Airfields are often believed to be haunted perhaps because of the volume of tragedy and activity that passed through them during the wars. In East Anglia, where there was a saturation of airbases, these haunted sites include RAF West Raynham, RAF Bircham Newton in Norfolk and RAF Tibenham in Norfolk among others.
RAF Bircham Newton has reports of an apparition of a man in RAF uniform haunting the squash court and ghostly footsteps have been heard. EVPs have recorded the sounds of an active airfield, such as voices, engines and the clank of machinery. The sounds of a phantom aircraft flying overhead has also been heard.
RAF Bircham Newton today
RAF West Raynham, which was recently used as a location for a Most Haunted Live week-long special, is believed to be haunted by several ghosts. There are reported sightings of a Polish pilot, who was shot down during WW2, haunting the officer’s mess, the apparition of a suicidal mechanic hanging from the rafters of the armoury, and a particularly angry and bitter ghost of a high-ranking airman has been experienced in the chapel. The control tower here has also had reports of poltergeist activity and the Station Medical Centre has reports of the eerie sounds of otherworldly sobbing and screams.
The control tower at RAF Tibenham was used until 1975 as a club house by the Gliding Club and it was reported that a person in flying uniform, similar to those worn by the USAAF combat crews, had been seen on several occasions wandering through the rooms of the tower.
Local to me while growing up was Ludham old airfield which was known to locals to be haunted. It is said that on a certain moonlit nights a large airplane can be heard and seen landing on what was once the runway before bursting into flames.
Reports of haunted airfields are not restricted to East Anglia with reports abounding in the rest of Britain.It seems that the brave martys of WW1 and WW2 still linger, in the airbases and airfields where they once lived and worked to protect their country.
Ghost Catcher Isles 
They used to fly Mosquitos out of Ludham (The planes not the insect 🙂 I’m not sure if it was used for larger aircraft although it’s quite feasible that a bomber/cargo plane could have tried to make an emergency landing there. The place has got a definate atmosphere, it seemed unusually quiet even with the near-by roads.
Ah-ha, isn’t the internet wonderful; I just found this on the Ludham Airfield website:
“B17, 413th Bomb Squadron, crash landed at Ludham returning to Snetterton Heath after a raid on Emden. 27th September 1943”
Excellent, you’ll make a history researcher yet! ;-P Have you heard any other stories about Ludham airfield being haunted too?
Hi..my special interest is in Haunted RAF airfields, a topic which I have been researching and recording for about 10 years now…so far I have uncovered 238 Airfields used by RAF, USAAF And RNAS in the UK which have some paranormal activity occurring.
if interested a synthesis of preliminary findings is available at http://christopherjhuff.webs.com/rafairfieldssynthesis.htm
good to see that others share my interest in airfield apparitions
Chris
i heard that a night guard outside a museum was looking at a lancaster. and he turned around looking for his waterbootle and then he turned around and the lancaster was gone… he past out… then when he whok up the lanc was back, but he could hear the engine sound as if it exaktly was turned off……(he doesnt work there anymore)
Where did the 5feet tall geranium one of two outside the entrance of the officers mess go?
Apparetly the station was searched for weeks but it never turned up. A true mystery, were there ghosts near end of 1958? I wonder.
I know it was bloody heavy………
Okay, this is going to sound ridiculous, but I was walking last week a few miles from the old Tibbenham airfield in Norfolk.
It was broad daylight on a lovely clear & sunny day.
I happened to look up in the general direction of the airfield when I saw a USAAF Liberator bomber flying from my right to left, just above the trees, about a mile away. It was only visible for a split second, but it was as clear as day.
I wasn’t thinking about anything in particular, I just happened to look in that direction. I’ve been over it in my mind and I’m sure of what I saw.
It was silver with black lettering on the fuselage and a bright red or half red tail fin. I know they have two but being side on to me I could only see the one nearest to me.
Any thoughts anyone?