Like so many other villages during the Second World War, Metfield was ‘invaded’ by the USAAF. Service personnel arrived in Metfield in 1943 to build an aerodrome. Hundreds of labourers worked and lived in wooden huts along the Fressingfield Road during this period, as it had to be built in great haste to accommodate the imminent arrival of USAAF 491st Bombardment Group (Heavy). It was operational from 1943–4 and accommodated almost 3,000 service personnel.

On 15 July 1944, an accident caused a massive explosion at the bomb dump, with loss of life and aircraft, leaving the airbase unable to operate for a short while.

To find out more about this, why not buy a copy of Christine Brennan’s book METFIELD Tales From a Suffolk Village 1928–2017? It is available from Metfield Stores and other retail outlets. For full info, go to the book’s website.

A bit of history
Lord of the Manor
Employment
The church
Post-war Metfield
2000 and beyond
Village shop
Publication of METFIELD Tales From a Suffolk Village 1928–2017