Publisher's Synopsis
"An intimate, revealing and, at times, surprisingly moving account of the domestic life of a wartime airfield and the men and women who served there."
Control Tower Calling covers the short but important secret history of RAF North Creake intertwined with the tale of how the author, Nigel Morter, and his wife, Claire Nugent, found and fell in love with the airfield's control tower: a superb example of modernist architecture. The story tells of their escape from routine, sensible careers to start a new life running a bed and breakfast on a former Second World War airfield in North Norfolk.
In parallel to the story of their escape, Nigel explores the history of the airfield within the context of the bombing war. From construction, operational life, decline and disposal, all life on the airfield is here. As Nigel & Claire restore the Control Tower back to its iconic modernist look, we learn of such things as airfield design priorities, the perils of operational life, the development of air traffic control, wartime socialising and the tragedy of loss. Based on extensive primary, unpublished and archival research, the book explores the operation of the German's sophisticated early warning radar system that could track, plot and intercept Allied bombers - a radar system that led to a crisis in the bombing campaign when losses reached unsustainable levels. It discusses the formation of the RAF 100 Group and the birth of electronic warfare, revealing the secret yet crucial role RAF North Creake played in jamming German radar through the use of innovative 'Radio Counter Measures'.
This book is both an engaging account of a life-changing passion project and also a significant contribution to a neglected area of research in the history of the bombing war.
Control Tower Calling is a worthy tribute to the vital efforts and heroic wartime sacrifices of RAF North Creake... it's also a perfect reflection of the love, devotion and creative brilliance that Nigel and Claire have brought to the Control Tower itself.
