Seething Control Tower Museum is a living memorial to the service personnel who served in the USAAF 448th Bomb Group at Seething airfield during the Second World War.
Our Mission
Seething Control Tower Museum Association is managed by unpaid volunteers who administer and make the building, contents and archives available to local residents, researchers, tourists and veterans & their families
- We exist to preserve and maintain the fabric of the Seething Airfield Control Tower, the surrounding grounds and any associated artefacts, documents or equipment connected to the use of the airfield in the Second World War.
- We provide a permanent memorial honouring American service personnel who served in 448th Bomb Group and connected squadrons at Seething in WW2 and work to inform and educate interested persons to ensure their service and sacrifice is not forgotten.
Join Us
We now have hundreds of members who support the work we do to keep the memories of those who served alive.
Help support us by joining Here
Volunteer
Our maintenance team provides a wonderful opportunity to volunteer in a practical way to meet and make like-minded friends.
If you’d like to help, drop us a line
Our Open Days
We are open 10am to 4pm the first Sunday of the month May to October inclusive. Visiting and Parking is free of charge.
Come and try some of the best home made cakes in the area in our cafe.
We also have a small shop selling memorabilia, clothing and books, all at a very reasonable price! All profit goes back into helping maintain the museum.
Our History
Tragically 499 young men of the 448th Bomb Group died whilst either training(including in the US), serving and/or flying operational sorties from Seething airfield.
The Tower Association ensures their sacrifices and the contribution made by everyone at the airfield is remembered.
Restoration work on the tower continues to this day. An example of this is the project to rebuild the weather observatory. In wartime photographs, a greenhouse structure can be seen on top of the tower. This was the weather observatory. The team researched its size, materials, colours to create what can be seen today. Inside the tower, you will find a variety of exhibits and displays illustrating what life was like at Seething airfield during the wartime years.
The people we honour and remember
Our open days are great for the whole family
We always endeavour to obtain permission prior to the taking and publication of photographs/images of visitors to the museum. Please contact us on seethingtower204@gmail.com should you have any concern about any images published on our website or any of our other social media.
Our Archives
We hold an exceptional archive of tens of thousands of documents and pictures which we are currently digitising. Many documents are the personal reminiscences of those who served and survived.
The construction of Seething Airfield involved excavating around 400,000 cubic yards of soil and laying some 175,000 cubic yards of concrete, 32,000 square yards of Tarmac. 10 miles of drains, 6 miles of water mains, 10 miles of conduit, and 4 miles of sewer drains were laid.
Around 4.5 million bricks were used in erecting the necessary stores, accommodation and offices. We have the documentary evidence to support all these facts and many more.
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During Construction 18,000 tons of dry cement & 96,000 tons of aggregate were used. 50 miles of drainage and cable pipes were laid.
The airfield had a main runway 6,000 ft in length. Aligned SW-NE and two secondary runways of 4,200 ft in length.
The 448th bomb group left for England in 64 B24s carrying the 10 man crew and four passengers, 3 aircraft were lost en route, another crashed in Cornwall. A total of 28 men lost and another badly injured even before conflict began.
The first B24 landed at Seething on Nov 25th 1943, they then started the training needed to prepare for their missions.
The 448th Bomb group flew from 1943-1945.
First Mission: 22 Dec 1943 Last Mission: 25 Apr 1945
Missions: 262 Total Sorties: 6,774 Total Bomb Tonnage: 15,272 Tons Aircraft MIA: 101