Ludham (population 1301) is a village in Norfolk, England, in The Broads, at the end of a dyke leading to Womack Water and flowing into the River Thurne. It lies to the east of Ludham Bridge on the River Ant.

It is part of the Ludham - Potter Heigham NNR, a National Nature Reserve.

The village gave its name to a Ham class minesweeper, HMS Ludham.

RAF Ludham

Ludham was transferred from No. 12 Group RAF to the Admiralty on 24 August 1944 and occupied by the Mobile Naval Airfields Organisation. RNAS Ludham was commissioned as HMS Flycatcher, RNAS Ludham on 4 September under the command of the Senior Officer Mobile Naval Airfields Organisation. At Ludham the MNAO assembled and despatched the first five Mobile Naval Air Bases (MONAB) and one "Transportable Aircraft Maintenance Yard" (TAMY). Flycatcher moved from Ludham to RAF Middle Wallop which was more advantageous to shipping the assembled units to the Far East. In return the RAF took Ludham on again.

Film Location

Ludham was one of the film locations for the 1954 movie "Conflict of Wings" starring John Gregson and Muriel Pavlow. Adapted from the novel by Don Sharp, the story takes place in a Norfolk country village where the locals decide to fight against a proposal to build a rocket range on a bird sanctuary.

Filming took place in the village centre and shows many buildings and features (like the Bakers Arms pub and the very narrow main road through the village) which are no longer there.

A photograph showing filming and more information about Ludham can be accessed at the Ludham Community Archive website http://www.ludhamarchive.org.uk/nita.htm

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