Surviving the Unexpected: The Journey of an Army Base Community

Have you ever wondered what it's like to live on a military base, with power outages, water shortages, and the constant threat of unexpected relocation? Lesley, a Vice Chair of the Field Association and part of an Army family, gives us an intimate look into this not-so-ordinary life. She pulls back the curtain on a tight-knit community that was abruptly rocked by the forced removal— a move dictated by the powers that be, leaving these families with little say in the matter.

It's not all hardship and adversity, though. Despite the frequent power outages and potential contamination risks, Lesley speaks about the beauty within the chaos. She navigates us through the reality of the living conditions on the base juxtaposed with the bonds and lifelong friendships that have been formed. However, what she reveals about the conditions at the asylum seekers' site on the base is truly shocking - inadequate infrastructure, health risks, limited access to amenities, and hunger strikes paint a bleak picture of the human experience in such a setting.

The ripple effect of these sudden removals is not confined to the base alone. Lesley shares how this mass departure impacted local schools and communities, leading to layoffs among teachers, lost students, and families scrambling to find school places. Despite the trials and tribulations, the spirit of the community shines through in her stories, underscoring a testament to the human ability to adapt and thrive in the most challenging of situations. Join us on this riveting journey, as we explore the intricate web of life within an ex-military base. You wouldn't want to miss it!

Chapters

• 0:06 Army Families Moved Off Base Implications
• 7:43 Airfield/ Airbase Conditions and Facilities
• 15:46 Screening and Conditions at Asylum Seeker Site
• 19:45 Army Families Impact on Local Communities

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

Hello and welcome to the Field Association on AIR. We are a group of residents who are passionate about tackling all aspects of local and national government decisions that affect local communities. In each episode, various members of the Field Association will be exploring a range of subject matters, discussing all the angles of each issue and interviewing those who can add an expert or helpful point of view. So grab yourself a tea or coffee and listen in as we look to navigate through these current challenges.

Speaker 1: 0:40

Okay, so on today's podcast, I'm talking to Leslie. Leslie was actually part of the families, the community of families that lived over on the base when the Army families were obviously still in situ and then was moved off some would say unceremoniously moved off a quite short notice, a few months back. But anyway, I thought it'd be nice to get Leslie on and give a bit of a community view on things from someone that was inside the wire as such. So welcome Leslie. If you don't mind telling us who you are and sort of how long you were there, that sort of thing, that'd be really, really good.

Speaker 2: 1:17

Hi, so I'm Leslie. I'm one of the Vice Chairs on the Fields Association. I was also one of the Army families that lived on the base. I lived there for about three years with my children and husband. So, yeah, we were there for a little while.

Speaker 1: 1:37

Leslie, how was life on the base? I mean, was it sort of that different to what would? It sounds weird, doesn't it? But what would experience outside of the fence? Or was it like a little community of its own?

Speaker 2: 1:50

Army families. When they're in locations like that, they do create that community vibe. Obviously we were all there through lockdown. We all made very close bonds. We kind of all relied on each other. So it was a nice tight community on there.

Speaker 1: 2:08

Okay, that's really good. When you were on the site, could you literally go anywhere sort of on the site at all? Or was it just down to Army personnel that could actually sort of go about their business on the site? How did that work?

Speaker 2: 2:22

So we had freely movement, especially at the beginning and during lockdown. We had the airfield. We used that quite frequently During COVID. It was amazing to have that airfield. We took the children on there quite a lot. Towards the end, though, that did change and we were told we weren't allowed on the airfield. I think that's something to do with some reports that were released and there were concerns.

Speaker 1: 2:50

Oh, that's really interesting. So initially you're able to go wherever you wanted, but I think the report you're referring to is the Barahapold one that the Field Association, or WASC, managed to actually instigate and get hold of, and it was only after that that you were then told there were certain areas that you couldn't go on. Is that correct?

Speaker 2: 3:06

Yeah, there was concerns of an exposed ordinance on the airfield, so we were advised not to go on to that. There was concerns about other things that were raised, but the big one was we were told we weren't allowed on to the airfield.

Speaker 1: 3:22

That's really interesting, but until that point you were able to go anywhere. So it was obviously a concern that came out after the report.

