RNAS Culdrose construction photos from 1940s unearthed

The flagstaff and first buildings at RNAS Culdrose before the base was completed in 1947

Photographs of people who helped build Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose more than 70 years ago have been found.

Lloyd Sluman unearthed them among papers belonging to his parents, who lived near the base on the Lizard Peninsula in west Cornwall.

Work on the base began in 1944 and was completed within three years.

The small images, which measure just two by two inches (five centimetres), show people clearing the land and building the first aircraft hangars.

A steamroller used in the construction of the base

Workers during the construction of RNAS Culdrose

The process of constructing RNAS Culdrose involved rerouting a main road connecting Helston and Lizard.

The pictures, which have now been donated to RNAS Culdrose, also show "light-hearted moments and candid images of the staff at work", the base said.

The photographs are just two by two inches (five cm)

Mr Sluman, who lives near Liskeard, explained his family had strong links to the area, as his mother grew up on a nearby farm.

Phyllis Miners, worked for construction company John Laing and Son Ltd, one of the main contractors responsible for building the base.

Lloyd Sluman's mother, Phyllis Miners, worked for a construction company who helped build the base and took some of the photographs

He believes his mother took some of the photographs herself, as she stored them in an album which she would look through "every so often".

"I remember her saying that she put in the order for the fir trees that now stand by the entrance to Culdrose."

A signpost before the road was rerouted also showing the Laing site office during construction of RNAS Culdrose

A bulldozer in use during the construction of the base

Construction of a hangar at RNAS Culdrose

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].

All images copyrighted.