‘When your signal goes down, something’s going on’: life next to a US air base in the UK

T he local people know there is something going on when the internet and phone signal drops dead, they say. If the heavy bombers are flying low, the teachers will pause their school assembly until the thunderous din has passed. The parish council has been briefed on the intricacies of sonic booms. Car insurance is more expensive here as the Americans “can’t drive” and sometimes find themselves on the wrong side of the road. The base became less open to its neighbours after 9/11. But everyone knows there are secrets held beyond the barbed wire, not least that this is where the nukes are stored. RAF Lakenheath is the largest US air force (USAF) base in Europe, part of what is known as the “tri-base area” of Suffolk , a stretch of 20 sq miles (52 sq km) of land leased to the US government around which a peculiar ecosystem has developed over the eight decades of the American presence. Less than a 10-minute drive south-west of Lakenheath is RAF Mildenhall, which supports aerial refuelling and special operations. On the other side of Lakenheath Fen, to the north, is RAF Feltwell, a home for some of the 7,000 active duty personnel and 11,000 family members working across the three bases, although many Americans call the surrounding villages home too. One of the most popular places to stay is the village of Lakenheath, population 10,000, of which just under half are US citizens. A local business ecosystem has developed over the eight decades of the American presence. …