Gallery
Selected images of the Belton Depot click to enlarge. Google Street View images are at the bottom of this page
Video of Lord Trenchard's march-past
Friday January 1st 1943 at ~15.00.
Instructional Building Training Centres seen in background with main entrance far left.
Lord Trenchard speaking from dias: You've joined a service, which in my opinion is second to none. You've joined the Royal Air Force, and I've been privileged to go round most of the aerodromes in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, The Shetlands and the Orkneys and out in Africa, In Syria, and in Iraq, in Persia and in the Sudan, and all through the Middle east and in the desert. Wherever I've been, I've heard more and more praise of what the Royal Air Force Regiment is doing. Now finally, I'd like to say this; Believe me, the Royal Air Force Regiment has joined that great service that is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and you must do your level best to keep up the reputation it has already gained.
Note that Trenchard refers in part to soldiers from army regiments who've joined the RAF, revealed by their shoulder flashes.
Figure 1: Use slider bar for annotations. Undated aerial view of Belton Depot looking south.
Visible foreground from the left are the main entrance & motor transport sheds. To the south of them are the triangular parade ground. The track marked as a cinder track leading south to Harrowby Lane would have been used by pedestrians and cyclists to reach Grantham. The WAAF & Officers' quarters are out of view to left. Unlike the 1944 map, there is a covered yard between the two MT sheds & an additional covered area on the south side of the parade ground. The WAAF & Officers' quarters are out of view to left.
Figure 2: Alma Park Industrial Estate today looking south. Original Depot buildings visible from the public road are marked.
Figure 2: Air Marshal Trenchard addresses the RAF Regiment at the Belton Depot 1st January 1943. The large background building is the cinema. To the left the Signals Office. 1943 is the year when the Regiment changed to wearing berets (© RAF Regimental Museum, RAF Honington).
Figure 3: undated afternoon march past same location as figure 2. This image post-dates the Trenchard march past. The cinema is now covered with ivy & has white painted windows. Two ventilation shafts are on the ridge line. The troopers wear berets. Note the Royal Air Force Ensign flying top left (© RAF Regimental Museum, RAF Honington). The RAF Ensign is never displayed except properly mounted on a staff or mast. An ensign, it is not permitted to be carried on a parade.
Figure 4: Marshal of the Royal Air Force Viscount Trenchard inspecting men of the Regiment at their Depot at Grantham, Lincolnshire 1943 (© Imperial war Museum).
Figure 5: Air Marshal Trenchard speaks with a Leading Aircraftman identifiable from his propeller badge worn on each sleeve of the uniform tunic, just above the elbow 1943 (© RAF Regimental Museum, RAF Honington).
Figure 6 annotated aerial photograph of Depot at the time of its conversion to to Alma Park emergency housing May 1947. Red indicates original structures still extant as of 2019. One building remains pristine within the WAAF compound.
Figure 7: RAF Regiment, outside a hut, but note the three senior ranks sat at front centre wear different cap badges including the Parachute Regiment (© RAF Regimental Museum, RAF Honington). Berets date the photograph to sometime after May 1943, when these became standard uniform.
Figure 8: View of Alma Park Industrial Estate in 2017. It follows the outline of the Depot. Belton House, home to Lord Brownlow, is visible as a beige building in the far distance centre looking across the Estate. The Photosphere was taken at the southern most corner of the camp in fields used for training. Use mouse to pan & scroll.
The following images were taken in January 2017 unless otherwise stated. They represent buildings that match the georeferenced December 1944 map & have compatible WW2 architecture. No formal building assessment has been carried out.
Figure 9: Belton Depot Free Church from north west side
Figure 10: Belton Depot Free Church north east end
Figure 11: Belton Depot Institute, NAAFI for HQ staff, north end.
Figure 12: Belton Depot Institute, NAAFI HQ Staff south end
Figure 13: Belton Depot NAAFI for HQ staff, west elevation
Figure 16: Belton Depot Officers Mess east side viewed from the north.
Figure 17: Belton Depot WAAF compound looking north east. Originally there were 28 buildings on this site including a Hairdressers Shop.
Figure 18: Belton Depot WAAF Administrative Building west side
Figure 14: Belton Depot Officers Mess north-west side in 2006. The right-hand wing is now demolished. Note Alma Wood on the limestone escarpment to the east.
Figure 14a North elevation in 2023. Now known as the Old Pineapple Factory as was used for making pine furniture.
Figure 14b north elevation 2023.
Figure 15: Belton Depot Officers Mess west side, after demolition of the west wing see 2006 photo figure 12.
Figure 19: Alma Park 1950, far right. Looking north east towards Belmount Tower. Lower right are the sewage disposal works and one remaining Motor Transport shed. The southern shed & later covered yard between the two, seen in the undated aerial photo above, appear demolished.
Figure 20: Electricity plan sheet 2 of 3 dated 1943. Provides more detail about the buildings. Remaining 2 sheets currently untraceable.
Google Street View of remaining Depot buildings click to interact or view on Google Maps for an enlargement
Figure 21 Belton Depot Officers' mess 2022
Figure 23: RAF WAAF compound 2023, main entrance to camp to the right
Figure 24: location of what is believed to be the 30 yard machine gun range of WWI between the two WWII rifle ranges. There would not necessarily been any targets for this range as shown in this training film. Spent bullets of all calibres are eroding out of the ground, but no formal ammunition identification has taken place. It was likely used in WWII as aerial photos show a track leading to it.
Figure 25 the parade ground: approximate location of the march past in figures 2 to 5 above. The Depot cinema was located where the Aga show room is on the right and the podium where the white van is parked within the driveway on left pan.
Figure 26 Institute N.A.A.F.I.for HQ Staff viewed from south. Externally appears unchanged.
Figure 27 Alma Wood on the escarpment behind the Gymnasium January 1943.
Figure 28 the view seen in figure 27 in 2011
Figure 29 figure 4 colorised using ColouriseSG. This may not have reproduced the battle dress colours correctly.
Figure 30 ColouriseSG: An Army instructor shows men of the newly-formed RAF Regiment the correct way to hold a Thompson sub-machine gun on a firing range at Whitley Bay, Northumberland.