398th Bomb Group
Memorial
Association


Keys for the Station 131

By Wally Blackwell
June 16, 2005

Malcolm "Ozzie" Osborn received a very special bit of memorabilia on a chance visit to the home of Tony and Greta Barker in Nuthampstead one day. The surprise was the gift of the keys to the 398th Control Tower, the Officer's Club porch entrance and the Senior NCO's Club porch entrance at Station 131. See images of the keys below.

When the English government released the old base area land back to private ownership in the 1950's, Tony acquired title to some of the base land area that included the old Control Tower installation as well as other buildings.  After many years the Tower and all else were demolished, but the keys remain.
 
Ozzie's remark to all is "If you visit Station 131, I now hold the keys to some of the base buildings.  Unfortunately the buildings are no longer there, but if they were, then I have the keys." The gift of the Control Tower keys was especially meaningful to Ozzie because at that time the Barker's gave him the keys, Ozzie was transcribing the Control Tower Log Book for the 398th web-site. Certainly the quality of key security has changed significantly in the intervening years.




398th Control Tower Key No. 2


Some Station 131 Keys

  1. Officer's Club Porch Entrance,
  2. 398th Control Tower No. 2,
  3. 398th Control Tower No. 1,
  4. Single Key,
  5. Senior NCO's Club porch entrance at Station 131, and
  6. A group of 3 Keys


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