough that Kinloss is now army and that leuachers will now be going the same way

[Tiger Tim]

A couple of weeks ago the Vulcan did a display practise at the base.

It was the best way of reminding the Army and the county of Rutland that -

JET NOISE IS & ALWAY WILL BE..............THE SOUND OF FREEDOM

[romeo bravo]

Come on guys, its happened. You don't bang on about all the other ex-RAF stations that are now Army Barracks; what about Woodbridge, Abingdon, Swanton Morley, Catterick, Diskforth, etc, etc, etc.

Yes, the demise of Cottesmore/Wittering and the Harrier fleet hit a number on here personally, from a work prospective. But its happened, it won't be reversed.

[Vulcanone]

Well said Romeo Bravo,

I grew up in Immingham and my local active airbase was Binbrook, I could moan endlessly about that, but its gone... end of.

At least they (Cottesmore and Kinloss) are still going to be in use in some form or another, Although there is still a downside as the Royal Engineers are moving out of Waterbeach it will be sold off.

Tim S

[steve149c]

Hear hear Romeo Bravo! Well said, and the Army is just as good as the RAF! You forget that the Army are the reason for most of the RAF! Why do we have Lynx/Merlin/Apache? For our troops on the ground, Chinook and Hercules to move them about, and fast jets for close air support (yes that even meant the beloved Harrier). So without the Army, the bean counters in Whitehall/Parliment would find even more reasons to strip the Uk of her air assets.

Now stop grumbling about an airbase changing hands - the army will look after it, and I am sure that they will use the runway and hangars for detachments of helicopters - so you locals may actually get something interesting in - especially if it is a NATO or European training excercise. Just all please look at the bigger picture in all of this!

And unfortunately - "Jet noise is not the sound of freedom" - that fell to the sound of Propellors in WWII!

[Mictheslik]

Hear hear Romeo Bravo! Well said, and the Army is just as good as the RAF! You forget that the Army are the reason for most of the RAF! Why do we have Lynx/Merlin/Apache?

The irony being the RAF have never had Lynx/Apache and soon may not have any Merlins

Much rather have it being used by the armed forces than the runway being ripped up and turned into housing.

.mic

[steve149c]

Quite right Mic, quite Right

[phil8561]

I'm at Cottesmore at the moment and they are pulling down some of the old buildings (but at least one of the hangars still has a SQN crest on the doors) I was here on a Tornado mechs course years ago when TTTE were here.

[cottesmore09]

XH558 was over 'ex RAFCottesmore on Sunday afternoon, did 3 circuits before departing, thats always nice to see

[CH2]

Agree that seeing Cotts being turned into eco housing estate would have been awful. Our understanding was that runway was to stay intact should mobilisation require air transport, we shall see.

Interesting to note that this year and last, Cotts appears to be the display practice area of choice for 558.