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A F35 Lightning over RAF Marham. The technical site is under the aircraft, with the domestic and staff blocks in the distance.

A Royal Air Force station is an establishment that houses personnel who work within the Royal Air Force to deliver its outputs as per its mission statement. Traditionally recognised for its Air Power contingent, the RAF has many support stations, not all with airfields or runways that can support aircraft. Some radar stations are designated as Remote Radar Heads (RRH) as they are operated from other bases with only a skeleton staff on site. Bases that the RAF have owned and operated can be labelled as airfields, relief landing grounds, satellite stations, support stations, radar bases (or latterly, remote radar heads), training establishments, seaplane bases, and RAF Hospitals.

History

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The inception of the Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918, saw it inherit real estate from the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. Many First World War era airfields in Britain were located on, or very near to racecourses (Beverley, Doncaster, Redcar, and Ripon in Yorkshire alone).[1][2][3][4] By the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the RAF had bases built and retained during the First World War, expansion bases developed throughout the 1930s, relief landing grounds, seaplane bases inherited from the RNAS, municipal airfields commandeered for wartime use (such as RAF Gatwick, RAF Yeadon), and reactivated bases abandoned after the First World War.[5][6]

The expansion programme (or expansion period), refers to the decade of the 1930s when it was recognised that the RAF in its then form (the early 1930s), would be poorly equipped to deal with hostile activity from a resurgent German Luftwaffe.[7] Several programmes of either upgrading, or more importantly, the creation of new aerodromes, were implemented, with the commensurate number of aircraft and personnel to fulfil the expansion programme. By 1935, this had resulted in an increase of £3,089,000 in spending, to a total amount of £20,650,000.[8] At the peak of operations in the Second World War, military airfields in the United Kingdom numbered more than 550, although most were utilised by the RAF, others may have been within the remit of other aviation sections (such as the USAAF, the Fleet Air Arm, and the Army Air Corps), which led to one historical report being named as "Nine Thousand Miles of Concrete" as a way of expressing the distance collectively of the concrete runways.[9][10]

Physical layout

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RAF stations with airfields are classified as flying stations and those which have squadrons not on training as operational. Other sites without aircraft runways or landing areas were considered as non-flying.[11] In the late 20th/early 21st centuries, RAF bases took on the acronym of MOB, FOB etc (Main Operating Base, Forward Operating Base), with operational airfields and main bases being designated at sites such as RAF Coningsby and RAF Marham, with other sites, such as RAF Leeming being deemed as support or training sites.[12]

Operational Airfield

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Airfields and other stations developed mostly ad-hoc until the expansion programme of the 1930s. During the period leading up to, and immediately into the Second World War, a station would follow a similar layout but would be orientated in different ways due to local topography, or would have different building designs due to the nature on training or work undertaken there.[13] Most expansion period stations would be furnished with an "A" type airfield, usually with the longest runway on a west/east axis, as this was mostly the way the prevailing wind blew. An exception to this, for example, would be RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire, which was sandwiched between the Great North Road to the west, Bedale Beck to the north, and the River Swale to the east, so the longest runway here runs north/south.[14]

An "A" Type airfield consisted of three intersecting runways, the longest expected to be 2,000 yards (1,800 m) long, with the other two being at least 1,400 yards (1,300 m) and each nominally with a width of 50 yards (46 m).[15] As most airfields retained after the Second World War were of the "A" Type, this was the usual layout of each station, a notable exception would be RAF Mount Pleasant on East Falkland which was opened in 1985, and consists of two runways, one on a west/east axis, and the other intersecting the main runway at the eastern end on a south-west to north-east axis.[16][17]

A typical expansion era station would have four to five hangars in an arc facing the runways and perimeter tracks, the technical sites behind the hangars, areas for messing, drill and accommodation beyond that, and the station headquarters (SHQ) opposite, or adjacent to, the main entrance.[18][19] The clustered buildings nestled together as designed in the pre-Second World War base was described as being like a "large village".[20]

Other landing grounds

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Broadly speaking, these fall into three categories; satellite landing ground, a relief landing ground, and a scatter airfield (or satellite station). The idea of a relief landing ground (RLG) developed during wartime when aerodromes were necessary for training and the available space to practice landing and taking-off in aircraft became paramount.[21] An RLG did not have the same amount of effort put into it as a standard aircraft operating base, with less attention paid towards the built estate and drainage.[22] This carried on after the war, with the various elementary fly schools needing RLGs, such as RAF Mona for RAF Valley, and RAF Dishforth and RAF Church Fenton for Linton-on-Ouse.[23] After the cessation of flying training at RAF Church Fenton in 1994, it became an RLG for flights from nearby RAF Linton-on-Ouse.[24] It was designated as an Enhanced Relief Landing Ground until the station was closed completely in 2013.

