News Blog

Introduction

The RAF Mendlesham Airfield exhibition at the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway Museum was created to honour the history and bravery of the men who served there during WWII. RAF Mendlesham’s story matters because it encapsulates courage, sacrifice, and international cooperation on the home front. During 1944-45, this quiet corner of Suffolk became a crucial American air base, home to the 34th Bomb Group of the US Eighth Air Force. Young airmen from the United States flew out from Mendlesham on dangerous missions to help liberate Europe – many of them never to return. The exhibition’s purpose is to ensure their efforts are remembered and to inform visitors about how a rural English airfield and even a small country railway played a crucial role in the Allied victory. Every time we remember these events and individuals; we keep their legacy alive and ensure that their sacrifices were not in vain.

RAF Mendlesham’s Role in WWII

In 1943, as the Allied war effort intensified, a new airfield was built near the villages of Mendlesham and Wetheringsett in Suffolk. Officially named RAF Mendlesham (to avoid confusion with a similarly named base, RAF Wethersfield), it was completed by late 1943 and initially hosted a RAF fighter contingent of Czechoslovak pilots flying Spitfires in early 1944.

Soon after, in April 1944, the airfield was transferred to the US Army Air Forces and designated USAAF Station 156, becoming home to the 34th Bombardment Group (Heavy).

As part of the Eighth Air Force’s 3rd Air Division, the 34th Bomb Group used Mendlesham as a launchpad for strategic bombing missions against Nazi-occupied Europe. From this Suffolk airfield, squadrons of B-24 Liberators (and later B-17 Flying Fortresses) took to the skies laden with bombs and fuel, joining massive bomber streams enroute to targets across the continent. RAF Mendlesham’s role in WWII was pivotal: between May 1944 and April 1945, the 34th Bomb Group flew approximately 170 combat missions from the base, striking at industrial plants, rail yards, airfields, and enemy defences that were vital to the German war effort.

Notably, the group helped soften coastal defences in preparation for D-Day, attacking targets in Normandy around 6 June 1944.

Remarkably – and a point of pride for the unit – none of the 34th’s aircraft were lost to enemy aircraft in  enemy territory during those operations, a testament to the skill of the crews and ground staff who kept them flying.

By the war’s end, Mendlesham had made the journey from quiet farmland to a bustling wartime base and back again; after V-E Day in 1945 the Americans departed, and by 1954 the airfield was decommissioned and returned to agriculture.

Yet for that brief, intense period, RAF Mendlesham stood at the cutting edge of the air war in Europe, its runways sending forth waves of heavy bombers that helped bring Nazi Germany to its knees.

Bravery and Sacrifice of the 34th Bomb Group

The story of the 34th Bomb Group is one of extraordinary bravery in the face of great peril. Each bombing mission from Mendlesham was a journey fraught with danger. Crews of ten young men would spend up to ten hours in unpressurized B-17 bombers, enduring oxygen-scarce altitudes and temperatures as low as –40 °C in unheated cabins.

They faced fierce resistance on every sortie – anti-aircraft flak that burst around them like deadly shrapnel clouds, and prowling German fighter planes that would attack the formations head-on or pick off stragglers. Flying in formation mitigated the danger but did not eliminate it; many B-17s limped back to base riddled with bullet holes or with engines out. The men of the 34th accepted these risks with resolve, knowing each mission struck a blow at the enemy’s capacity to wage war. Their courage was exemplified on 20 January 1945, when a B-17 named “Gallopin’ Ghost” struggled back from a raid over Germany. Riddled by enemy fire, with one engine out and a wing ablaze, the stricken bomber attempted to reach Mendlesham’s runway. Tragically, it couldn’t hold altitude and crash-landed short of the airfield, coming down across the Mid Suffolk Light Railway line. Two crewmen were killed in the crash and others injured.

This heartbreaking incident underscored the mortal danger these airmen faced not just in enemy skies but even upon returning to the English countryside. In total, the 34th Bomb Group suffered heavy losses during its deployment. Between May 1944 and April 1945, our best estimates are that 288 men of the 34th Bomb Group (including those attached to the Group) lost their lives serving from RAF Mendlesham. 

