Haveringland Hall was requisitioned during World War Two. In 1940, before Swannington Airfield, was constructed, the 288th Field Company of the Royal Engineers were stationed at Haveringland Hall. Most were territorials from Norwich, Thetford and Brandon.
The photo above was taken at Haveringland Hall in September 1940, shortly before the Royal Engineers were shipped abroad. The company went to Singapore, where many were captured by the Japanese.
The piece below was written about their time here:
The men entered happily into village life and many friendships were formed, as I learned a few years ago from a former officer of the unit at the Hall, when the time came for them to leave Cawston, instructions were given for the move to be ‘Top Secret’. Accordingly they left Haveringland for the last time late at night, to entrain at Cawston railway station. When they arrived there they found about half the village waiting to wish them Godspeed!. So much for the posters telling us that ‘WALLS HAVE EARS’ and ‘BE LIKE DAD – KEEP MUM.
John Kett, 1995
From December 1941 until December 1942 another company was stationed at Haveringland Hall.
You can read about Sid Shorten’s experiences of living at Haveringland Hall here:
Haveringland Chronicles 