So Tuesday was a special personal day. We travelled by train to Cambridge where I rented a car for the day. Yes I drove in England on the other side of the road lol. I actually did great and stayed on correct side all day!! First was to downtown where I had to get into a car park which was tricky. We came here to first see the beautiful Kings College Chapel with its baroque fan vaulted ceiling. It was exquisite. The Cambridge University setting is so serenevand would surely inspire higher thoughts. We stopped for some excellent fudge and the ckerk told us of the Eagle RAF Bar around the corner that is a memorial to pilots from WWII who used candles to burn their names into its ceilings. I wondered how many of those young men did not return to the bar after their missions. It was loaded with mementos.
We then drove to the Cambridge-American Military Cemetery. It is mainly dedicated to those who died in the fighting in Europe and especially those who have no known resting place including sailors and airman.
Our next stop was the Imperial WaR Museum at Duxford which focuses on tbe air wars in Europe. There is a fairly new American Air Museum which we hoped would have info on Operations Anvil and Aphrodite in which Claudia 's dad participated during the war. Alas they had nothing on these highly classified operations to create radio controlled airplanes. One of these attempts resulted in the death of Joe Kennedy Jr. We did talk to some British radiomen tho who were impressed with Claudia's dads story.
But our real goal for today was the remnants of the airfield at Fersfield where he had been stationed. It is only a tiny village east of Thetford. We found our way into the British countryside and tho not much remained beyond a few quonset huts, we did find the remnants of the concrete airstrip. We drove our Ford Galaxy diesel hybrid miniSUV out onto it. What a moment as Claudia was able to see where her father had once worked during such a pivotal and formative time in his life 70+ years ago!! It was a magical and moving moment!
We returned the car in little Thetford at a repurposed community center and caught the train back to Cambridge and London. We ended with a great Italian dinner and a fun Portuguese waiter.
