Bomber Stations, Memories, and Complex Site Biographies: re-interpreting the Second World War landscape of Bomber Command and enabling sustainable heritage management in the 21st century

Abstract

This project concerns the construction and application of an enhanced theoretical and methodological framework for the comprehensive study of historic military airfield landscapes associated with Bomber Command. Through proposing the adoption of an operational ‘cluster’ of sites to the formation of a study area, it is argued that such an approach provides the ability to engage sufficiently with individual landscapes, while maintaining an awareness of the wider strategic construct of Bomber Command. By advocating a multi-disciplinary perspective, which seeks to contextualise the wartime landscape through the application of phenomenological thinking, a complex understanding of activity and sense of place emerges. It is argued that the wartime period of occupation cannot be viewed in isolation from the post-operational process of landscape evolution. The resultant is the ability to engage with aspects of the wartime landscape which at present are viewed as lacking in historic significance. Through complimenting archaeological assessment, with detailed archive data driven historiographies, there is potential to identify the presence of narratives and personal experience of traditionally marginalised members of the wartime airfield community. A case study shall demonstrate the applicability of the methodology and in doing so providing an enhanced landscape assessment to a cluster of No.6 Group (RCAF) airfields, which formed No. 61 (Base). This shall culminate in the theoretical conceptualisation of a memoryscape model, which it is argued can present a workable, readily repeatable mechanism for increasing public engagement.

Date of Award	27 Aug 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Winchester
Supervisor	Phil Marter (Supervisor) & Paul Everill (Supervisor)