USAAF 93rd Bomb Group Museum, Station 104, Hardwick, Norfolk, UK

Cinemas, Dances, Girls and Pubs

Norwich was the nearest city to the camp. There could be found cinemas, dance halls and shops – not that the shops had much to sell. Nearer the camp, in the villages of Alburgh, Denton, Fritton, Hardwick, Hempnall, Long Stratton and Topcroft, there were public houses (pubs). These were frequented by the USAAF personnel, the RAF, and the teams who operated the searchlights that surrounded every airfield. A little further away but within cycling distance there were plenty more pubs in the towns of Bungay, Harleston and Diss. My grandparents ran one of these pubs, The Three Nags at Fritton, located to the north-west of the aerodrome in line with runway 13-31.

List of 'locals' (pubs):

Alburgh - King's Head and Tradesman's Arms

Denton - King's Head, Watch House

Fritton - Three Nags

Hardwick - Rose and Crown

Hempnall - Horseshoes, King's Head, Lord Nelson and Queen's Head

Long Stratton - Angel, Maltster's Arms, Queen's Head, Swan Hotel

Topcroft - Swan

Woodton - King's Head, Tumble Down Dick

(Thanks to Richard Bristow's Norfolk Pubs website)

"Fritton Three Nags – A Respite From The Camp"

by Seth Reeder
(Orginally published on Preller's site in the USA)

Fritton "Three Nags", a public house near Hardwick Airfield, Norfolk, UK.

There's not too much – if any at all – information about the day-to-day hard graft of war here, but it's a small insight into what went on when you were off duty.

This pub was run by my grandparents Daisy and Jimmy ELMAR, their daughter Joan and Daisy's mother Louisa (granny), who also lived there. My name is Seth REEDER, I was born in the pub in 1951 and lived there until 1972. The pub finally closed after Daisy's death in 1982 and is now a private house but can still be easily recognised as a pub.

The Horsehoes at Hempnall Green (which was still open as of Sept 2011) and the Rose and Crown at Hardwick (long since closed), were closer.

Many American servicemen returned over the years. I am unable to recall any of them, but I shall endeavour to write stories/reminiscenses as I can.

Besides the proximity of the Airfield at Hardwick to the pub, there was a searchlight station at the end of Fritton Common (to the south), marked with a green ring on the map photo below. The pub was frequented by people from there as well and I am assuming these 'searchlight boys' were British.

At Seething, another nearby airbase, there was a hostel, mainly for Ukranian refugees and Italian prisoners of war. So a real mixture of nationalities frequented the Three Nags. One of the Ukranian refugees, Dmytro (Desmond) Luszniak, was to become my Godfather. Why he was exiled in England, how he got here and why his brother (Basel) was in the German army is another story for another website.

Here are some links to follow for more stuff on other sites ... give them a click ...

Click on images with a border for more info ...
Album: Hardwick USAF Museum. Items inside and outside the museum.	Album: Hardwick Airfield. Images of the Airfield, including Youtube links of take-off and landing on runway 13 (one three).	The Three Nags, 1940s. The Three Nags as she may have appeared in the 1940s.	The Three Nags, 1950s. The Three Nags in the 1950s.
Two Miles (3km) to Get a Pint. The small map shows the proximity of the pub to the airfield. Three Nags Searchlight Runway 13-31	A Motor-cycle Rider. A motor-cycle rider at the back of the pub, possibly an American.	Same Rider. Enhanced version of previous photo. Consensus of opinion on Preller's site is that he is British.	American Fizzy Drinks - For Sale. Coke or Pepsi sold at The Three Nags. Click on the image to find out more.
Crib Board - Friend or Foe. This is a cribbage (card game) pegging board, or is it ? The MPs may say otherwise.	"Those Friendly Yanks are Coming Back". "Those Friendly Yanks are Coming Back", Daisy on TV.	Letter - Cpl Charles F Bell (Red) to Daisy (Mom) - Page 1. A letter from Cpl Charles F Bell to Daisy, Thur June 28th 1945, page 1.	Letter - Cpl Charles F Bell (Red) to Daisy (Mom) - Page 2 & 3. A letter from Cpl Charles F Bell to Daisy, Thur June 28th 1945.
Scribblings by Red. American 'Anthems' from Cpl Charles F Bell (Red).	Joan Elmar. Nancy Joan Eileen ELMAR aka Joan, Daisy's daughter, my mother. She married an RAF 'Brylcreem boy', John REEDER my father.	Lapel Badge - Second Air Division Assn. Second Air Division Association.	The Pub Sign. It probably looked similar in the 1940s.