Tempsford

The village can boast of more than a thousand years of history. Here the Roman road passes through the village, and after they left the Danes arrived and one of the most formidable fortifications of these Viking conquerors was built here.

In 1940, the village saw the rebirth of 138 Squadron. This was the first of the Moon Squadrons in answer to Winston Churchill’ famous directive: ‘Set Europe Ablaze’. Brave men and women set out from Tempsford to parachute into Europe. Last minute preparation – issue of French clothes, parachute, forged papers, even lethal pills – was carried out in specially reconstructed buildings at Gibraltar Farm. It was remarkable that here was one of the most secret airfields in Britain during the Second World War was never, according to station records attacked by enemy aircraft.