It was different 32 years ago. . .

When you looked across the airfield, there would have been perhaps twenty or thirty of the big bombers in the olivedrab camouflage dispersed all around the maze of hardstandings leading off the perimeter track.

A distinctive feature of the Liberator was the enormous twin-finned tail assembly. Those of the 445th Heavy Bombardment Group based at Tibenham were each marked with a black "F' printed on a large white circle

Every time you first saw a B24 out on dispersal, the immediate impression was always that it had "bellylanded". This was because the low-slung fuselage under the high wing was only 20 inches above the ground. A 5,000-lb. bomb load was stacked horizontally on each side of the fuselage using racks that extended from floor to roof. The bomb-bay doors were unusual in that they were flexible slats which rolled upwards along a sliding track. When the doors were raised, a narrow catwalk, a few inches wide, remained, with a terrifying open chasm each side guarded only by a length of purple rope.

If you were young -- and foolish -- it was possible, by clinging to the bombs, to walk pigeon-toed across this connecting strip . . . from 10,000 feet the view was terrific

For ten months between 1943 and 1944, Tibenham was home to Lieut. Colonel James Stewart, D.F.C. Croix de Guerre. From this base he flew 20 combat missions in B. 24.H. Liberators and was Commander of the 703rd Bombardment squadron of the 445th Group.

Every time he led the group the never lost an aircraft or a man, but records show that Tibenham had 108 combat losses and suffered the highest single-mission loss of 30 aircraft on September 27th 1944.

Eleven weeks ago, Mr Stewart paid a private visit to his old base. The visit was kept secret so that he could relax and enjoy himself. After a brief tour of the runways he climbed aboard our red and white K.13 with C.F.I. Joe Podolski and took off for his first ever glider flight.

He later took another trip by glider and landed at RAF Coltishall to see the Hurricane, Spitfire and Lancaster of the Memorial Flight.

Back at Tibenham, he had a nostalgic stroll around the derelict control tower and watched the gliders soaring overhead.