Many crews did complete their tour of 35 missions and celebrated with relief as they “finished their tour” to head home, but too many of their comrades made the ultimate sacrifice. The bravery of the 34th’s airmen is remembered today as an integral part of Mendlesham’s legacy. They were mostly young Americans in their late teens or twenties, thousands of miles from home, doing a dangerous job day after day. The stories of individual heroism abound: pilots nursing crippled planes home, gunners defending their formation from swarms of fighters, bombardiers coolly guiding bombs onto targets amid flak bursts. The 34th Bomb Group has proven itself with distinction and valour, helping bring about the Allied victory – but at a steep cost in lives.

Their sacrifice is honoured in Mendlesham by memorials and in the very presence of this exhibition, which exists to tell their story. As visitors learn about the 34th, they are invited to reflect on the courage it took simply to climb into a B-17 knowing the odds, and to remember those who never made it back.

Bonds Between Airmen and the Local Community

When hundreds of young American airmen descended on rural Suffolk in 1944, it was often called a “friendly invasion.” The arrival of the 34th Bomb Group at Mendlesham brought sudden changes to village life. For residents, seeing U.S. Army Air Forces uniforms become a common sight on village lanes and in pubs and was a novelty – an opportunity for cultural exchange. The Americans, most of them barely out of their teens and far from home, were eager to befriend their English hosts. Strong bonds soon formed between the airmen and the people of Mendlesham and surrounding villages.

On their off-duty hours, the servicemen would cycle or walk into the village, where hospitality awaited. Officers from the base frequented the snug of The Fleece pub in Mendlesham, while enlisted men filled the public bar of The King’s Head, swapping stories with locals over pints of ale.

Even with wartime rationing in effect, the Americans often shared treats from their rations – chocolate, candy, gum, and canned goods – a generosity warmly remembered by village children who got their first taste of Hershey bars and Wrigley’s gum this way.

Friendships blossomed despite differences in accent and custom. Villagers might “adopt” a crew or a particular airman, inviting them for Sunday roast dinners or holiday celebrations. In some cases, these friendships turned into romance – a number of 34th BG airmen fell in love with local English girls. Weddings took place even amid the turbulence of war; indeed, some of those brides later emigrated to the United States after the war, becoming lasting personal bridges between the two countries.

This human dimension is the key theme of the exhibition, highlighting stories like an airman who became an honorary member of a Mendlesham family, or the dances that brought young English and American people together.

At the same time, the emotional connection carried a flip side: the shared anxiety and grief when missions went wrong. Villagers became accustomed to the thunder of dozens of B-17s taking off in formation each morning, and they developed the poignant ritual of counting the planes as they returned each afternoon.

A hush would fall as the community craned their necks, silently counting the bombers – did as many come back as had flown out? Everyone knew that each missing aircraft meant ten friends who might never return. The local people felt these losses acutely. The same American boys who had played with their children, told lively tales at the pub, or courted local sweethearts could be suddenly “gone missing” in action. A deep bond of empathy formed between the Suffolk communities and the Americans.

Even after the war, those bonds persisted. The 34th Bomb Group’s veterans and the villagers stayed connected through letters and later visits. Over the decades, many American families – children and grandchildren of the 34th’s airmen – have made pilgrimages to Mendlesham to see where their father or grandfather served. They have been met with open arms by the community. To this day, veterans’ families (often the grandchildren now) still visit the village, and some local families have preserved mementos and letters from their wartime American friends.

The exhibition aims to capture these enduring friendships with heartfelt personal anecdotes, photographs of GIs and villagers arm-in-arm, and even audio-video recordings of recollections. It reminds us that war is not just about nations, but about people forming relationships under extraordinary circumstances. The cultural exchange that occurred in Mendlesham—this meeting of “Yanks” and East Anglians—left a legacy of understanding and affection that has outlasted the war itself. History isn’t only about battles, but about the people who lived through them. Mendlesham’s people, both Americans and Brits, proved that camaraderie and kindness can flourish even amid conflict.

