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A visit to RAF Greenham Common is the next stop of the local attractions series during the Covid pandemic.

Greenham Common is now a popular area for dog walkers, runners and anyone who wants to enjoy some fresh air, however it previously operated as an air base and was home to a large peace movement.

Greenham Common opened as an air base in 1942, during the Second World War as an air base for both the RAF and the United States Air Force. After the second world war the base closed for 5 years but was reopened with the start of the Cold War.

The base was demolished during the early Cold War and a new base was built, including a 10,000 ft runway and new buildings. In the 1980's with the NATO decision to deploy cruise missiles as part of a defensive strategy, RAF Greenham was designated to house 96 missiles and was the first site to house them in the UK.

The decision to house the missiles at Greenham was met with an outcry from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament but also led to the building of six GAMA site was built, six huge bunkers that could withstand nuclear attack. These bunkers remain on the site today.

From 1981 the Greenham Common Peace Camp also was established, in opposition to the cruise missile deployment. They came to be known as the Greenham Women or the Peace Women and they remained at the site until 2000, when the base was finally fully decommissioned.

The base was handed back to the RAF in 1992 and fully closed by the Ministry of Defence in 1993. The land was returned to the public and is now open heathland. The concrete used in the runways was broken down and much of it used in the creation of the Newbury Bypass. The path the runway took is still visible on the site and various parts of the old airbase remain, including the control tower and the fire crew training plane.

The site has also been used by various TV and film crews recently, including Beyonce for part of her visual album and Top Gear (BBC). The site GAMA shelters were used by Star Wars to film part of the most recent trilogy and for Fast and Furious 9.

For more information;

@F_Greenham_Common
@eenham_Common_Women%27s_Peace_Camp

Cameras:

Canon 6D Mk2
DJI Mavic Mini

Music:

Amelia - Amine Maxwell