Satellite landing grounds (not to be confused with satellite stations) were sites that were used either for aircraft maintenance or for the storage of airframes. All were on the western side of Britain, away from the range of most enemy aircraft. Typically, the base would have been a large parkland or country estate requisitioned into service and possessed a small complement of hangars.[25]

A satellite station station was a dispersal airfield where aircraft could be flown to and thus, the squadrons assets were spread out and not contained all in one area in case of aerial attack. Initially, the satellite airfield was used this way, but it also became a good way of easing overcrowding on bases. In 1939, upon the outbreak of war, the Wellingtons of No. 115 Squadron were dispersed to the satellite/scatter airfield of RAF Barton Bendish (described by one writer as "rudimentary"), as per the Bomber Command Scatter Plan, hence the name of Scatter Airfield.[26][27]

Support base

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A support base is one where usually, there are no flying operations, though ostensibly, most military bases have helicopter landing areas. Support bases usually provide training, as opposed to RAF Fylingdales, as an example, which has no flying activity but monitors airspace for missile launches and outer space for space junk.

Marine branch

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Main article: Royal Air Force Marine Branch

Others

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Main article: List of RAF hospitals

RAF Hospitals were built to maintain the fighting fitness of RAF personnel; some were located on existing sites (RAF Hospital Halton), or sometimes, they were built on a self-contained site away from RAF bases (RAF Hospital Ely).

Lodger units

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A lodger unit is a military or civil service entity which does not belong to the base it is operating on. A lodger unit on an RAF base would normally be structured through the Base Support Wing (BSW - or equivalent, such as a Base Support Squadron [BSS]).

Organisational layout

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During the Second World War, a typical flying station would be sub-divided into three wings;[28]

  • Flying
  • Technical
  • Administration

This would still be the structure through the second half on the twentieth century and into the 21st century, but the wings would be labelled as

  • Operations squadron
  • Engineering squadron
  • Base support squadron[29]

Naming

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The naming of RAF stations has a chequered and confusing history. Airfields inherited by the RAF at its inception generally retained their previous name. At that time, the UK was home to around 300 aerodromes, most of which were handed back at the end of the war, if not by 1919 or 1920.[30] These generally had a name of somewhere local to that field,[31] although some airfields devoted to training were also known by a depot number, such as RAF Bramham Moor which was Training Depot 38.[32] RAF Brize Norton was named after the nearest railhead (Brize Norton and Bampton) which was on the south side of the airfield. The name of the local town, Carterton, was thought to possibly cause confusion with RAF Cardington, which was at that time, already a base for initial recruits and kitting (No. 2 Recruitment Centre).[33] RAF Glatton was in the village of Conington, which included an area called Honington, so it was named Glatton to avoid confusion with RAF Honington in Suffolk.[34] Mostly, the naming of stations came from the parish of which the station headquarters was located in.[11] Even those with the names from the parish that the base was in were mistitled; RAF Kings Cliffe was sometimes written as RAF Kingscliffe, and it was in the parish of King's Cliffe (which has an apostrophe).[35]

Post Second World War stations have been few, but even they have not always bowed to convention. When RAF Fylingdales was being scoped out, it was originally intended to be located in the parish of Fylingdales in North Yorkshire. However the geology of its original location was unsound, and it was relocated to an area atop a rise known as Snod Hill. Rather than name it RAF Snod Hill, the decision was taken to retain the original name.

Some stations had to change their names because of confusion with other sites. Below is a small section and details covering why their names were changed.