Remembrance and Education: Keeping History Alive

Long after the roar of aircraft engines and the whistle of steam trains faded, the story of RAF Mendlesham has continued to be cherished and passed down. A key theme of this exhibition is the importance of remembrance and education in keeping history alive. In Mendlesham village, the sacrifices of the 34th Bomb Group are formally commemorated at St. Mary’s Church. Inside the church, a brass plaque and a framed Roll of Honour list the names of airmen who lost their lives while serving at the airfield.

Research in recent years corrected and added names that had been missed, expanding the list from the original 190 to 262 fallen 34th Bomb Group airmen, whose names are now inscribed in a leather-bound Chantry Book of Remembrance on display in the church. Our research in this area is on-going.

Each year on Remembrance Sunday, villagers and visitors gather at the church to pay tribute, where Mendlesham residents, American dignitaries, and sometimes even veterans’ relatives stand side by side in remembrance of those who had fallen and those who had served. The Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial at Madingley is the only American World War II cemetery in the United Kingdom, honouring the service and sacrifice of over 3,800 U.S. military personnel. Each year, a special Memorial Day Service is held in May to pay tribute to those who gave their lives. The Mendlesham Airfield Association is proud to be invited to and lay a wreath at this special ceremony to honour the 34th Bomb Group.

A visitor to the old airfield today, however, will find only fragments of the concrete perimeter track and a few foundations amidst fields. Crucially, we aim for our exhibition to be a new form of active remembrance. It is designed not only to inform but to inspire reflection. Each section of the exhibit invites visitors to put themselves in the shoes of those who lived the history – whether it is a bomber crew heading out on a pre-dawn mission or a local family anxiously listening for the drone of returning aircraft. By combining personal stories, photographs, maps, and authentic artifacts (from uniforms and parachute silk to fragments of aircraft), the exhibition creates an emotional resonance. 

We live in the peace that these men fought to achieve. Therefore, part of the exhibition’s message is that we owe it to them to remember. Visitors, including the younger generation, are encouraged to see the human stories behind dates and statistics.

The theme of education is reinforced by noting how new information still comes to light. As we uncover old diaries, letters, and photos, our understanding continues to deepen. In fact, this very exhibition has benefited from recent discoveries and contributions by families of veterans. It is a living project, much like history itself. By educating new generations, the exhibition ensures that the memories of RAF Mendlesham do not fade. Every young person who hears the story, every local resident who visits us, every tourist who reads an information sheet, every person who visits our website – they all become carriers of the torch of remembrance. 

Next time you hear the drone of an airplane overhead, take a moment to remember those who flew from this Suffolk airfield, risking everything for a future we now enjoy. In doing so, we transform remembrance into a living, ongoing act.

The Journey of the Exhibition

Creating this exhibition has been an inspiring journey, shaped by the dedication of local enthusiasts and the families of veterans. The story of the Mendlesham Airfield Association (MAA) began in 2013 with its formation and mission of preserving the history of the 34th Bomb Group and RAF Mendlesham for future generations.

Initially, a small exhibition was housed in the Fleece Pub, but following its closure and the disruptions caused by the pandemic, activities paused, and interest waned. However, in early 2024, the "new" RAF Mendlesham Airfield Association was established with renewed focus, taking responsibility for the development of a fresh and engaging exhibition.

This new exhibition has evolved through a partnership with the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway (MSLR) Museum. Now housed in the Old Ticket Office, with additional audio-visual resources located in nearby carriages, the exhibition is becoming an integral part of the Museum’s visitor experience. To support and enhance this work, we have also launched a new MAA Website to provide further information and updates about our activities: https://tinyurl.com/MendleshamAA. This has proved to be a perfect match, as it places the airfield’s story within a related historical attraction, potentially reaching railway enthusiasts as well as military history buffs.

Creating the exhibition presented numerous challenges, requiring creativity, resourcefulness, and dedication from the team.

Overcoming Space Constraints

One of our first obstacles was space. The Old Ticket Office, whilst a charming and atmospheric building, demanded inventive use of every available inch. The team maximised the limited area by carefully designing displays to ensure key stories and artefacts were showcased effectively.

