The Officers Mess was located at Great Hyde Hall, this requisitioned building took over from the original Officers mess (see Below under Dispersed sites) that was located opposite the communal site. Other buildings were built in the grounds of this fine old house, the foundations of some still exist , The Link Trainer exists in the grounds and is in use as a gardeners store. Please note there is NO public access to the Hall and its grounds. Of the Eight dispersed sites built for the airfield,only one exists today, that is the former Station sick quarters in Parsonage Lane. It is possible to see the concrete lead-ins to the other sites if you drive along Parsonage Lane up to the junction with Hadham Road and Spellbrook Lane West. These are apparent today as small concrete lay-bys or passing places. The only other site partially remaining is the communal site with a Grocery Store and the Standby Generator house. The Link Trainer Hut. Resides in The grounds of Great Hyde Hall, It housed an early flight simulator used to train pilots and it is good to see that this building still stands today. Thanks to Peter Clark for the images seen above. Dispersed Sites. This page contains Crown copyright images © 2011 Communal site, Parsonage Lane. Situated on Parsonage Lane, on both sides of the road just before Spellbrook Lane West. It contained 33 buildings ranging from the Gymnasium, Cinema and Chancel (that was taken down in 1949 and re-erected albeit a little larger in the Forebury Sawbridgeworth, and now serves as The Memorial Hall) Grocery Store, Ration Store, Officers Mess and Sergeants baths, Barbers shop, Squash court, Post Office, Airmans dining room for 700, Boiler house , showers and the Commanding Officers quarters. All that remains today is the Standby Generator house used as a warehouse/storage, and the Grocery Store that is now home to a fibreglass car body manufacture. The Standby generators were powered by large engines driving a generator. The Standby Generator house The Grocery Store The WAAF Site. Joined by a concrete road to the communal site, the site contained nineteen buildings. The barrack huts were a mix on Handcraft and Janes hutting. The site housed a small 4 bay sick quarters, Hairdressers, Officers Mess for four, plus latrines and baths. No trace of this site remains today. After the airfield had closed for flying a care and Maintenance section took over until the whole airfield site was abandoned by the RAF. But power and water continued to be supplied to the sites. A small community took up residence in one or two of the dispersed sites, mainly in the WAAF site. This small community grew in size and became somewhat a bit of a quandry for quite a while to Braughing District Council, who had administive control of the area. They wanted to clear the site but could not do so until suitable housing had been built. Soon after the families occupying the sites were rehoused the entire dispersed hutted areas of RAF Sawbridgeworth were cleared to deny use to others, hence why no remains of these sites remain today. Site 1- Parsonage Lane. Handcraft and Janes hutting made up the barrack huts for Sergeants and Officers. The Janes huts measured 30' X 15' The site also contained a fuel compound and latrines. Electric power was supplied to each site from the mains and fed through a transformer on the site known as an M & E plinth. In the event of power from the mains failing then the Standby Generators would come into use supplying power to all sites on the airfield. No trace remains today apart from the concrete entrance lead-in. These photographs were donated by David Baile of Sawbridgeworth. As a child he lived in one of the Hadcraft huts on Site 1 Parsonage Lane. Nothing is left of this site that consisted of Handcraft and Wooden Hutting. These living sites were often used to provide much needed housing after the war. On some airfields, huts like these were used up to ten years after the war ended. Site Two-Parsonage Lane. Barrack accomodation for four officers and eight Sergeants with Handcraft and Nissen hutting respectively. Latrines, ablutions and five air raid shelters also on site. The only trace remaining today is the concrete service road (indicated by the dotted lines on the plan) This is now in the garden of a private house. Site 3- Parsonage Lane. The entrance was located opposite Site 1, and was a large accomodation site with 18 Nissen huts, Officers quarters for four and Sergeants quarters for eight. Latrines and Air raid shelters were also provided as with all the other dispersed sites. Other ablutions such as baths and showers would have been provided at the communal site. No trace remains today of site 3 apart from the concrete entrance lead- in. Wireless Transmitter Site-Parsonage Lane. Four Radio Transmitters were housed in a brick building on the site. A separate brick constructed building housed the 18 Kilowatt standby generator. Entrance lead-in again are the only remains left. Station Sick Quarters (SSQ) -Parsonage lane. Consisting of a Ten bed sick quarters and a Dental annexe. A separate twelve bed Barrack hut doubled as a ward. A Mortuary and Ambulance shed (now Woodside Motors) Ablutions and latrines completed the site. The site is more or less complete to this day and in use as a small industrial site. Images & text © Wartime Airfields.co.uk Other images copyright of David Baile Do not copy to wikipedia.