Original station name Second name Reason Ref
RAF Bobbington RAF Halfpenny Green Possibly because USAAF crews were confusing Bobbington with RAF Bovingdon [34]
RAF Butley RAF Bentwaters Renamed after farmhouse near to runway. Renamed for reasons of clarity, but not why it needed clarifying [36]
RAF Church Stanton RAF Culmhead To avoid confusion with RAF Church Fenton [37]
RAF Hartford Bridge RAF Blackbushe Confusion arose due to RAF Wyton being near to a settlement called Hartford [38]
RAF Hatfield Woodhouse RAF Lindholme To avoid confusion with Hatfield Aerodrome in Hertfordshire [39]
RAF Shotwick RAF Sealand To avoid confusion with RAF Scopwick. Scopwick itself was also renamed RAF Digby. [40]

Some RAF Stations were named after geographical features (RAF Akeman Street, RAF Hells Mouth, RAF Needs Oar Point, RAF Rattray, and RAF Shepherds Grove being some examples).[41] The stations at Rhosneigr and Heneglwys became RAF Valley and RAF Mona respectively. This was believed to be the difficulty in non-Welsh speakers being able to pronounce their names correctly.[42] Other stations were known by different names, even in official records. A memorandum issued in 1916 stated that the base at Bramham Moor was to be known as RFC Bramham Moor, then in April 1918, it was changed to RAF Tadcaster, but the name of Bramham Moor persisted, even in official documents.[43]

Socio-economic effects

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RAF bases have been noted as having an affect on the area in which they are situated; this can be positive or negative, or even just on the fabric of that area. One of the most populous places within Scotland which is a permanent residence to English people is the Kinloss area, which of the rural areas surveyed had the highest percentage of non-Scottish born residents at 47.54% in 2001.[44] The location of nearby RAF Kinloss, and the adjacent RAF Lossiemouth, was said to have contributed £150 million to the local economy annually, and also supported over 5,700 local jobs.[45] RAF Kinloss closed down in 2012 (as well as RAF Leuchars in Fife which closed in 2014), leaving RAF Lossiemouth as the only flying base operating in Scotland.[46][47] The closure of Leuchars was predicted to have a similar effect on the local economy, but one writer noted that the locals campaigned to keep the RAF base pointing out that many service personnel on leaving the RAF, settle in the local area and form friendships within the area.[48]

The siting of service families and their housing within a local area also has an effect. Children of service personnel generally attend local schools, and the school receives money for each child, which boosts the financial intake of the school.[49][50] Upon the notification of the closure of RAF Cottesmore in 2009 (the base closed in 2012),[51] it was noted that some local schools had a surplus of places, so with the possible withdrawal of the pupils and the lack of financial input, some of the local education establishments may suffer.[52] The report into the closure of Cottesmore also stated that with the proximity of RAF Wittering, many RAF families bought private housing in the area to enable them to switch between bases. Although RAF Cottesmore became a British Army establishment (Kendrew Barracks), it was conjectured that as there were no other major British Army sites nearby that the army buy-in to the local community would be significantly smaller than that previously felt under the RAF.[53][54]

Bases can also have an effect on the civilian labour force within the area in which they are located; in 1961, the RAF base at St Athan was rated as being the sixth highest employer of the civilian labour force within the Vale of Glamorgan.[note 1][55]

Re-use

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After the Second World War, many bases were abandoned or sold off. Some airfields became municipal airports as during the war, very little civilian flying was authorised.[56] Of the major airports in the United Kingdom, most, if not all, were RAF bases re-used and redeveloped for civil aviation.

Civilian airports in the United Kingdom with a military history[57]
Airport Pre WWII ? Name during RAF Occupancy Post WWII use Ref
London Heathrow Largest airport in Britain in terms of passenger numbers
London Gatwick
Manchester
London Stansted
London Luton
Edinburgh
Birmingham
Bristol
Glasgow
Belfast International
Newcastle
Liverpool RAF Speke
Leeds/Bradford Yes RAF Yeadon Yes
East Midlands
Aberdeen
Belfast City
Jersey
Bournemouth
Cardiff

Some bases have remained open, a few new ones have opened on new sites since the end of the Second World War (RAF Fylingdales, RAF Mount Pleasant, and RAF Spadeadam), but most have either been returned to agriculture or industrial use. Some have been turned into windfarms (RAF Lissett), and several have become motor racing tracks or have some association with vehicles (Croft, Silverstone, Hethel, Snetterton Heath, Castle Combe, Thruxton), and some have become prisons.[58]

Notes

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  1. ^ The list of employment areas in the Vale of Glamorgan was agriculture and forestry, quarrying, cement works, the building industry, local government, and RAF St Athan.

