Leiston Airfield

I was only a young lad during the wall, living at Eastbridge, near Leiston.
We lived in close proximity to Leiston Airfield which was staffed by …… Squadron of the USA Air Force.
One of our escapades was to cycle over to the Fuel dump on the perimeter fence, and borrow some empty fuel tank (probably kerosene), and take these back home.
We would then take a hammer and chisel to these tanks, without a thought of a flying spark exploding the fuel fumes, with the idea of converting it into a small boat, rather similar to a coracle. The baffles had to be cut out in order to make some legroom. These usually ended up with a flat bottom, which was prone to capsizing frequently.
We would then fashion an oar or paddle, and explore the ditches and rivers. Cuts to the skin on the underside of the arms were a hazard from the rough edge of the metal tank.

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