Greenham Common; Both Sides of the Fence Part 1
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- čas přidán 25. 01. 2011
- Part one of a 2 part documentary from 1994 on the history and future of Greenham Common airfield in Newbury, Berkshire.
Visit my Greenham Common website: www.greenhamcommon.org.uk
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Wow I spent five years of my life in the USAF at this base. I had a blast in England. Apart from living on 96 nuclear missiles and having to ward off peace women weekly it was a blast. And some of those women are still there. LOL WOW. I got there in 1984 Left in 1989. 501 Tactical Missle Wing 501st Transportation Squadron. Worked Logistics Plans and Programs.
Thank you so much for uploading this! Skip Hensley is my father and he passed away 10 years ago! this was such a lovely reminder of him
I did a 3 month attachment there in early 85 and another month or so later that year over Christmas.
I don't think as an 18 year old we truly understood the context of Greenham.
Whilst serving with the RAF in the 80's I spent some time at GC. Thoroughly enjoyed my time. Even got to know one or two of the protestors, I shall never forget one called Marmalade who was about 16, I wonder what she is up to now?
Too many gaps. Need full version if possible. 👍👍
I was an RAF Regiment soldier there at that time. Good days.
I was TDY at RAF Greenham Common in 1956 we flew B-47 Jet Bombers from there. I was in the USAF 310th Bomb Wing Schilling AFB Salina,Kansas. Crew Chief at the time T/Sgt William Wilsie
This takes me back to the times I was there, I opened it and closed the Greenham Common. The Peace Women actually aided in our training. Thanks Ladies. Thanks to all the wonderful people I met in the Area. One day I hope to reurrn for a vist.
I remember Greenham Common well in the 60's as a 16 year old (you were supposed to be 18). I use to go up to the night club there on a Saturday and not get home to about 3 am, my dad never knew, mum use to leave the door unlocked for me to get in on strict instructions to lock it once in so dad never realised when he came down in the morning to unlock the door
RAFGC 1983 - 1986, 501st TMW. USAF retired now, 1974 - 1994. Loved my GLCM assignment.
At Greenham 1962-1964, Lived at Bishops Green . Base had B-47 bombers...
Wow, this is fantastic, great footage, thank you for sharing this.
Good to see some home history.
At Greenham 1962-1964 Lived in Bishops Green housing area. Great times!!!!!
Having proudly served at Greenham Common as RAF Police there was nothing controversial about it, the people of Newbury were very supportive and friendly towards RAF & USAF personnel.
Same here, about 5 detachments. Was there when they brought the cruise missiles in. I remember living in tents, old train sleeper carriages and latterly porta cabins. Our one bit of fun was getting citations from the USAF Police for speeding on the airfield in the middle of the night and having them ripped up.
@@somnambulist7705 When the missiles came in (Oct-Nov 83), I was sleeping off nights (28 night shifts, 1 day off to go to Newbury RAFA Club) in a tent next to the USAF SHQ, I think the day shift detachment had it worst sleeping in near 0’C temps and having to put up with aircraft security, as well as the nonsense from the women. As for the old Train Sleeping Carriages, they came into use on a Friday on my last day, for the benefit of my relief who didn’t have to endure the tent. I agree about tearing up the traffic citations, not worth the paper they were written on.
@@voyloa I remember the non stop shifts, thought it was more than 28 but maybe it just seemed that way. As dayshift we had heaters in our tents but due to safety were told to turn them off while sleeping. If I remember correctly we ate in the USAF mess and the food was certainly different. I have on my wall a photo with Tom Counsell at Greenham at that time. I was latterly based at the parent unit for Greenham detachment so spent a lot more time there. Some of my happiest times were at Greenham as it was always a different bunch of people. I had earlier in the year worked Greenham on the air show with the RMP which was fun.
5:12 $4 to the pound WOW!!!!
I was there with the 501st USAF security police. This brings back so many memories. I wonder how my RAF comrodes are doing, I see there faces but can not remember there names.
slow applause
"Blast from the past" by Ben Elton brought me here.
Really interesting. Were some of the pieces to camera of women against the GLCMs at Greenham edited out on purpose and if so, why?
I was in the RAF at the time, keeping the yanks apart from the slags on the fence.
