WW2 RAF camps in and around Ashenbank Wood, Cobham. Sites 1, 4 and 5 are in the wood itself at TQ 6775 6953, TQ 6749 6964 and TQ 6758 6936 respectively. These were visited by Victor Smith in Dec '97 and Jan'98 and any surviving evidence noted. Sites 2 and 3 (TQ 6773 6977 and TQ 6811 6955) lie outside the wood and so were not visited but are known from an air ministry map of 1945. Remains at sites 1, 4 & 5 included tarmac roads, concrete building foundations, wall remains, structures, pits, toilets, drains building outlines as well as buried remains. (1)

There is evidence that there was also a Royal Navy presence within the Wood around the end of the war. Within two years of the war ending the camps were taken over as temporary civilian accommodation which seems to have continued until at least the mid 1950's (2)

Source – Shorne Woods Heritage Project, Oral History by Trevor Bent – Oral evidence given by Nellie Dodd, Memories of Cobham.
Mrs Dodd recounts her experiences and life whilst living in one of the ex-air force(?) camp in Cobham Woods.
She lived in one of hut between 1947/48 to 1953 for 8 shillings a week. Washing and toilet facilities were in a separate block and were shared by 4 to 6 other huts.
Each hut had electricity for heating and one small electric plate to cook on. There was no gas, most of the cooking had to be done on a wood burning range.

Huts 5 (nearest the A2) and 64 were uncovered by the Cobham Landscape Detectives project…report to follow.

Birmingham University Field Archaeology Unit, 2002, Cobham Park I: Level-2 Survey - Gazetteer of Sites (Unpublished document). SKE17816.

<1> Untitled Source, Victor Smith 1998 (Unpublished document). SKE6451.

<2> Victor Smith, 1998, Preliminary Reconnaissance The Camps at Ashenbank Wood, Cobham (Unpublished document). SKE7308.

<3> Victor Smith, 2000, THE SECOND WORLD WAR RAF CAMPS AT ASHENBANK WOOD, COBHAM: SITE 5 (Unpublished document). SKE7367.

<4> Museum of London Archaeology Service, 1999, Ashenbank Wood Army Camp Standing Building Survey Interim Report (Unpublished document). SKE7076.

<5> Cobham Resource Cons. Keith Funnell Ass., Gravesham BC & Union Railways Ltd, 1996, Ashenbank Wood and Cobham Park Study Stage 3 Report (Unpublished document). SKE6680.