Walking Through History:
Hertfordshire has a rich history that dates back to the Mesolithic period. 

During the walks you will pass many Scheduled Monuments and other places of Historical Interest, all of which are detailed in the Guide Book.  Enjoy a good walk and learn more about this interesting county.

Hertfordshire borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west.  The largest settlement is Watford, and the county town is Hertford.

The county has an area of 634 square miles (1,640 km2) and had a population of 1,198,800 at the 2021 census.  After Watford (131,325), the largest settlements are Hemel Hempstead (95,985), Stevenage (94,470), and the city of St Albans (75,540).  For local government purposes Hertfordshire is a non-metropolitan county with ten districts.  

Elevations are higher in the north and west, reaching more than 800 feet (240 m) in the Chilterns near Tring.  The county centres on the headwaters and upper valleys of the rivers Lea and the Colne; both flow south, and each is accompanied by a canal.  Hertfordshire's undeveloped land is mainly agricultural, and much of the county is covered by the Metropolitan green belt.

The county's landmarks span many centuries, ranging from the Six Hills in Stevenage built by local inhabitants during the Roman period, to Leavesden Film Studios.  The volume of intact medieval and Tudor buildings surpasses London, in places in well-preserved conservation areas, especially in St Albans, which includes remains of the Roman town of Verulamium.  

Points of Interest:
In the Guide Book, Scheduled Monuments and other places of Historical Interest are listed as "Points of Interest".
For Example during Day 7; RAF Nuthampstead – Royal Air Force Nuthampstead.

The Woodman Inn
The RAF Nuthampstead War memorial is next to one of the many historical Pubs that you walk past;
The Woodman Inn is a Pub and with weathered, black-wood panelling and a woodsman axe stuck in the apex of the thatched roof of a quintessential English pub which dates back to the early 1700s.  It is the same pub the 55th Wing’s first Airmen gathered in fellowship seeking a welcome reprieve from the stresses of war.   It was the only civilian public house that was entirely within the confines of an active United States Army Air Force base during World War II.

Mobirise Website Builder

Royal Air Force Nuthampstead or more simply RAF Nuthampstead is a former Royal Air Force station in England.  The airfield is located mostly in Hertfordshire between the villages of Nuthampstead and Anstey and the hamlet of Morrice Green in Hertfordshire and Langley, Lower Green and Clavering Park Wood in Essex.

USAAF
Construction began in 1942 with the facility being built by the 814th and 630th Engineer Battalions of the US Army for the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Eighth Air Force.  Nuthampstead was assigned USAAF designation Station 131.  Two T-2 hangars were constructed with the technical site consisting largely of Nissen huts were situated to the west of the airfield and dispersed within the small village of Nuthampstead.

55th Fighter Group
Although the airfield was built to accommodate heavy bombers, from September 1943 until April 1944 the 55th Fighter Group used the airfield, arriving from McChord AAF Washington on 14 September 1943.  The group was under the command of the 67th Fighter Wing of the VIII Fighter Command.  Aircraft of the 55th were identified by a green/yellow checkerboard pattern around their cowlings.

On 16 April 1944 the group moved to RAF Wormingford in Essex to accommodate the arrival of the 398th Bomb Group.  The 55FG converted to North American P-51D Mustangs in July 1944, continuing their primary task of escorting Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers that attacked such targets as industries and marshalling yards in Germany, and airfields and V-weapon sites in France.

398th Bombardment Group (Heavy)
From April 1944 until June 1945 the 398th Bombardment Group (Heavy) used the airfield, arriving from Rapid City AAF South Dakota.  The group was under the command of the 1st Combat Bombardment Wing of the 1st Air Division.  Equipped with Boeing B-17G Flying Fortresses, its tail code was a "Triangle-W".

The 398thBG entered combat in May 1944, and until V-E Day operated primarily against strategic objectives in Germany, attacking targets such as factories in Berlin, warehouses in Munich, marshalling yards in Saarbrücken, shipping facilities in Kiel, oil refineries in Merseburg, and aircraft plants in Münster.

The 398th flew its last combat mission, attacking an airfield in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia, on 25 April 1945.  After V-E Day the group transported liberated prisoners from Germany to France.  From Nuthampstead, the 398th Bomb Group flew 195 combat missions losing 58 B17C Flying Fortresses.  The unit returned to Drew AAF Florida and was inactivated on 1 September 1945.

© Copyright 2025