Speaker 2: 3:30

Yes, definitely.

Speaker 1: 3:32

Okay, so there you were. There was you. How many families were actually on the base at the time?

Speaker 2: 3:39

Towards the end there wasn't many of us left. I think I mean no more than 15 families were left towards the end. There weren't many of us anyway. At one point I think there was like 40 odd families on the base. So it changed a lot towards the end. And I think what they did once families were moving out, they stopped actually moving them on.

Speaker 1: 4:03

Oh, okay. So let's talk a bit about when you were told that you were going to be moved off. I mean, the first question is obviously did you want to be moved off I'm saying you, but in general did the families want to be moved off or were you quite content where you were?

Speaker 2: 4:22

There was concerns. I think we were all very content where we were. It was a lovely place to live, you know, between two absolutely gorgeous villages. We were very lucky to be where we were. It was a very secure place for us. We felt very secure on there. We had the MGS staff that we all got on very well with that change towards the end and I think it was another security team come on that looked after us towards the end. But no, I mean we were very happy. We were very happy.

Speaker 2: 4:58

Concerns with moving off I think we got a letter. We were told that we were potentially being moved off. I do think it's quite hard, I think, to get the whole story you have to go right back to the beginning and I think that's where we all started. And you know we heard that there was going to be a prison. We received a letter before locals received anything. So we were always kept in the loop and we were always told when things were happening. But we just had no control over those situations. So for us as families, we were kind of told this was happening, but you don't kind of get a choice in it. You have to go with what's being said really.

Speaker 1: 5:42

So that's really interesting, so. So how did you first hear that you were going to be moved off? Was it literally? Was there some sort of a general meeting, or was it just literally a letter through the post? And was that from the MOD, or was that from the MOJ, the Ministry of Justice, or was that from the Home Office?

Speaker 2: 5:57

So it was DIO we received our letters from. So everything was done through our chain of command and DIO. So we all received letters. And I mean thankfully for us, we had an amazing team from our husband's frustration. They came on to site and talked to us through what was going on. They did try and keep us really in the loop and I think for them it was. It was kind of trying to keep. It wasn't trying to appease, but the more information they could give us, the easier it was and you know, for everyone to process it as well. If you don't know what's going on, how are you supposed to deal with these situations?

Speaker 1: 6:35

What was the general feeling amongst the families, whether it's the wives, the husbands because some would say, leslie, that, as you mentioned earlier, you're being part of the Army fraternity or used to being moved around. I mean, is that something? Is that fair? Or did it really affect people when you heard that news?

Speaker 2: 6:57

I don't. I wouldn't say if it's kind of it's a double-edged sword. I think with anything we, when you hear that the asylum seekers would be moved on to site, the first thing you want to do is move. But it's kind of unfair. Why should we have to move to accommodate them? And I think this is where the double-edged sword comes in. You know, we were very happy and content where we were living. You look at the site and it's not the right place to move these kind of like these people on to. I think the way some of the asylum seekers actually describe it is they feel like they're in prison, whereas for us that wasn't prison. That was. It was so peaceful. It was the complete opposite for us.

Speaker 1: 7:43

Now, one of the things we've been saying and when I say we, that the Fields Association and WASC and the local community in general is that the airfield and airbase isn't fit for purpose. The accommodation isn't fit for purpose, the services aren't fit for purpose, so the sewage, the water, but basically everything you could think of, isn't fit for purpose. I mean the Wi-Fi, even down to the Wi-Fi and the phone connection and the electricity, and I know we had many a call where it was. Has your electricity gone off? Yep, mine too. Or has your water stopped? Yep, mine too. So, and I'm sure it's the same for the the rest of the people listening, but we're saying all that as a community and yet you're saying it was nice there. Did you have any of some of these problems as well, or did it work because it was a small number? Explain the situation there.

Speaker 2: 8:36

We had numerous problems. I think it was part of the front of it for us. Really, kind of the way to look at with Army families is you can get a really nice house and have problems, or you can get a really crap house and you kind of have to suck it up by the way. So on the base gosh, if we want to list the problems we would lose power. I remember the water going off numerous times. We were very lucky we would ring our team and they would bring water over, or seven-trend water would provide water. So there was different things that were done for us on the Army base. Oh, and the flooding. I don't think any of us can forget flooding, the amount of times my husband tried to get through that. We called it Lake Weathersfield, the children trying to get off the site, but yeah, no. So we experienced the problems but it's, I think, for us the good outweighed the bad.

