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Narborough, Norfolk: World’s Biggest Airfield

The farmland that once made aviation history

At 908 acres; RAF Narborough was the biggest aerodrome during World War One.

Thousands of service personnel served here and many hundreds of pilots got their wings in the skies above Norfolk. Dozens of men were killed in accidents and a corner of Narborough cemetery is dedicated to their memory.

At the start of the war the focus was on defending the country against Zeppelin raids. By the end; training pilots for dog fights and bombing raids would be the new focus. In its short history Narborough functioned as a Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force and Independent Force station.

After the war the aerodrome closed and the buildings abandoned. Its sister station RAF Marham was developed into a modern RAF base.

Today the former RAF Narborough site is mostly farmland and there is little evidence that it existed apart from a monument commemorating the airfield and the sacrifice made by those who served there.

Location: Narborough, Norfolk PE32 1JB
Image: Narborough in 1917, courtesy of David Turner from Narborough History Society, and the area as it stands today

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