Preserving Historical Artefacts

Gathering exhibits was another challenge. We salvaged and secured historical items wherever we could. When the historic Fleece Pub in Mendlesham closed, the “original” Mendlesham Airfield Association (MAA) successfully rescued a number of memorabilia and documents that had previously been displayed there, ensuring they were preserved for the exhibition.

We recovered some of these items and in addition, the Association has been fortunate to receive some donations of artefacts. Each item — whether inherited, acquired, or gifted — is being catalogued, researched, and conserved to ensure its significance is properly understood and communicated.

Gathering Personal Stories

The team is working to collect personal accounts, reaching out to elderly residents who remember the war and connecting with American families and veteran groups and associations. We hope that these efforts will uncover new valuable stories, photographs, and memories to add further depth and authenticity to the exhibition.

Uncovering New Information

Research has played a vital role in shaping the exhibition’s narrative. For example, through investigation, the team has further updated the recorded number of fallen airmen connected to RAF Mendlesham. Initially thought to be 190, this figure was revised to 262 and now exceeds 280 — an important correction that reflects the evolving nature of historical understanding. This updated figure is now proudly included in the exhibition, demonstrating how new findings continue to inform and enrich our knowledge.

Bringing History to Life

To avoid the exhibition becoming a dry recital of facts, the team has carefully incorporated human-interest stories to create a more engaging experience. Balancing both British and American perspectives has been key. For example, the diary of Joe Brobowicz, detailing his 35 missions from Mendlesham, is paired with the recollections of Roy Colchester, a local farmer who vividly remembered the sight of B-24 bombers circling overhead and the nose art of the B-17s. This offers visitors a richer, more personal understanding of the airfield’s impact on both sides of the Atlantic.

Creative Exhibit Design

As the content came together, presenting it effectively became the next challenge. With limited funds — relying solely on donations and volunteer support — the team adopted an inventive approach to exhibit design. Old display cases were repurposed and notice and display boards were built from scratch. Information sheets were carefully written and matched with available images, resulting in displays that attempt to draw visitors into the story.

Embracing Technology

Recognising that modern audiences appreciate interactive and audio-visual elements; the team has begun developing AV resources to complement the static displays. These include short videos and audio narrations that add atmosphere and context.

This work requires scripting, sourcing appropriate sound effects (such as bomber engine noise and air raid sirens), and pairing visuals with either our own created voiceovers or existing recordings.

Overcoming Technical Challenges

Incorporating technology has brought its own challenges. Obtaining rights to footage, ensuring the equipment functions reliably in the refurbished railway carriage, and making the content accessible to both adults and young people have all required careful planning.

Despite these obstacles, the result is an Exhibition that tells the story of RAF Mendlesham and the 34th Bomb Group with warmth, depth, and authenticity — a testament to the dedication and creativity of the entire team.

Community involvement is a cornerstone of the exhibition’s creation. Regular meetings of the team are held (often around someone’s kitchen table or in a village hall) where ideas are brainstormed and tasks assigned. The project will benefit from a more truly multi-generational effort: At the moment, it relies mostly on retirees contributing time and effort and staffing the exhibition on open days. The MAA has liaised with the broader heritage community – for example, we consulted with staff from nearby aviation museums and individuals in the USA who have amassed a wealth of information and expertise. Through these connections, we are learning valuable lessons on everything from display skills to understanding documents and artifacts.

Opening of the Exhibition

Our big moment arrived in Spring 2024 when the exhibition was ready to open. Timed to coincide with the railway’s popular Easter Steam-Up event, the MAA Exhibition opened to the public for the first time on Easter Sunday, 31 March 2024

The Exhibition so far has been a resounding success. The little station building has been packed at times with people exploring the displays. Many have been moved by what they saw. The partnership with the MSLR has proved most fruitful, as families drawn by the train rides also stepped into the exhibit, finding it engaging. Due to the positive reception, the Museum agreed not only to host the Exhibition throughout the 2024 season but has extended the invitation for a further 2 years and given us shared access to at least one carriage, where, with the Museum, we will collaborate to show audio-visual experiences.