Speaker 1: 9:33

Okay, and so you were living there. So on the one hand, we're saying it's not habitable for some of these people, it's not fit for purpose. On the other hand, you guys were living there. So I'm just trying to sort of you know round that square as such. Is it habitable up there, Is it fit for purpose or isn't it really? What are your thoughts?

Speaker 2: 9:54

I think the demographics are very different. We were families, we had our own cars, we were able to leave the site as and when we wanted. You know, the shooting club down the road didn't affect us, but we could then also walk into the villages and go and get a drink, be it by bridal paths and not down the road. But it's very different. We had that freedom to go and do what we wanted, whereas for those that are on the site now, they are experiencing the issues that were left on the. So trying to figure out how to explain it. So there's two parts of the camp, so you've got where the army houses were and you've got the blocks where the asylum seekers are. So the army houses we didn't experience half of these problems that they are experiencing. So you know, the blocks have just been left.

Speaker 2: 10:44

To fall apart is probably the best way to say it. All the infrastructure, the pipe work, everything has crumbled. The electrics, you know they're having issues. There was some sort of explosion the other day. I think it was something to do with the tanker cylinder and one of the disused buildings, but we didn't experience any of that. So our issues were slightly different.

Speaker 2: 11:07

So when you take that into context. You know they they can't leave the site when they want. You know, if they are from war-torn countries they've got shooting two shooting clubs just down the road that are firing guns off. That must be quite unsettling. I wouldn't say it's very nice. Yeah, I think the best way to say it is their issues are very different and you know they're not like us. We could, we could just get up and go. We didn't have to sit there and wait for a minibus to take us off the site. You know we don't. We didn't feel it was a prison and I know you know where we live. Now it we can't argue with where we live, but I'd take that house over there any day.

Speaker 1: 11:52

That's amazing, isn't it? So the you mentioned the two sites and quite clearly there's. There's a difference between the army houses that were obviously maintained and looked after because you were living them, so things were being done there's some talk about there was even a fair sprinkler of asbestos throughout those houses. Is that fair to say?

Speaker 2: 12:10

Yeah, we had so our shed roofs. So throughout the site there was a lot of asbestos, which I know it's. It's something that's been flagged up with scum, turned they. They haven't moved them onto the site because of the asbestos. And when you actually look at where this field, you've caught hangers and everything made out of where this made out of asbestos. So for us, our sheds, they all had asbestos roofs. There were signs they're saying don't mess about in them, don't touch, kind of don't move stuff as such. So, yeah, there is.

Speaker 1: 12:41

Yeah, we experienced that, okay, but it was kind of if you leave it alone, then it's not any one type thing. Okay, that's fair enough. So then then the other part of the site, the site where the asylum seekers are currently being moved on. We know that the Home Officer of doing some work over there, we know there's diggers over there and the breaking ground and all that stuff. I mean that's major concerns for some people, particularly those looking into the potential contamination side of things for workers and for the asylum seekers. But that aside, I mean, as you were part of the base, did you look over there? Did it look de-lepidate? I mean, was it falling to bits? Was it unkept, unloved, or was it all looked after properly, that the parts that weren't being used?

Speaker 2: 13:24

Oh no, it was left to run down. They only used. Only two of the blocks have been done up, which I think one of them the asylum seekers are using, not too sure about the other one, but no, a lot of it, you know. You've got T2 hangers. I think they're the only T2 hangers left in the country and they were just left to fall apart. You've got the chapel. Like, the chapel is one of the first American built chapels within the UK and there was just no maintenance put into it. Everything was just left to rot.

Speaker 1: 13:58

It's a shame. I mean we're going to be talking to a couple of people going to be looking at the neighborhood watch in over the next few weeks and they've got some amazing ideas, because I don't think people are aware there were schools over there, or there's a school over there, isn't there? As well as the chapel gymnasium all sorts of potential opportunities for the community isn't there?

