RAF Blakehill Farm
RAF Blakehill Farm | |
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Dakotas of No. 233 Squadron RAF lined up on the perimeter track at RAF Blakehill Farm, for an exercise with the 6th Airborne Division, 20 April 1944 | |
| IATA: none – ICAO: none | |
| Summary | |
| Airport type | Military |
| Location | Cricklade, Wiltshire |
| In use | 1944–1952 |
| Occupants | Royal Air Force |
| Coordinates | 51°37′19″N 1°53′17″W / 51.622°N 1.888°WCoordinates: 51°37′19″N 1°53′17″W / 51.622°N 1.888°W |
| Map | |
  RAF Blakehill Farm Location within Wiltshire | |
RAF Blakehill Farm was an RAF airfield southwest of Cricklade in Wiltshire, England, operational between 1944 and 1952.
History
The station was originally allocated to the United States Army Air Forces Ninth Air Force but not used.[1] It opened in 1944 and was home for transport aircraft of No. 46 Group Transport Command. In 1948 the airfield was a satellite of RAF South Cerney, and was used by training aircraft until the airfield closed in 1952 and was returned to agricultural use. The site is now a Wiltshire Wildlife Trust nature reserve.[2]
Units and aircraft
| Unit | Dates | Aircraft | Variant | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 233 Squadron RAF | 1944-1945 | Douglas Dakota | ||
| No. 271 Squadron RAF | 1944-1945 | Douglas Dakota | Detachment from RAF Down Ampney | |
| No. 437 Squadron RCAF | 1944-1945 | Douglas Dakota | ||
| No. 575 Squadron RAF | 1945-1946 | Douglas Dakota | ||
| No.22 Heavy Glider Conversion Unit RAF |
1945 | Waco Hadrian |
The following units were here at some point:[3]
- No. 2 Flying Training School RAF
- No. 18 Terminal Staging Post
- No. 19 Terminal Staging Post
- No. 92 (Forward) Staging Post
- No. 93 (Forward) Staging Post
- No. 109 (Transport) OTU RAF
- No. 123 (Major) Staging Post
- No. 1528 (Radio Aids Training) Flight RAF
- No. 1555 (Radio Aids Training) Flight RAF
- No. 2748 Squadron RAF Regiment
- No. 2835 Squadron RAF Regiment
Post-war intelligence role
After the Second World War, GCHQ set up an "experimental radio station", a top secret research facility, on the site. It consisted of huge communications masts arranged in mysterious patterns in the middle of the old airfield. The site was still active in some capacity until the mid-1990s and traces of the former aerial mast bases can still be seen on satellite photographs. [4]
See also
References
- Notes
- ↑ American Museum in Britain - Blakehill Farm
- ↑ "Blakehill Farm including Stoke Common Meadow, Cricklade". Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ↑ "Blakehill Farm (Cricklade)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- ↑ http://www.gearthhacks.com/dlfile27075/GCHQ-Blakehill-Farm.htm
- Bibliography
- Jefford, Wing Commander C.G., MBE, BA, RAF (Retd) (1988). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
- Sturtivant, Ray, ISO and John Hamlin (2007). RAF Flying Training And Support Units since 1912. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-365-X.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Blakehill Farm. |
- "RAF Blakehill: Cricklade airfield which played a crucial role in D-Day". SwindonWeb. 2013.
- Dyer, Steve (2010). "Control towers: RAF Blakehill Farm airfield". controltowers.co.uk.
- "Blakehill Farm Reserve". Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. 2013.