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thomas davison

Libyan army takes over rural village in Cambridgeshire
IT WAS once famed as the airstrip from which American bomber Memphis Belle took off for sorties over Nazi-occupied France and Germany and was later the set for Stanley Kubrick�s Vietnam War classic, Full Metal Jacket.
By: Marco Giannangeli
Published: Sun, October 27, 2013

The North African troops will be trained at the air base The North African troops will be trained at the air base [AFP/GETTY]

But for locals in the pretty village of Bassingbourn-cum-Kneesworth, the air base turned army barracks on 200 acres of Cambridgeshire countryside became more than a military facility that once housed Hollywood legend Clark Gable while he served with the US Air Force.

For at least 40 years it has been a vital community hub with more than 12,000 people every year using its leisure facilities, including a fishing lake, golf course, hockey pitch, badminton court, land yacht club and even a winter sports centre. Now they, as well as 130 staff from the area, are all gone � and the Libyans are coming.

It follows an announcement earlier this year by Foreign Secretary William Hague that the British army training base will be turned over to teach more than 2,000 Libyan troops as part of an international effort to stabilise the North African nation�s security.

The decision has shocked the rural community and dismayed more than 360 clubs and charities which used the facilities. Combat Stress sent veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder to the artificial lake for therapeutic fishing and angling.

libya, libyan, army, Bassingbourn-cum-Kneesworth, cambridgeshire, village, military, us air force, clark gable, combat stress, ptsd, soldiers, barracksActor Clark Gable was stationed at the compound [GETTY]

The loss of these leisure facilities leaves a great hole

Tony Geraghty, parish councillor

Its spokesman said last night: �Getting involved in pastimes like fishing and focusing on something enjoyable can be an important step in recovering from mental ill-health and maintaining a better quality of life.� Parish councillor Tony Geraghty said: �The loss of these leisure facilities leaves a great hole.�

Last night Martin Middleton, club secretary of Bassingbourn Snowsports Centre, said: �We understand the need to help stabilise Libya but this has been a hard blow to this local and very rural community.�

The Ministry of Defence said: �Sports and social clubs were informed in 2012 that, following the planned closure of Bassingbourn Barracks, they would no longer be able to access the site.

�The MoD engaged with the clubs and societies throughout the process, explaining that we could not justify keeping the site open for regular public use when the MoD is no longer operating the site itself.�

THE LUNATICS ARE NOW RUNNING THE ASYLUM, ARMED MUSLIMS IN OUR COUNTRY, THEIR WEAPONS WILL GO TO THE TERRORISTS THAT ALREADY LIVE HERE, TIME TO KICK OUT THESE CLOWNS