Nazeing Common 'KQ' site.
One of wartimes carefully kept secrets was the building of dummy or decoy airfields. Nazeing
Common, just to the south of present day Harlow, was such a site.
Designed to be a decoy for North Weald airfield, this site was for day and night use hence
the designation 'KQ'. The idea for dummy structure or installations was designed to attract bombs away from the real
airfield, in this case North Weald. Col John Turner was in charge of 'Works & buildings' with the Air Ministry,
and was instrumental in conceiving these sites of which over two hundred were built.
With his HQ in the Shepperton Film studios, his department had the knowledge of deceptive
construction, The film company's were masters at creating an illusion . Dummy aircraft, among other things, were produced,
and were deemed very effective when in place. The dummy aircraft were moved around the sites to simulate an operational airfield
to German reconnaisance aircraft.
Sites were found, and crews formed to man these 'airfields'. They were also protected by anti-aircraft
guns and had the same lighting system as a normal airfield. The lighting was used to simulate moving aircraft and create
flarepaths, the illusion to German bomber crews was very effective. and for all intents and purposes, from a height, these
dummy airfields looked like the real thing and succesfully attracted bombs away from the real airfield.
Command and control bunkers were built away from the layout of the 'airfield' so as to give
the crews some protection. These buildings housed generators for powering the lighting and had an ops
room where the the lights were operated from, and where contact could be maintained by telephone to the controlling station
ie: North Weald itself.
There is one recorded instance of a Vickers Wellington bomber trying to attempt a landing on
the decoy airfield at Nazeing common. The Wellington was returning from an operational flight and made an almost perfect landing.
It was dismantled by the RAF and sent for repair.
Today, as you drive from Bumbles Green towards Harlow, it is possible to see one of the bunkers
protruding from the field. The main part of the dummy airfield was further to the east on farmland.
The land on the site is as it appears today, very hilly, and not at all what you expect
from an 'airfield'. The lighting was mounted on wooden poles of varying lengths, so as to keep the proportion and angles
right in it's appearance from the air.