Speaker 2: 14:16

Yeah, massively. I mean the Americans made it. It was a village within itself. You've got the housing, you've got the block infrastructure. There's a chapel, there's a gym, there's a cinema, you've got a bar. There's a school, a lot of open space. There was baseball fields that actually made baseball pitches, there was a barbecue area. There is so much there that you could have done a lot with. I mean, we did a community centre and that was one of the projects we did through Covid, and we renovated our community centre. It was a lovely space. That was actually one of the Ogmed centres, but you kind of make the best of what you've got. There was a lot of infrastructure there that could be utilised.

Speaker 1: 15:05

So in your opinion and it is only an opinion, leslie but I mean, do you think that there's a cost saving in moving the asylum seekers onto this place or do you think the actual cost of renovating what needs to be done here? In my opinion, it seems like a lot of the facilities just aren't fit for purpose and almost need to be started from scratch. With this heating or sewage or water or whatever it might be, do you think it has a cost effective piece for the government?

Speaker 2: 15:33

No, I think if they concentrated more on stopping this from happening and processing, we would be in a lot better place Saying that these large sites are to move people out of hotels, which we know isn't true. A lot of these people that have been moved onto this site are literally being thrown through Manston. They're not even being checked properly. They're having blood tests and being pushed through into places like Weathersfield and they're not screened properly. They're not having health checks done. We've seen that with health issues. You know they had someone come on with TB. I think it was latent TB, but still that then raised concerns within the communities. There were scabies. So they're not doing the checks properly. Coming through, like you say, the infrastructure that's not up to scratch. I think it's Weathersfield. In that kind of sense it's a money pep.

Speaker 1: 16:28

And what we do know is that some of the legal people are getting involved already, going over and seeing some of these asylum seekers aren't known and moving them off purely because it was an ex-military base. Isn't that right?

Speaker 2: 16:41

Yeah, I think when you look at the demographics on the different sites. I know at Weather's Field there was talk that quite a few were moved off recently. Things were said that the site wasn't suitable. There was actual talk that some of the residents on there they stopped eating, they went on hunger strikes because they wanted to be moved off, because it wasn't suitable.

Speaker 1: 17:03

Is that right? Some people went on hunger strike, you've heard.

Speaker 2: 17:08

Yeah, I think the way that it was spun was that people were told that they went on holiday and they'd been moved off site. It wasn't suitable. They were going on different strikes and causing various issues because they wanted to be moved off.

Speaker 1: 17:27

Why do they want to be moved off? Obviously, we've got our reasons why we think that it's not appropriate for all sorts of things to be happening up there not just the asylum seekers, but the prisons. And why have you housing? But why is it they want to be moved off? Then the asylum seekers? Have you heard anything around that?

Speaker 2: 17:45

They feel like they're in prison. So with the hotels and with infrastructure in larger towns and cities I mean it doesn't even have to be hotels, but any infrastructure in a town or a city they can move around freely, they can go to the shop, they can do these sort of things, whereas at Weathersfield they've got a burger van on there, they have put things on there to try and make it easier. There's a shop, they've got access to a lot of facilities, but they've just not got no free movement. I think that's a big reason they wanted to come to this country. They wanted to be able to move and integrate into communities, whereas Weathersfield that is stopping that from happening, you know honestly, it's like banging your head against brick walls, isn't it?

Speaker 1: 18:29

How many times did all sorts of people from the local community stand up whether it's in front of TV, newspapers or outlets such as this on the podcast and say this is not the right place Because it's so rural, it's so dangerous, they can't walk out anywhere, there's no way to go? That's interesting that you've heard that, leslie, because that just confirms everything that everyone in the local community knows and says, and I think you made a really good point earlier. For us it's easy because we can just jump into a car, can't we? We can go get to places, and they can't. So that's really interesting. I would like to get back to like so as an Army family. You were now told you were going to move off. Was there any opposition to that? I mean, did you sort of say we don't want to move off, or was it sort of a fate?

Speaker 2: 19:17

to complete, I think for us as families, we had to put our families first and you know, as a mum myself, my first thought was I didn't want my children to be on that side with I mean, I can't remember the figure, but I think it was like 1,700 men or however many but for me as a woman, that is on my own an awful lot. I did not want me and my three children there.