Upper Heyford's runway was worked on one summer in either 1976 or 1977 (cant remember now) and we spent the summer at greenham common. It seemed very spartan and isolated and I had no idea what the base was for being a lowly weather observer.
Hi Mike; the 20th TFW came to Greenham in 1976. I am in touch with some of you that came down to Greenham that year.
MARIE BERKITT I was at greenham in the late sixties and went to the club a lot. maybe we even met?
SO ANGRY they only had to close the base not OBLITERATE it from the face of the earth! It was a historic WW2 base where thousands left to defend our country and never returned:((( I spent many hours here in the RAF and watching RIAT it was a SUPERB site with its 2 mile runway. It was an honour to serve alongside you brothers. I even married a Missouri gal in later years! Thank you for your service Greenham and all the service people.
I lived close by at Foxhold house from 1956 to 62.
Thnx for the video. I live near here and i walk my dog and it looks similar
My mate a falklands vet served security there , he had used tampons thrown at him.
However my mother & alot of her friends (all hetro) were also protesting there at times..
Even the locals hated the protestors. The locals were very friendly to the USAF and RAF.
Difference in law per country, I served in Italy at Comiso ASN 487 TMW GLCM wing and if this would have happened the Carbinar would have beat the crap out of them and thrown them into jail.
Is your Mom Sue Hensley?
at the 8 minute mark, there is someone who is talking about not understanding what Greenham was. I'm rather confused by his ignorance. *I* am a military BRAT, not a service member. My father was stationed there from 1983 to 1986, and was part of the team opening the base.
We knew about what it was for a year before our assignment. We knew it was coming. My mother knew it was coming and kept asking my father to take his request for an overseas assignment out of his record because she knew he'd be assigned there if he didn't....and he kept forgetting.
So how did I, a BRAT, and my mom, a Spouse, know about this base and it's purpose when the dude at 8 minutes was unaware?
Sorry -- that sounds like a bunch of hooey to me.
To Misty Corrales
7:06 to 8:30 My belief is the explaination is between 7:06 to 8:30. As a brat, why did you not assertain from the explaination. They were talking about their arrival in 1983 (34 years ago as of 2017). The male at 7:34 looks to be older than about age 40 at the time of filming. Therefore in the early 80s most likly in his twenties. He and his company were being flown in from Viet Nam which is some distance from Greenham Common. But closer to Pearl Harbour than Greenham. So their youth more likly was listening to Elvis, Jimmi Hendrixs, Jim Morison, J. Joplin (The 3 Jays who all died with in a few months of each other, 69/70) and Hawaiian Radio, and dreaming they are surrounded by Hungry Hawaiian Native huladances on the beach. Rather than BBC Radio 1 hairy monster. So likly as not they had never heard of a lot of BBC Radio broadcasters or Newbury. An M4 sounds more like a semi automatic machine gun than a Motorway. They knew more about Charlie VC (Viet Cong) than Harrods Food Store, Fenchurch St. Station, Kings Cross, Marlybone or Liverpool St. So there they were being flown in having never stepped foot in England before.
Greenham, a then new Milatry Missile defense establishment being kept under wraps by the Thatcher Conservative goverment was restricted information and not public everyday broadcast news. But your father being the officer (I assume Officer) about to open the facility would have have to have been informed in advance. As the officers were those who would eventually inform the troops. So the officers know before the troops and general public. Your mother the spouse was clearly closer to the Officer than the USA Combat troops flown from Viet Nam. There is a lot more she was likly to know before the intel was hot wired to Viet Nam USA base. Such as which flavour tea your father preferred. Marmalade, Srawberry Jam, Cornflakes or the Times or Sun News paper.
From an old exbrat to an other young brat, there is always a gulf, a sort of shocking gulf between what the brats know and what civies know. It was a bit disconcerting at times in my younger more youthfull days after arriving from BAOR to fine even the local boys in blue had never heard of it. The Rhine Army, USAF Ramstein GCHQ, the American, British, French or Russian sectors Berlin were not every day words. Not even to the Police. Even less so to the general population. So even less chance of them ever having seen Russian Nuclear War Heads.
So why should troops from USAF Viet Nam have ever heard of Greenham back in 1983?
what's up with the edit? women being edited out...