References

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  1. ^ Delve, Ken (2005). The Military Airfields of Britain: Southern Britian. Marlborough: Crowood. p. 108. ISBN 1861267290.
  2. ^ Delve 2006, pp. 104, 302.
  3. ^ Smith 1989a, p. 9.
  4. ^ Congdon, Philip (1987). Per ardua ad astra: a handbook of the Royal Air Force. Shrewsbury: Airlife. p. 5. ISBN 0906393892.
  5. ^ Delve, Ken (2005). The Military Airfields of Britain: Southern Britain. Marlborough: Crowood. p. 107. ISBN 1861267290.
  6. ^ Philpott 2008, p. 253.
  7. ^ Armitage, Michael John (1999). The Royal Air Force (2 ed.). London: Cassell. p. 67. ISBN 0304353124.
  8. ^ "Air Estimates". The Times. No. 47005. 6 March 1935. p. 8. ISSN 0140-0460.
  9. ^ March, Peter R. (1998) [1992]. UK military airfields (2 ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 4. ISBN 0-7110-2564-9.
  10. ^ Francis, Flagg & Crisp 2016, p. 1.
  11. ^ a b Finn, C. J., ed. (2004). A brief history of the Royal Air Force AP 3003. London: HMSO. p. 376. OCLC 883181451.
  12. ^ "Changes to aircraft support". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  13. ^ Congdon, Philip (1987). Per ardua ad astra : a handbook of the Royal Air Force. Shrewsbury: Airlife. p. 7. ISBN 0906393892.
  14. ^ McLelland, Tim (2012). Action Stations Revisited volume 6; Northern England and the Isle of Man. Manchester: Crécy Publishing. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-859791-12-0.
  15. ^ Halpenny 1991, p. 10.
  16. ^ "EGYP : RAF Mount Pleasant". airportnavfinder.com. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  17. ^ Laming, Tim (1994). The Royal Air Force manual: the aircraft, equipment and organization of the RAF. London: Arms and Armour. p. 123. ISBN 1854091905.
  18. ^ Philpott 2008, p. 263.
  19. ^ Bowyer 1990, p. 40.
  20. ^ Goulty, James (2020). Eyewitness RAF The Experience of War, 1939–1945. Barnsley: Pen & Sword. p. 160. ISBN 9781526752406.
  21. ^ Smith 1989a, p. 37.
  22. ^ Francis, Flagg & Crisp 2016, p. 9.
  23. ^ Jackson, Paul (1995). Royal Air Force. Shepperton: Ian Allan. pp. 14–15. ISBN 0-7110-2338-7.
  24. ^ Marriott 1997, p. 158.
  25. ^ Francis, Flagg & Crisp 2016, p. 12.
  26. ^ Bowman, Martin W. (2010). "1: Battle of the Bight". Bombs away! Dramatic first-hand accounts of British and Commonwealth bomber aircrew in WWII. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Aviation. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-84884-187-1.
  27. ^ Bowyer, Michael (1979). Action stations 1: wartime military airfields of East Anglia. Cambridge, Eng: P. Stephens. p. 149. ISBN 0850593352.
  28. ^ Bowyer, Chaz (1984). Royal Air Force handbook, 1939-1945. London: Ian Allan. p. 9. ISBN 0711013187.
  29. ^ "Security upgrades to Boscombe Down military base approved". BBC News. 31 January 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  30. ^ Smith 1989a, p. 10.
  31. ^ Halpenny 1991, p. 25.
  32. ^ Robertson, Bruce (1978). The RAF: a pictorial history. London: Hale. p. 15. ISBN 0709166079.
  33. ^ Bowyer 1990, pp. 84, 99.
  34. ^ a b Smith 1989a, p. 54.
  35. ^ Francis, Flagg & Crisp 2016, p. 30.
  36. ^ Bowyer, Michael J. F. (2000). Action stations revisited : the complete history of Britain's military airfields. Manchester: Crécy. p. 67. ISBN 0947554793.
  37. ^ Jefford 2001, p. 131.
  38. ^ Lee, David (2005). Action stations revisited: the complete history of Britain's military airfields. No. 3, South East England. Manchester: Crécy. p. 52. ISBN 0859791106.
  39. ^ Halpenny, Bruce Barrymore (1982). Military airfields of Yorkshire. Cambridge, England: Stephens. p. 119. ISBN 0-85059-532-0.
  40. ^ Halpenny 1991, pp. 25, 82.
  41. ^ Smith, David John (1989). Action stations 7: Military airfields of Scotland, the North-East and Northern Ireland (2 ed.). Cambridge: Stephens. p. 177. ISBN 1852603097.
  42. ^ Smith, 1989a & p-54.
  43. ^ *Taylor, David (2006). RFC Bramham Moor, RAF Tadcaster: an insight. York: GMS Enterprises. pp. 15–16. ISBN 1-904514-32-4.
  44. ^ Watson, Murray (2003). Being English in Scotland. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 31. ISBN 0-7486-1859-7.
  45. ^ "Moray RAF bases 'support thousands and worth millions'". BBC News. 16 August 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  46. ^ "RAF Kinloss closure date confirmed". BBC News. 11 July 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  47. ^ "Typhoons leave RAF Leuchars for Lossiemouth base". BBC News. 19 June 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  48. ^ Gilchrist, Kevin (3 August 2011). "The closure of RAF Leuchars is a body blow to our community". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  49. ^ "Service Pupil Premium: what you need to know". GOV.UK. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  50. ^ "Service Pupil Premium | SPP FAQs for RAF families < RAF Families Federation". raf-ff.org.uk. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  51. ^ "RAF flag taken down at Cottesmore for final time". BBC News. 1 April 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  52. ^ "Economic impact of closing RAF Cottesmore" (PDF). rutlandcounty.moderngov.co.uk. April 2010. p. 3. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  53. ^ "Economic impact of closing RAF Cottesmore" (PDF). rutlandcounty.moderngov.co.uk. April 2010. p. 34. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  54. ^ "Army bases get £180m investment in Rutland". BBC News. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  55. ^ Loudon, J. B. (December 1961). "Kinship and crisis in South Wales". The British Journal of Sociology. 12 (4). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul: 334. ISSN 0007-1315. OCLC 299660307.
  56. ^ Francis, Flagg & Crisp 2016, p. 4.
  57. ^ "List of Top 20 Airports in UK". world-airport-codes.com. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  58. ^ Francis, Flagg & Crisp 2016, p. 24.

