Thetford and Surrounding Area
Although, as FLEARail is showing, railways in the whole of the Eastern Countries played a critical part in ensuring victory during WW2, there are a number of locations whose role requires more attention that some others.
Key around this is Thetford. At a key located on the Ely – Norwich line, Thetford would have seen trains to the USAAF bomb dump at Earsham pass through. It was also the junction for a line to Bury St Edmunds which not only served the RAF bomb storage area at Barnham but also proved a useful secondary route for trains to the USAAF dump at Bures. As such Thetford is an ongoing focus for research.
To further my knowledge I visited the “Ancient House” Museum in the town, ( https://www.ancienthouse.norfolk.gov.uk/ ) hoping that they might have relevant information. I was disappointed in that the second world war does not get any mention in their current displays. The staff put this down to the wealth of history in the town but suggested a visit to the “Dads Army Museum”, also located in the town might be worthwhile, I was informed that the museum was shut that day but might be open the following Friday. I then discovered that it was open and after a trek across the town centre in the rain, I found it.
This is a volunteer run museum and, as the name suggests, if devoted to the television series of that name which was filmed in the town and surrounding area. Within the Dads Army exhibits are two small boards dealing with Thetford during the second world war. Both these have led to this write up being in the “Rabbit Holes” section of the web-site.
The first was contained within text headed “The Thetford Area During WWII” and stated “The Thetford Patent Pulp Company was the destination for secret government papers which were transformed into items such as baby baths, helmets or fuel tanks for fighter planes”. Although the paper mill was some distance from the station, the question arises: “was this paper traffic handed by rail and how were the secret papers handled?
Details of the mill can be found at:
https://www.norfolkmills.co.uk/Watermills/thetford-bishops.html
Anyone who drives around the area north East of Thetford will be aware of the road signs in red that read STANTA. What they may not know that in the 2020’s this remains one of the British Army’s main training grounds and covers 120 km2 (47 sq m). Established in 1942 as the Stanford Training Area, it required the evacuation of six villages. I was aware of the area but what interested my particularly was a statement at the Dads Army Museum that “virtually every soldier who crossed over to France on D-day would have been through the Battle Rea at some point”. Again a question is raised about the use of rail in transporting these troops and their equipment.
As a result of this visit another two rabbit holes have appeared.