| Thorpe Abbotts | |
|---|---|
 The parish church of All Saints, Thorpe Abbots, Norfolk | |
  Thorpe Abbotts Location withinNorfolk | |
| OS grid reference | TM190790 |
| • London | 106 miles (171 km) |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DISS |
| Postcode district | IP21 |
| Dialling code | 01379 |
| Police | Norfolk |
| Fire | Norfolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| 52°22′19″N1°13′16″E / 52.37183°N 1.2212°E /52.37183; 1.2212 | |
Thorpe Abbotts is a village and (asThorpe Abbots) a formercivil parish, now in the parish ofBrockdish, in theSouth Norfolk district, in the county ofNorfolk, England.[1] The village is 6.5 miles (10.5 km) east ofDiss, 20.8 miles (33.5 km) south south west ofNorwich and 106 miles (171 km) north east ofLondon. The village lies .4 miles (0.64 km) north of theA143 Diss toGreat Yarmouth road.[2] The nearest railway station is atDiss for theGreat Eastern Main Line which runs betweenNorwich andLiverpool Street station, London. The nearest airport isNorwich International Airport. In 1931 the parish had a population of 170.[3]
The villages name means 'abbot's outlying farm/settlement'.[4]
Thorpe Abbotts has an entry in theDomesday Book of 1085.[5] In the great book, Thorpe Abbotts is recorded by the nameThorp and is said to be King's land, in the charge ofWilliam de Noyers.
On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Brockdish.[6]
During the Second World War,Thorpe Abbotts became home to RAF Station Thorpe Abbotts with the designation 139, Thorpe Abbotts.[7] The airfield was built in 1942 byJohn Laing & Sons Ltd. The airfield had three intersecting runways laid withconcrete which were encircled by a three and a half mile perimeter road.[8] The perimeter road had hard standings for fiftyaircraft. There were two hangars, a technical site and a domestic area. The station became operational in June 1943 when the100th Bomb Group of theUnited States Army Air Forces took up residency equipped with theBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress. The group became known as the ‘’Bloody 100th’’ because of the heavy losses incurred by the group on a number of their combat missions.[9] The100th were the only group to fly operations from Thorpe Abbots and during a period between 15 June 1943 and 10 April 1945, 306[10] missions were flown from the airfield. The USAAF left the station in December 1945 when the airfield was returned to the RAF and it remained inactive until April 1956 when the airfield was finally closed (de-requisitioned).
The land owned by Sir Rupert Mann has been returned to agricultural use but the perimeter road remained intact until 1986 when it was demolished. Some of the buildings including the control tower still survive. Today the old control tower has been fully restored and contains a museum dedicated to the famous 'Bloody Hundredth' Bomb Group.[11] The museum tells the story of Thorpe Abbotts and portrays every-day life on an American bomber base. A D-4 link trainer is on display, while a B-24 tail turret is undergoing restoration. Special events and reunions are frequently staged.
From time to time, visitors to the museum report an overpowering presence within the control tower, occasionally accompanied by the brief glimpse of an airman dressed in full flying gear.[12] The sound of VHF chatter and the sound of aircraft have also been heard. These strange apparitions are not a new phenomenon. "Eddie the Ghost", as American personnel nicknamed him, began to appear afterthe first Berlin raids by the RAF's Bomber Command, with "Eddie's" apparitions noted as happening from 1942; he was reported as walking through walls of the airmen's quarters. Stories of the ghost persisted with some of the men taking their carbines to bed with them. Fearing an accident, Colonel Jeffrey, the station (base) commander, forbade all talk ofEddie on penalty of court martial. Today, sightings are less frequently recorded althoughEddie is occasionally seen when the tower is locked at night. He appears at the first-floor window looking out as if to say good night.[12]
All Saints parish church is one of 124 existinground-tower churches inNorfolk. The church was almost entirely refurbished in the 19th century but still possess its medieval font and screen. The church is a Grade I listed building[2].
The villagehand pump was installed byLord Justice Kay in 1867 and has a wooden canopy placed over it. The pump has undergone several restorations - in 1924 by a local doctor and, more recently, by the villagers in 1979.
