A little piece of history...

This pillar box stands beside the Newmarket to Royston road opposite the ex RAF Duxford Main Gate and Guard Room. The road is now the A505 and the airfield is now the Imperial War Museum Duxford.

The air station was first started in 1916 and became active in 1918, the airfield to the South of the road and the barracks, sergeants mess and officers mess to the North. The nearest houses were in the village of Duxford about a mile away.

RAF Duxford played an important part during the Battle of Britain, being home to Douglas Bader's 'Big Wing'. Duxford became the home of several specialist units, including the Air Fighting Development Unit (AFDU), which moved to the station in December 1940. The work of the AFDU including the testing and evaluation of the Hawker Typhoon, the Mosquito and the Mustang. 

In July 1961 the last operational RAF flight was made from Duxford by a Gloster Javelin FAW 7.


Although I don't know for certain I think it's safe to assume that this pillar box was placed in 1918 for the use of the men and women stationed at RAF Duxford. It's quite hard to believe now but for most of the operational life of of the aerodrome the only link with home for the personnel serving there was by letter through the Royal Mail. Many thousands of Airmen and Airwomen would have posted letters there.


This pillar box was cast during the reign of George V by the Carron Company an ironworks established in 1759 on the banks of the River Carron near Falkirk, in Stirlingshire, Scotland. After initial problems, the company was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom. The company prospered through its development and production of a new short-range and short-barrelled naval cannon, the carronade. Later they cast many thousands of post boxes of various types. The company was one of the largest iron works in Europe through the 19th century. After 223 years, the company became insolvent in 1982 and was later acquired by the Franke Corporation, being rebranded Carron Phoenix.