Polebrook is a village in Northamptonshire, England. The population (including Armston) at the 2011 census was 478.[1]
History
There is evidence that Polebrook as a settlement dates back to 400 BC,[2] where the village consisted of many farms. The farms were mainly centred on the modern day village of Ashton. Polebrook is called Pochebroc in the Domesday Book,[3] and was the centre of a large administrative area (the Polebrook hundred).
RAF Polebrook was a little southeast of the village during the Second World War from 1941 to 1945.[4] The USAAF 351st Bomber Group was stationed at the airfield from 15 April 1943 to 23 June 1945, and the U.S. flag hangs as a memorial to the men, along with a roll of honour in the church. The airfield is now disused, but remains a rich part of Polebrook culture; there is a memorial chapel in Polebrook Church. The base was used as a site for Thor missiles in the 1950s.[4]
For some time during the war Clark Gable was stationed at Polebrook and at RAF Marston Moor near Wetherby. He made morale-boosting visits locally during his time there, an example being Marco in Grantham – a picture appears on the Manthorpe News website.
^ abGibson, Michael L (1982). Aviation in Northamptonshire, An Illustrated Guide (includes a map of the Polebrook airfield and an angled photo taken in 1944). Northampton: Northamptonshire Libraries. pp. 270–1. ISBN0-905391-08-X.
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