RAF SLEAP Ghost Hunt - 26/04/2025- £35 P/P

The History

1941

Construction on the airfield begins.

1943

The First Year & Tragedies

The airfield officially opens in April as a satellite to Whitchurch Heath (now Tilstock), the main role of the airfield is training.

The first RAF aircraft to be operationally based at Sleap were Armstrong Whitworth “Whitley” aircraft as seen below.

In the very early days a Whitley undergoing night training crashed at Loppington, killing all 5 crew.

In August, also at night, a Whitley lost control on landing, continued off the runway and crashed into the control tower. Three crew members in the front of the aircraft were killed, and six others on board survived. The tower building was damaged however normal operations resumed the following day.

One week later an entire Whitley crew from Sleap were lost over Hertfordshire in another night training exercise.

Within another week more tragedy struck – a Whitley taking off on a night training exercise veered off the runway and again hit the control tower

Four of the crew were killed together with two WAAFs who were on duty in the building and succumbed to the resulting fire. Local legend tells that the control tower at Sleap is haunted by the innocent victims of that fateful night.

( Information taken directly from the location website - https://www.shropshireaeroclub.com/heritage