D-Day plane to return to former airbase in Berkshire

[paullangford]

A plane that played a vital role on D-Day in World War Two is to be restored and returned to the Berkshire airfield where it took off 73 years ago.
The C-47 'night fright' plane was in pieces when it was bought in 2012 and about to be destroyed forever.
But it could be returning to base once more.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england ... -berkshire

[page_verify]

Which air base in Berkshire? The video stalls and its text doesn't say.

[MRay]

Its at Coventry Airport at present, it should be going to the former RAF Membury once restored.

[page_verify]

Thanks - not somewhere even as a local you'd know had a wartime airfield (or even a GA on now!).

[jamesg23]

so this makes BBC news as good as it is but marking the D-Day anniversary yesterday didn't make anything on the news. I guess overpaid people fighting for a job is more important!

[Supra]

Agreed! Saw this on South 'Today' last night & thought I must've nodded-off for the bit where the 73rd D-Day Anniversary today was mentioned, or linked. They did however, suggest that 'Night Fright' will be in place at Membury for the 75th Anniversary in 2 years time!!
Are their scripts written by eighteen year-olds? The news was packed with the one-minute silence for victims of recent atrocities in England, which is commendable, but....how quickly they forget the bigger historic losses?

[bizfreeq]

D-Day has only ever been commemorated on the big anniversaries and never yearly. Our bigger historic losses are, however, commemorated EVERY year collectively on the 11th November, so are never forgotten. Were we to commemorate D-Day every year, then by extension, we should do the same for every other stand out wartime campaign or battle for all the wars we've been involved in. That just isn't practical. We rightly do our remembrance each year in November and the big anniversaries as they occur and long may that continue.
Lest We Forget

[Sparts99]

Thanks - not somewhere even as a local you'd know had a wartime airfield (or even a GA on now!).

there's a bent prop in the westbound M4 services mounted on a stone block with a plaque explaining the history of the site, and the hangars are pretty unmistakeable. Also I believe there is a spamcan operating there off a grass strip. If you go to the back of the westbound services car park you can see the strip, once when I was there something white and small took off.

[page_verify]

Thanks, I'll look out for the site.

Also, is the fact that D-Day happened many years ago news?

[jamesg23]

Thanks, I'll look out for the site.

Also, is the fact that D-Day happened many years ago news?

Remembering the fallen and the great achievement, yes it is. Every year there will be something on the news. If you check the american news channels/ websites then you will find something about this years anniversary but nothing on any british news site.

[bob909]

Amazing 'Night-Fright' update here and stunning patch reveal too!
https://youtu.be/rZd7C63GuqA?feature=shared

[1marshn30]

The Membury airfield memorial is the Westbound M4 services carpark at the end of the runway the C-47 is on the industrial estate to the south of the motorway service area .




Ni

[GaryS]

Wasn't it this aircraft that featured in a Guy Martin restoration program a few years ago?
They were hoping to have it ready for the last (75th)anniversary but didn't manage it?

[1marshn30]

It is the same one