NHER 23129 (Monument record) - Kelling Heath/Kelling Warren World War Two temporary airfield

RAF vertical aerial photograph reveals rectangular parallel-sided area along side railway bulldozed clear of trees and bushes. Resembles very much a landing strip. However, bare earth is crossed by zigzag ditches resembling anti-glider traps, yet these cross each other to form diamonds unlike the normal glider ditches. ? Decoy strip or considering that the nearby sidings were used by troop trains serving Weybourne Camp, was it a landing strip later decommissioned ?
E. Rose (NAU) and D. Edwards (NAU), 2 December 1986.

[1] states airstrip called Salthouse Heath cleared by USAAF in one day for a pre D-Day Dakota exercise. The strip was never actually used and the 'ditches' are in fact bulldozed ridges of topsoil never cleared.
E. Rose (NAU), 8 December 1986 and 7 April 1988.

March 2004, Norfolk NMP
(Central grid reference for site altered from TG 0978 4131 to TG 1019 4136)
A World War Two temporary airfield created alongside the railway on Kelling Heath as part of a one-day pre D-Day Dakota exercise by the United States Airforce. This is clearly visible as a cleared strip of vegetation on the RAF aerial photographs from 1946 (S1). This measured 840m by 125m. On the aerial photographs a criss-crossed with a series of lines. These were originally interpreted as anti-glider ditches by Derek Edwards. Later reinterpreted as lines of remaining upcast by Edwin Rose on information given by member of public (see above). When viewing the aerial photographs in stereo definite ditches (with sight flanking upcast banks) can be seen. These cut across the general pattern of the clearance scars, which are parallel with the long axis of the runway. The strip would have to have been cleared in a criss-cross arrangement for these linears to be spoil never cleared from the site. Therefore it appears that these ditches were dug after the strip was cleared and the interpretation of anti-glider trenches seems most likely. These would have made the airstrip unusable to any gliders and planes for the remainder of the war.
S. Massey (NMP), 5 March 2004.

March 2007. Field visit.
Rolls of bitumen were recently uncovered at [2] during vegetation cutting. These may have been used in World War Two airfield/training activities.
D. Robertson (NLA), 11 July 2007.