Looking back on the journey of creating the exhibition, we have learned a great deal. We are striving to ensure that our Exhibition brings communities together and to become a point of pride for Mendlesham. The process of collecting stories has uncovered “hidden history” that might otherwise have been lost. On the flip side, one challenge that persists is space – as our collection of resources increase, we need somewhere safe and secure to store it, if we are unable at present, to locate it withing the Exhibition.

The exhibition’s creation and development are a labour of love, combining historical rigor with heartfelt storytelling. Our journey illustrates how preserving history is not just about displaying old objects – it is about building bridges between generations, collaborating across organisations, and finding creative ways to make the past resonate today. The result is more than just an exhibition; it is a living memorial and educational resource, born of many hands and devoted hearts.

In summary, the experience of creating the RAF Mendlesham/34th Bomb Group Exhibition has demonstrated to us that with passion, collaboration, and planning, even a small team can achieve a quality, historical display. What helped is that we started with a vision of why our story matters, and let this purpose guide every decision. By trying to involve community, researching, telling a human story, diversifying our presentation methods, and remaining flexible and respectful, we have gone some way to create an exhibition that educates, moves, and endures as a fitting tribute to the past.

The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway: A Wartime Lifeline

One especially unexpected hero in the Mendlesham story is the local railway. The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway (MSLR) – affectionately nicknamed “The Middy” – was a humble rural line built before the war to connect farming villages to the mainline at Haughley Junction. Before 1939, its little steam trains hauled livestock, farm produce, and the occasional passengers through quiet countryside. But with the construction of RAF Mendlesham in 1943, this rural railway’s role changed dramatically.

The nearest MSLR station, Brockford, lay about a mile from the new airfield, and once the U.S. Army Air Forces arrived in spring 1944, Brockford Station became a vital logistics hub for the base. The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway proved to be a lifeline that kept RAF Mendlesham running. Day after day its trains carried essential supplies to the airfield: tankers of high-octane aviation fuel, crates of ammunition and bombs, spare parts for B-24 and B-17 bombers, and even personnel shuttling to and from other bases.

Larger mainline railways handled big shipments to regional depots, but the Middy’s modest trains could venture down light tracks almost to the airfield’s doorstep, something other mainlines couldn’t always do. This made the difference in maintaining Mendlesham’s high tempo of operations. Fuel and bombs arrived on time to send out each mission, and everything from fresh food to mail could reach the airmen via this railway.

Perhaps the most dramatic connection between the airfield and the railway occurred during the crash of “Gallopin’ Ghost.” As mentioned, on 20 January 1945 this damaged B-17 came down across the MSLR tracks near the village of Gipping, tearing up rails as it skidded to a halt. In that moment, the fates of the bomber crews and the railway line literally intersected. The railway men were among the first on scene to help, and their line was blocked until wreckage could be cleared. The crash tragically cost two airmen’s lives and left a haunting memory for both the American servicemen and the local railway workers – a sobering reminder of how entwined their worlds had become. 

After the war, the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway’s fortunes waned; it closed in 1952 as roads and trucks took over local transport. Yet, thanks to railway enthusiasts, the Middy was later reborn as a heritage railway – the very museum site where our Exhibition is now hosted. Today visitors can ride on the same line that once carried munitions to Mendlesham’s bombers, with restored steam locomotives chuffing along a short stretch of track. The Exhibition capitalises on this unique setting: one can step out of the exhibition and see an old MSLR train in action, immediately grasping how crucial even a small railway was to the war effort. At the same time, you can see the Mendlesham Mast, standing 1000ft tall in what was one corner of the old RAF Mendlesham Airfield. In this way, the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway’s story amplifies the RAF Mendlesham story, showing that winning a war depended not just on planes and pilots, but also on coal-fired trains and local rails. It is a powerful example of how even the smallest links – a half-forgotten country railway – played a part in achieving victory.

The 34th Bomb Group Exhibition at the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway Museum is entering an exciting new phase with the addition of a dedicated railway carriage to enhance the display of audiovisual (AV) resources and other exhibition materials. This development marks a significant step forward in preserving and sharing the history of RAF Mendlesham and the 34th Bomb Group, providing an immersive experience for visitors. 

For a full report see the Exhibition page