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WW2 love story inspires quest to save artwork

Richard Daniel,in Flixtonand
Alice Cunningham,Suffolk
News imageRichard Daniel/BBC A man smiles at the camera as he stands in front of former World War Two buildings. He has short grey hair and is wearing a navy blue coat with a blue shirt underneath. It is a grey day.Richard Daniel/BBC
Mark Hadingham, the nephew of Lilian Le Grys, said she would be ecstatic that work was ongoing to save the site

A woman's World War Two love story has inspired a quest to save rare artwork that is at risk of being lost at a former airfield.

In 1943, hundreds of Americans flew over to Suffolk to set up base at RAF Bungay, near Flixton, which was known as Station 125.

Lilian Le Grys, who was just 21 at the time, lived at a nearby farm, and after falling in love with one of the personnel, she developed such a connection to the site that she wanted to preserve it for future generations.

After her death in 2022, USAAF Heritage Trust was recently granted a 125-year lease and is now trying to preserve original artwork from 1944 on the airfield.

News imageLe Grys family A black and white image of a woman. She is standing in front of a large wooden door. She has dark hair that has been tied back. She wears a jacket, jumper and trousers. She has her hands in her pockets. Le Grys family
Lilian Le Grys remained deeply connected to the airfield and site long after the war had ended

In the 1930s, the Le Grys family owned and farmed the land before the airfield was built.

During the war, Le Grys fell in love with one of the Americans called Col Eugene B Thalman. While their romance ended for reasons unknown, long after the war ended, she remained deeply connected to the site.

She allowed much of it to remain as it was during the war, and her nephew, Mark Hadingham, said its preservation was her "dying wish" when she died aged 99 in 2022.

News imageThe Erna Torney Collection A black and white image of people at a dance during World War Two. Women and men dance together. The Erna Torney Collection
The Red Cross Aero Club was used to host dances during the war

Hadingham and the wider family set up the Le Grys Family Trust and granted USAAF Heritage Trust the lease so it could fulfil her wishes.

"I think [my aunt] would be over the moon," he said.

"She would love the thought that it's being preserved... she would be ecstatic.

"[Americans] come over now and the emotions you can see on their faces to see where their grandfathers walked and served."

News imageRichard Daniel/BBC A woman looks to the left of the camera and smiles. She has blonde/grey hair that has been tied back. She is wearing a dark navy blue gilet jacket with a long sleeved top underneath. She is standing inside an old building.Richard Daniel/BBC
Kerry Wilmot from USAAF Heritage Trust is working to preserve two paintings that date back to 1944

USAAF Heritage Trust wants to eventually turn the site into a visitors' centre where people can learn about its history, but currently it is focused on trying to preserve two wall paintings inside the Red Cross Aero Club building.

Kerry Wilmot, one of five trustees, explained the building's roof was leaking and this had already caused two other pieces to be lost.

During the war, about 3,000 personnel were stationed at the airfield, and it was inside the Aero Club where personnel could relax and get away from the horrors of war.

News imageRichard Daniel/BBC Two paintings of squadron insignias on a white brick wall. The painting on the left depicts a vulture and the one on the right depicts a unicorn. Richard Daniel/BBC
The two original paintings on the building's wall are at risk of being lost due to roof leak

The building included a dance hall, library, billiards room, and a lounge, and Wilmot said it was a place people could feel "human again".

The artwork depicts the insignia of the four bomb squadrons that were based here as part of the 446th Bomb Group, known as the Bungay Buckaroos.

The group played a leading role on the first mission of D-Day on 6 June 1944.

News imageThe Erna Torney Collection A black and white image of a building on an airfield during World War Two. Bikes are parked outside the front near the entrance. The Erna Torney Collection
The Aero Club was a place full of life and was where people could enjoy dances, music and games together

"They're completely irreplaceable," Wilmot said of the paintings.

"Potentially we could have someone recreate them, but it wouldn't be the same.

"They're signed by one of the [personnel] who came back here, and to lose them would be heartbreaking."

It is believed the work to repair the roof would cost about £2,200, and the trust has started offering small escorted tours of Station 125 for £30 a ticket to help alongside its fundraising.

Records and photos of the site have also survived thanks to Erna Sittler, who was the director of the Aero Club during the war.

You can look at old and current pictures of the site below.

News imageRichard Daniel/BBC An old building that dates back to World War Two. There are bikes parked outside the building. It has green doors.Richard Daniel/BBC
News imageThe Erna Torney Collection A colourless image of a lounge inside a former World War Two building at an airfield. Personnel sit in chairs near a fireplace. The Erna Torney Collection
The Aero Club has survived and remains on the site today
The lounge of the Aero Club was where personnel could relax and get away from the horrors of war

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