| Royal Air Force Station West Raynham | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1939 – 1994 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Type | Flying station |
| Role | Bomber Command |
| Based near | Fakenham, Norfolk, England |
| Royal Air Force Ensign |  |
| March | Royal Air Force March Past |
| Equipment | Bristol Blenheim Douglas Boston de Havilland Mosquito |
RAF West Raynham was a Royal Air Force station located to the west of the village of West Raynham in Norfolk, England. It opened in the 1930s and closed in the 1990s.
Contents |
Second World War
West Raynham was opened in 1939 just before the beginning of the war. Originally a grass field with 4 C-type hangars, it was provided with two concrete and tarmac runways in 1943. These were 04-22 at 2,000 yards and 10-28 at 1,400 yards. The airfield was provided with 36 pan-type standing in 1941, but this number had been reduced to 23 following the construction of the runways and perimeter track.
The airfield was originally equipped with a Watch Office with Tower (Fort Type), of pattern 207/36 (made from concrete), although the tower was later removed and new Control Room built to pattern 4698/43. Later in the war the station was provided with a "Control Tower for Very Heavy Bomber Stations" to pattern 294/45, one of only four such towers to be built.[1]
The first squadron to operate from there was 101 Squadron, from RAF Bicester equipped with Bristol Blenheim bombers, who arrived in May 1939. Several squadrons spent short periods of time at the station during the early operation of the base.
In 1940, No. 101 Squadron left the base, being replaced by 114 Squadron who had been on loan to RAF Coastal Command at RAF Leuchars . They operated their Blenheim's from West Raynham for just over a year, until they were sent to North Africa.
342 Squadron, manned by French personnel, was formed at West Raynham to fly Douglas Boston aircraft in the spring of 1943 before moving on to RAF Sculthorpe for operations.
In 1943 the station was taken over by 100 Group, who brought two de Havilland Mosquito equipped night fighter squadrons to the station. These squadrons were used to provide bomber support operations in enemy air space. These were Nos. 141 and 239, flying Serrate patrols and Ranger sorties (Seek & Destroy enemy fighters in the air and on the ground) until the end of hostilities.[2]
Losses
Bomber Command operations carried out from RAF West Raynham during the war claimed 86 aircraft: 56 Blenheims, 29 Mosquitos and a Beaufighter.
Postwar
In the mid- to late-1950s RAF West Raynham was Central Fighter Establishment of the Royal Air Force. It still had at least two operational Meteor jet fighters, a squadron of twin tail-boomed Venoms and Vampire trainer jets. The very 'latest' arrival in 1957 was a flight of Gloster Javelins, which also appeared at the Farnborough Airshow the same year.
Its main pilot training squadrons in 1957 were Hawker Hunters - comprising two wings - Red and Yellow.
In 1968 a Hawker Hunter from RAF West Raynham was used by Flight Lieutenant Alan Pollock, a flight commander in No. 1 Squadron RAF, to unofficially mark the 50th Anniversary of the Royal Air Force. This event is commonly referred to as the Hawker Hunter Tower Bridge incident.
In 1963, 1971, 1980, 1981 and 1982 RAF West Raynham was the location of the Royal Observer Corps annual summer training camps for eight weeks when up to 500 observers attended each week for technical training sessions. Other ranks were accommodated in spare barrack blocks and officers in the officers' mess. In 1980 the start of the camps coincided with a no notice station three day Tactical Evaluation (TACEVAL) inspection by RAF Strike Command and much consternation was caused when a wholetime ROC officer arrived at the main gate in a car loaded with radioactive sources needed for an ROC training session. With the arrival obviously not expected by the TACEVAL directing staff the vehicle was placed under armed guard and the ROC officer bundled into the station guardroom where he remained locked up for several hours until the senior ROC officer was located to vouch for him.
The airfield and technical site remained the property of the Ministry of Defence but the site was disused and falling into disrepair. In December 2005 it was announced that the whole site was to be sold at Auction.[3] The site was purchased by a developer in 2006 who resold it in October 2007, as they had been unable to install the necessary infrastructure. The site is currently being developed by Tamarix Investments, which expects to start offering homes in November 2007.[4]
Units
Notable units based at RAF West Raynham included:
- No. 141 Squadron RAF and No. 239 Squadron RAF of 100 Group with the de Havilland Mosquito during World War II.
- No. 85 Squadron of Fighter Command in the early 1960s equipped with the Gloster Javelin Mk 8
- The tripartite Hawker Kestrel training and evaluation unit (the Kestrel was the forerunner to the successful Hawker Siddeley Harrier "Jump Jet").
- All Weather Combat School
- Day Fighter Leaders School
The last units to operate at RAF West Raynham were an RAF Regiment Rapier Short Range Air Defence Missile Unit and 85 Squadron with medium-range Bloodhound surface to air missiles.
References
External links
- RAF West Raynham photos taken in 2006
- Military Base Closures in Rural Areas: Best Practice & Cautionary tales
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