Speaker 1: 19:44

Well, that makes complete sense. Now, of course, the Army families were part of the community Weathersfield, Finchfield, and a lot of the children there went to local schools and things. I mean, how did it affect, in your experience or your opinion, the local schools, the classes and the children as well?

Speaker 2: 20:03

You know, for a lot of the children it was made right through a school year well towards the end of school year. So then having to move to a new school and start afresh, at that point, I think it was really unfair. Some families actually opted to keep their children in the local schools and drive back towards the end of term. For me, I tried to get my daughter into a local school where we've got a new house and we actually really struggled. We couldn't get a school place within any of our catchment schools and I know every other family experienced exactly the same and they've actually ended up in a school that's out of catchment.

Speaker 2: 20:40

But what has been done? A bus has been provided For me. I actually have sent mine to another school. That it was on the cards for us anyway. It just happened a little bit sooner than we anticipated. But for me it just means that my children are all together and they're happy and settled and they will never have to do this again. Regardless of what we do as an Army family, my children aren't going to have to experience that.

Speaker 1: 21:06

I think what's coming across and what's really quite impactful is you've got Army personnel and their families that kind of give their life to service the country, move around a lot, and then on occasions you find a place that you can actually call home and you feel settled and you become part of the community and it seems really nice. And then suddenly that's taken away. But not only is it taken away, we're led to believe there's a cost saving here as such, although again, part of the story is it was only over for 12 months, but that's another story for another day. But there's supposed to be a cost saving here, but actually it's the ripple effect, isn't it? It's the families that moved off, it's the school children that taken out, the schools or the local communities. It's then the families that can't get the kids into schools near where they've been moved to. There's a lot of upheaval. The ripple effect is quite profound, isn't it? And it's that sort of thing that you can't apportion a cost to, really, can you?

Speaker 2: 22:05

Well, they've lost teachers in the local area. So I mean, one of the Army wives was a teacher at one of the schools. She's now left and moved on and they actually at one of the other schools they decided to lay off a teacher because they'd lost that many children. They felt that having that extra teacher was it didn't weigh up. I mean, there wasn't an abundance of children but there were still a good few children that attended the two local schools. So when you lose 10, 12 children it does have an impact. But yeah, we know they would be that we were told along the way.

Speaker 2: 22:39

I think, as an Army wife, it's like you said. We are used to moving. That's part of the parcel. But for me especially, we've moved quite a lot and I've never put down roots, I've never settled, I've never made close friendships and for me, where this field, I managed to do that, and probably more so because of what the MAJ and the Home Office did. I joined a group of people that are absolutely amazing and I've made friendships that I'll have for life and I'm quite grateful of that. No matter what happens to me in the future. I've managed to build a relationship that I am really proud of and that will always continue and I think, where this field for me will always be a big part of my life.

Speaker 1: 23:22

That's really nice and I concur completely with that. I think you and me both, we've met some amazing people that we would never have spoken to locally because we all just walk by, do our thing, don't we? Go to the post office and leave and wave occasionally. Or if there's dogs involved, obviously we all know the dogs. We don't know the people that own the dogs, but you're right, there's some fantastic people here and it seems everyone's moved here for a quiet life, to enjoy the countryside, and I think that's part of the concern and trepidation, really, isn't it? The fact that it's almost been taken away from us all. That's how it feels, that's how it felt initially and steamrolled it in and not even listened to the local community. So I agree with you completely on that, isn't it?

Speaker 2: 24:09

Yeah, consultation would have been good if Home Office would have opened up and consulted. They did a meeting with the Army families and they actually said at that meeting that they would not consult with locals. So I think that showed us from the outset that they had no interest in actually speaking to locals and gauging opinions on how this would impact other people. When you talk about where this field has 7,800 people in it and Finch and Field I think the population in Finch and Field is a little bit more, but combined all of them people on the air base would outnumber the local villages and I think that it brings a lot of issues with it. I think people were talking about gender imbalance and different issues like that, but these are all things that people should have been able to voice with Home Office.

