Following the original Hell’s Angels
Inspired by this Suzuki article, club secretary Paul Lester mapped the coordinates of ten memorials to USAAF squadrons based in Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire during WWII. The majority stand in dignified solitude on quiet country lanes, while a couple stand proud by busier roads. One is just inside a serving RAF base. And one more lies within the perimeter of a enterprise park where the airbase formerly stood (with luck the security personnel will allow you entry). All are a stone’s throw from the airfields which were home to the aircraft and crews
SatNavs set to curvy roads, Paul and co-pilot Patrick rode a 99-mile loop through some of the most attractive villages and best biking roads of the two counties. A stop at each memorial allowed a moment to contemplate the service personnel who helped achieve Allied victory in the war in Europe. The well-maintained memorials proudly bear the mottos and patches of the squadrons which they commemorate
Interested in riding this route? Download this Open Office document (Word compatible) for brief notes and the lat & long of each memorial, and/or this .gpx file