Sources

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  • Bowyer, Michael J. F. (1990). Action stations 6: Military Airfields of the Cotswolds and Central Midlands (2 ed.). Wellingborough: Stephens. ISBN 1-85260-372-0.
  • Delve, Ken (2006). Northern England : Co. Durham, Cumbria, Isle of Man, Lancashire, Merseyside, Manchester, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Yorkshire. Ramsbury: Crowood. ISBN 1-86126-809-2.
  • Francis, Paul; Flagg, Richard; Crisp, Graham (2016). "Nine Thousand Miles of Concrete: A Review of Second World War Temporary Airfields in England". Historic England Research Reports. Swindon: Historic England. doi:10.5284/1058096.
  • Halpenny, Bruce Barrymore (1991). Action stations (2 ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens. ISBN 1-85260-405-0.
  • Jefford, C. G. (2001). RAF squadrons : a comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912 (2 ed.). Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
  • Marriott, Leo (1997). British military airfields: then & now. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 65. ISBN 0-7110-2515-0.
  • Philpott, I. M. (2008). The Royal Air Force 1930 to 1939; an encyclopedia of the inter-war years volume II re-armament. Barnsley: Pen & Sword. ISBN 978-1-84415-391-6.
  • Smith, David John (1989a). Britain's military airfields, 1939 - 45. Wellingborough: Patrick Stephens. ISBN 1-85260-038-1.
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