Speaker 1: 24:56

Yeah, I totally agree with you on that. I think they would have scored so many brownie points if they'd just got a little team together and said we're going to be here for the next three weeks and dropping and chatting things through, even if some of it was just going to happen. So get your head around it. But a discussion around how we can help, and I think the numbers, as you say, just seem just monstrous. They seem so huge. That seems to be the big sticking point. I think everyone's out for sort of helping or doing something or accepting something, even if we don't want to. But the sheer number is particularly concerned, isn't it? And particularly all being young men, obviously. So that's tricky.

Speaker 2: 25:34

I think we've seen it within the local community. I think we've all said as well, if they kept the number at 300 or looked at a number, a more reasonable number, locally in the community, like they're looking at teaching them English, they're sorting out clothes, they're trying to do all these things to help up there because they can see that they are people. We all know that they're people. Our concerns, I think, like everybody else's, are the numbers. We want to make it so it's easy to manage within the local area, and it isn't Australian resources I think we have. I remember when we were looking back at hospitals and if anything went wrong, where would these people go to? And the nearest hospital is Chumsford, so the travelling for them dental centres. There's not a dentist on the site, so where are they going for dental work? They are then going to be using the hospital. They're using facilities that weren't put in place for that and if they keep putting more and more people on, it's going to put a massive strain on places like Brimfield Hospital.

Speaker 1: 26:39

And I think you're right and we're back to, aren't we? It's just, it's not the appropriate place, that you just haven't got the facilities nearby, like you have, say, in a town or a city, potentially. So, leslie, here's something I'm going to ask. It's a bit left field so I don't think you'd have prepared for this, but what would you like to happen to the air base up there? I mean, what do you think would be appropriate if we're saying that the it's not the right place for asylum seekers, if we're saying, potentially, there's contamination up there we don't know about that for sure, but potentially but what would you like, ideal world, what would you like to see done with the Weatherford Air Base?

Speaker 2: 27:15

I think you've got houses up there. Utilise it. You know, whether you're knocking down building or houses, that area I think should be housing. There could be a school up there. There is a lot of facilities that you could do stuff with. The areas where there are concerns with the contamination and you know, I've seen bits for myself. I've walked around and not until it was highlighted to me and I'd seen the report you kind of do look at some things and you think, ok, this could potentially be what they're on about. But them areas right the map, fence the map, do whatever you've got to do to make them safe.

Speaker 2: 27:53

The airfield you know there's an amazing place up in the Lake District, nick Heswick, and a lot of it is rewilded. They've got wind turbines. We could do solar panels but have it as a country park. Have it somewhere that the locals can use. Do poppy pods up there. You want to bring part of the military back into it. Open up and do a bit of a holiday place. Have poppy pods, you know there is infrastructure where you could have like workshops. I think we recently managed to get the bomb dump listed. But as long as you adhere to the rules, I can't see why those areas still can't be utilised. There's a lot that could be done up there, and I think it could be done very well by the right people, so it would be nice, I think, to get some of that back.

Speaker 1: 28:39

I think that's fantastic. I totally agree. I mean, as a community, it would be great to actually have use of the space up there and some of the history up there and heritage as well as, like you say, perhaps for veteran, you know, military personnel or all sorts. But we're definitely going to be exploring that more because there's so many stories up there, what is or isn't up there and what is or isn't available, that I know the neighbourhood plans coming into focus, isn't it pretty quick over the next few weeks? I know you're going to be part of that as well, so that would be really good. Ok, is there anything else, lesley, that you want to say about the air base that I've missed, or whether it's history or stories or anything at all, or are you quite happy to leave it there?

Speaker 2: 29:22

I think, just one thing to remember that that was compulsory purchase from locals and the right thing to do is to allow it to go back to locals. I think if we're going to do anything, let's do it right and allow the locals to decide what happens with the site.

Speaker 1: 29:39

I can't think of a more perfect finish than that. That's very poignant and very well put Listen. Thank you very much for your time. We'll put this out and I believe, going forward, you're going to be helping on the podcast and interviewing some people yourself, is that right?

Speaker 2: 29:54

I think next week I've got my first interview lined up, so I will gladly send that over when that's done. Fantastic.

Speaker 1: 30:00

Lesley, all right, listen. Thank you ever so much for your time and we'll talk again soon, no doubt.

Speaker 2: 30:05

Yeah, thanks, Tony Bye.

Speaker 1: 30:09

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