IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Rampton Road, CAMBRIDGE, CB24 3EN

Air Training Corps, Oakington Squadron and Cambridgeshire Army Cadet Force, Longstanton Detachment.

Part of Willingham Medical Practice. Serving Longstanton and Northstowe.

A March-morning view from the corner of Nether Grove. Nikolaus Pevsner judged the large east window the 14th-century original, but the Grade I listing suggests it is a renewal of the original. Spires are more common to the west of Cambridge than they are in the south and east of the county.

A view from the east, near the corner of Nether Grove. "Chancel largely rebuilt. The E window of five lights with flowing tracery, i.e. c 1320-40 ... The window seems original" (Nikolaus Pevsner).

An unusually florid and cavalier sort of monument for its date (the baronet died in 1658). "The tomb-chest stands at r angles to the E wall of the S transept. On it the well carved recumbent figures of Sir Thomas and Lady Hatton. Against the long sides of the tomb-chest, carved in the round, kneel the figures of their children. The back against the transept wall has a proper reredos, segmental pediment etc and ornamental motifs, no longer Jacobean but classical, i.e. garlands, big corbels, corbels with cherubs' heads etc" (Nikolaus Pevsner). For a close-up of the three mourning daughters, see Image

The composition is balanced by three kneeling and equally expressionless sons on the shadowed north side of the tomb chest. For the whole tomb, see Image

The large Parish Church of All Saints is Grade I listed: "Parish church, mostly mid-late C14. Restorations of 1886, and 1891 including chancel and fenestration. Fieldstone with clunch dressings, now replaced by limestone. Tiled roofs ... Spire of limestone ashlar with two tiers of gabled lucarnes." This looks a tranquil scene, but the noisy resident rooks had a lot to say for themselves.

The memorial window is for 7 and 218 Squadrons who served at nearby RAF station Oakington. Seven Squadron was formed in 1914, and during the Second World War was part of the Pathfinder Force. The panel on the bottom right reads "Remember here before God those of 7 Squadron who died in action in the Royal Flying Corps 1914-18 and Royal Air Force 1939-45". 7 Squadron was first formed at RFC Farnborough in 1914 and disbanded in 1919. It re-formed at RAF Bircham Newton on 1 June 1923 with the Vickers Vimy as a night heavy bomber squadron. In 1927 it moved to RAF Worthy Down, in Hampshire. The squadron gained a reputation as being one of the leading RAF heavy bomber squadrons, winning the Lawrence Minot Memorial Bombing Trophy six times between 1927 and 1933 and shared in 1934 with 54 Squadron in 1934, achieving an average bombing error of 40 yards. At the outbreak of the Second World War, it continued to be used for training bomber crews, disbanding on 4 April 1940 when it merged with 76 Squadron to form No. 16 OTU. On 1 August 1940 it reformed, at RAF Oakington becoming the first squadron to equip with the new Short Stirling heavy bomber, the first RAF squadron to operate four engined bombers during the Second World War, flying the first bombing raids with the Stirling against oil storage tanks near Rotterdam on the night of 10/11 February 1941. It flew on the 1000 bomber raids to Cologne, Essen and Bremen in May and June 1942. It was transferred to the Pathfinder Force in August 1942, with the job of finding and marking targets for the Main Force of Bomber Command bombers.

The Squadron was formed in 1914, and during the Second World War was part of the Pathfinder Force and based at RAF Oakington. The panel on the bottom right reads "Remember here before God those of 7 Squadron who died in action in the Royal Flying Corps 1914-18 and Royal Air Force 1939-45".

The stone looks rather more orange than usual as it was illuminated by a midwinter setting sun. See http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3445071