This page has been started as a place to record relevant information specifically useful for Americans, as an addition to all other information on the site. The editor of these pages is British, and so can't be sure what are the most useful things to know for Americans! If it's not here, send it in! Please email any questions.
Announcement 3rd Feb 2001 - Today an 'RAF History' section has been started on site detailing the RAF history prior to the USAF moving onto the base - A similar section for USAF base history could be started, if anyone has links or would like to email articles or pictures to be posted on a 'USAF History' page - To see the RAF section - CLICK HERE
Air Force Crossroads Site - click on their 'DoD Installations' sections to find RAF Lakenheath info.
Canadian Military Family Resource Centre - UK - The Canadians have also produced a useful page.
In My Father's Footsteps - Brenda Scalf-Burchfield's inspiring account of her travels in East Anglia, where her father was in WW2 before he was killed in Europe. Excellent photos and itinerary, useful for travels in the area and to anyone doing family research. See also 455th Anti-Aircraft Artillery website for more details of her father's story and his unit.
American Air Museum - About 45 minutes drive away is the best museum of the USAAF and USAF outside the USA. Don't miss it! It is within the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, south of Cambridge. The rest of the museum is amazing too.
British Tourist Authority - The official national tourist page
National Trust - Organisation responsible for ancient monuments, castles, houses and landscapes of note. It has a search sytem and a list of attractions in Suffolk
Kentwell Hall - Moated Tudor house at Long Melford, where they recreate Tudor life. Fantastic picture of it on this homepage of a good website telling you where to find it and when it is open. Well worth a visit for a taste of 'Olde England'. This Unofficial Site is also worth a click for some excellent pictures.
Long Melford - website all about the picturesque village next to Kentwell Hall
Britannia.com - America's Gateway to The British Isles - since 1996 - Site promoting and selling tourism in Britain to the US - Might be a good source of ideas, but perhaps it is cheaper to actually arrange and book tourist accommodation and visits yourself over here, direct with the providers?
Britain By Britrail - a site which sells British and European rail passes to people in the US - I don't know if you get a better deal than you could get by buying over here, does anybody know?
RAF Mildenhall Airfete 2000 - USAF Official Site
If you have been here for a little while, or even have found this page on the web having returned to the USA, then you probably have lots of knowledge that would be of use to people arriving over here for the first time, and maybe even stuff that people who have been here for a while have never discovered! Please send it in to the editor at:
laken.heathDELETE@virgin.net (please remove the word DELETE from the address first)
20/08/00 - Crime in the UK is Different
My advice for Americans arriving in the UK is to be vigilant. In the UK most crime is petty theft. Removing objects from your vehicle that may invite a potential criminal will go a long way to preventing you from becoming the next victim. Left-hand drive cars are a favorite target. Criminals are looking for CD's, Gortex Jackets, and anything that can be easily sold in a hurry. Lock your vehicle. Keep your home secure at all times and do not encourage thieves by leaving valuables visible. Always lock bicycles and lawn mowers indoors or in a shed. Taking these simple steps will put you on your way to an enjoyable tour in the UK.
MSgt Stewart
First Sergeant, 95 RS, RAF Mildenhall
Editor's Note - It may be that petty criminals target the cars and properties of USAF personnel because they think that the victim is less likely than a local British victim to guess who they are, and come looking for them afterwards! Therefore it's perhaps worth trying to 'blend in' so that your house and car are as indistinguishable as possible from those of your British neighbours if criminals should pass by.
If you own a European spec vehicle then it is worth removing the base pass from the window when off base. The pass identifies your car as USAF and the passes do sometimes get stolen. You could put it on the underside of the sun visor so that you can can just pull it down when on base, and leave it up, and hidden, when off base.
Vehicles are often broken into on the driveways of houses, so don't assume it is safe there! Always lock it and remove all property from view, even packets of cigarettes or small change. It is unlikely that you will hear anything if it is broken into. It is worth removing your military uniform from the trunk when parked - kitbags are often stolen. Mark all your uniform with your Social Security Number - The local police are fairly clued up and will know what it is and how to trace you if they recover it from a thief.
It is worth security marking your car radio, and valuable property at home. You need to etch your Social Security Number and 'USAF' on it, and your UK post code and house number, depending whether you will change address. You can just scratch it on with something sharp or you can get special marking kits from the MOD Police Office or local police stations. Also if you can make a note of the serial numbers that manufacturers put on property this too will help identify items if they are stolen, and make it harder for a thief to sell them!
If you really want peace of mind then, as well as a good check of the the security of windows and locks, a burglar alarm for your house or car may be the answer. There are some good portable alarms that you can transfer easily to new properties or cars.
The motto is - 'How can I make myself a harder target for criminals, so they will go looking for someone easier?'
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