Former USAF Base Burtonwood. When developer's get things wrong

[Gunny Hartmann]

Must have been cool growing up around there seeing all the different aircraft. I think the developers have done ok; perhaps they should have had a picture of both a Dakota and a Thunderbolt.
A Dakota doesn't really do a lot for me, not sure why they have one in the BBMF to be honest.
Annoyed me quite a lot in 2009 when it was the 70th anniversary of the Broughton Factory where i grew up, and have worked in the past, they had a flypast of the BBMF with a Dakota, the Lancaster that actually left the Broughton production line in April 1945 was not even there. Think it was a political decision by Airbus really; they did not want to upset the shareholders!!

My Dad who was born in 1934 used to cycle to Burtonwood from where he lived at Appleton thorn (about 7 miles), he said him and his mates used to spend all day at the camp perimeter watching the planes coming in and out, they became well known by the American servicemen and were invited into the camp and watched films at the camp cinema and given bottles of Coke and tins of spam.
My Dad said when he was in bed he could hear the engines being run on the test beds from 7 miles away, he was lucky enough to live about 1/2 a mile away from HMS Blackcap where he spent lot of time too, but preferred Burtonwood because the Navy personnel gave nothing away!...
RNAS Stretton (HMS Blackcap) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[HARRY THE MOLE]

Steve Corbett: Have you heard the legend that there are about 50 Harley Davidson WLAs buried on the camp somewhere?..[/QUOTE]

Hi Gunny,

No, I've not heard that one. But one that WAS doing the rounds back in the 90's was the bloke that bid on a sealed crate at an auction being held there. When he (finally) got it home and opened it, he found a brand-new Willy's Jeep inside.

I was once offered a box of Thompsons by an american sergeant some years ago. Needless to say - I turned it down.

But going back to the original topic. You will know as well as I that there is a Lincoln Heights,Liberty Drive, Orlando Close and so on at Chapelford. So I would assume that 'Dakota Park' was chosen by someone who didn't know that there was an aircraft of that name. Put the name 'Dakota' above a fighter aircraft and some smart-arse is bound to come along and spot the error.

Fancy Oddball becoming that fruitcake out of 'Alo-Alo'

[history-buff1944]

I'm not sure if anyone else has picked up on this before, but just in case they've not...

I live just across the road from the former USAF base of Burtonwood, and I often used to watch the going's on from my bedroom window. The camp has now gone, and very little remains to be seen.

In it's place has sprung a modern 'Village' development called 'Chapelford.' The developer's have tried their best to to remind people of the sites link to the US, and many of the roads are named after places in the US.

This summer, a dedication ceremony was held for the opening of a new park within the village which was to serve as a reminder to future generations of the history of the former airbase. The following pictures show what happens when developer's have little knowledge of anything military.

Attachment 427920Attachment 427921Attachment 427922Attachment 427923

Uh er, I dont know where to begin except that I am not an expert by any means BUT--what mistake was made? I see nothing wrong with the monument at all. Now--I THINK I know what you guys are thinking of that is THE mistake?

I see that the place is named: Dakota Park and with one half the name on each wall. The Fighter aircraft pictured on the wall that says Dakota--was NOT meant to say that that name was representing the Dakota transport aircraft--merely just 1/2 of the name of said park. The other sign with Park on it--is not representing an aircraft of the same name especially since in WWII-or any other time frame that im aware of?) there have been no US Warplanes of any type that were called: Parks.

Sorry if I sound like a know it all or even an A-------its not meant to be-just pointing out something.

[Gunny Hartmann]

Steve Corbett: Have you heard the legend that there are about 50 Harley Davidson WLAs buried on the camp somewhere?..

Hi Gunny,

No, I've not heard that one. But one that WAS doing the rounds back in the 90's was the bloke that bid on a sealed crate at an auction being held there. When he (finally) got it home and opened it, he found a brand-new Willy's Jeep inside.

I was once offered a box of Thompsons by an american sergeant some years ago. Needless to say - I turned it down.

But going back to the original topic. You will know as well as I that there is a Lincoln Heights,Liberty Drive, Orlando Close and so on at Chapelford. So I would assume that 'Dakota Park' was chosen by someone who didn't know that there was an aircraft of that name. Put the name 'Dakota' above a fighter aircraft and some smart-arse is bound to come along and spot the error.

Fancy Oddball becoming that fruitcake out of 'Alo-Alo'[/QUOTE]

Yup, i've heard that one about the Jeep, on the same sealed crate theme there was supposed to be a bloke who bought a new Pratt and whitney radial engine for about £20.
As for Gruber, he keeps asking if i want to go for a ride in his little tank

[HARRY THE MOLE]

[QUOTE=history-buff1944;732578]Uh er, I dont know where to begin except that I am not an expert by any means BUT--what mistake was made? I see nothing wrong with the monument at all. Now--I THINK I know what you guys are thinking of that is THE mistake?

There is nothing wrong at all in calling the green landscape 'Dakota Park.' It fits in with the general theme of Chapelford Village - of trying to show it's links to the US by the place-names. Had they pictured a Douglas DC3 Dakota on both of the walls it would have been better. But it is totally absurd to plaster picture's of a fighter plane on the walls after giving the park a name which also happens to be the name of a twin engined aircraft. They may have been better to call the park 'Oklahoma Park' or something else. The P47's would then not have looked out of place. The idea of the pictures of the aircraft is to remind people that the area was once a major airfield.

The only reasons I pictured both parts of the wall was to show the P47's on both walls. The name 'Park' has nothing to do with the picture of the second group of aircraft. The picture should be viewed as a whole instead of parts! It is the name 'Dakota' which doesn't fit!

[Totenhead]

Slighty off topic, but wasn't " Allo Allo " great, dont think we could get away with it these days !!!!

[Gunny Hartmann]

Slighty off topic, but wasn't " Allo Allo " great, dont think we could get away with it these days !!!!

Yup!...

[HARRY THE MOLE]

Slighty off topic, but wasn't " Allo Allo " great, dont think we could get away with it these days !!!!

Gruber would want the right to get married in a church for a start!

[history-buff1944]

[QUOTE=HARRY THE MOLE;732616]

Uh er, I dont know where to begin except that I am not an expert by any means BUT--what mistake was made? I see nothing wrong with the monument at all. Now--I THINK I know what you guys are thinking of that is THE mistake?

There is nothing wrong at all in calling the green landscape 'Dakota Park.' It fits in with the general theme of Chapelford Village - of trying to show it's links to the US by the place-names. Had they pictured a Douglas DC3 Dakota on both of the walls it would have been better. But it is totally absurd to plaster picture's of a fighter plane on the walls after giving the park a name which also happens to be the name of a twin engined aircraft. They may have been better to call the park 'Oklahoma Park' or something else. The P47's would then not have looked out of place. The idea of the pictures of the aircraft is to remind people that the area was once a major airfield.

The only reasons I pictured both parts of the wall was to show the P47's on both walls. The name 'Park' has nothing to do with the picture of the second group of aircraft. The picture should be viewed as a whole instead of parts! It is the name 'Dakota' which doesn't fit!

Good point. I have to counter with that is it known exactly why they chose such a name? I mean, it could simply be something that they wanted that they feel perfectly represents the USA because of something from the Wild West--and Native American Indian related. i know he images represented the famed fighter but what would have been thought of if they had named the place: Apache Park, or Seminole or Cherokee Park? See what im getting at? ;-))

Perhaps it SHOULD have been a name that perfectly represents the Army Air Corps in WWII in the vane of the 8th Air Force-related?

[harryamb2]

and what happened to the madonna with the BIG boobies.?