History

There is evidence that Polebrook as a settlement dates back to 4000 BC,. The farms were mainly centred around the modern day village of Ashton

Ashton, East Northamptonshire

Ashton is a village and civil parish about ¾ mile east of Oundle in the east of the English county of Northamptonshire forming part of the district of East Northamptonshire.-History:...

. Polebrook is called Pochebroc in the Domesday Book

Domesday Book

Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...

, and was the centre of a large administrative area (the Polebrook Hundred).

There may have been a wooden church on the site of the current 12th century stone Church of All Saints.

RAF Polebrook

RAF Polebrook

RAF Polebrook is a former World War II airfield located 3.5 miles east-south-east of Oundle, at Polebrook, Northamptonshire, UK. The airfield was built on Rothschild estate land starting in August 1940....

 was a little south west of the village during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 from 1941 to 1945. The USAAF 351st Bomber Group was stationed at the airfield during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 from 15 April 1943 to 23 June 1945, and the U.S. flag

Flag of the United States

The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...

 hangs as a memorial to the men, along with a roll of honour in the church. The airfield is now disused, but remains a rich part of Polebrook culture; there is a memorial chapel in Polebrook Church. The base was used as a site for Thor missiles in the 1950s

For some time during the war Clark Gable

Clark Gable

William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...

 was stationed at Polebrook and at RAF Marston Moor near Wetherby

Wetherby

Wetherby is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Wharfe, and has been for centuries a crossing place and staging post on the Great North Road, being mid-way between London and Edinburgh...

. He made morale boosting visits locally during his time here, an example being Marco

Marco

Marco may refer to:* Georg Marco , Romanian chess player of German origin* Marco , people with the given name "Marco"* 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother, an anime series, in some countries referred to as Marco...

 in Grantham

Grantham

Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It bestrides the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of Nottingham...

 - a picture appears on the "Manthorpe News"

Manthorpe, Grantham

Manthorpe is a suburb in the north part of the town of Grantham in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England.-Location:Manthorpe is located east of the East Coast Main Line running from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh, and west of the A607 road running from Grantham to Lincoln and also...

 website.

External links

• Village website
• http://www.Polebrook.comValor at Polebrook about the USAAF
  United States Army Air Forces
  The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
  
   base in World War II
  World War II
  World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
  
  ]