The airfield at Ludham was built by Richard Costain Ltd and became operational in November 1941 as a second satellite for the main fighter station at RAF Coltishall sited north of Norwich, three tarmac-covered concrete runways and ancillary buildings being built on the land which had belonged to Fritton Farm.

Fighter duties from Ludham were fairly regular and generally coastal and convoy patrols of little note, but the results of one sortie on 28 January 1943 by No.

167 Squadron RAF, whose Spitfires were scrambled to intercept and shoot down a German Junkers Ju 88 that was harassing shipping off the East coast, was witnessed by HM The King and Queen, who happened to be visiting the station that same afternoon.

Notably the airbase was not open for flying while in use by Royal Navy[3] but here the first five MONABs and one Transportable Aircraft Maintenance Yard (TAMY) were assembled and despatched.

[4] The RAF then took back control of Ludham, when some limited detachments by fighter squadrons took place, but the site was eventually closed down in 1946.