FORTY British and American World War 2 veterans attended a reunion at Warrington – and got a chance to see the efforts being made to ensure the town’s wartime heritage is not lost as new development is carried out.
It was the first reunion since re-development of the former Burtonwood air base started and Omega Warrington Ltd (OWL) was keen to show how the development will respect the area’s heritage.
The 575-acre former base is now the Omega development site – but the first road to be opened was named “Lockheed Road” after the major US aircraft manufacturer.
Burtonwood was Europe’s largest military airfield and around 18,000 Americans were stationed there.
Welcoming the veterans, Cllr Terry O’Neill, leader of Warrington Borough Council, said the base had served as a key logistics base for the British and US military for more than 50 years.
It played a pivotal role during World War 2 and during the Berlin Airlift.
“In its new life as Omega it makes an interesting comparison to see part of the site once again returning to its logistics roots albeit during, thankfully, more peaceful times.”
During the 1940s and 1950s there were 7,500 marriages between locals and US citizens stationed at the base, highlighting the importance of the site’s history to the local area.
OWL believes it important to respect and remember the site’s unique heritage.
Planning approval for Zone 7 of the Omega development will ensure new heritage-related features will come into place.
Chris Gardner, development manager at Miller Developments – part of the OWL team – said: “The site is so rich with heritage and meeting the veterans has reminded us that there once stood a bustling community on this land. It seems only fitting we pay tribute to the veterans and those who served here and we will continue to look for opportunities to incorporate references to the site’s heritage through names, landscape design and public art. We look forward to working with the RAF Burtonwood Association further.”
The day included a tour of the Omega site in the morning. Veterans were accompanied by a local historian and a development consultant to provide insight on the past and future of the site’s development.
This was followed by a quintessential British afternoon tea and 1940s themed entertainment.
Jim Bentley, president of the US Air Force Burtonwood Association, said:“The number of veterans has significantly diminished in recent years; we therefore welcome Omega’s incorporation of the site’s heritage in the future and its interest in the RAF Burtonwood Heritage centre. It is through these actions that the memories of the past can stay alive.”
Roy Thorpe, president of the RAF Burtonwood Association, said: “The number of veterans who were still able to attend, particularly those who travelled from the US is fantastic! They all have strong memories of the site and the tributes made to the site’s heritage encourages a great relationship between developers and ourselves; we look forward to many more visits.”
Pictured: The veterans enjoying their trip to Warrington.
War veterans view town's military heritage
00 Comments
Share.
About Author
Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
