RAF Bircham Newton

RAF Bircham Newton
Near Bircham Newton, Norfolk in England
RAF Bircham Newton Shown within Norfolk
Coordinates	52°52′37″N 000°39′09″E / 52.87694°N 0.65250°ECoordinates: 52°52′37″N 000°39′09″E / 52.87694°N 0.65250°E
Type	Royal Air Force station
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	Royal Air Force
Site history
Built	1917, 1938
In use	1918-1966
Airfield information
Elevation	70 metres (230 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 00/00  Asphalt 00/00  Asphalt 00/00  Asphalt

Royal Air Force Bircham Newton or more simply RAF Bircham Newton is a former Royal Air Force station located 2.1 miles (3.4 km) south east of Docking, Norfolk and 13.4 miles (21.6 km) north east of King's Lynn, Norfolk, England.

History

The site was first used during the First World War and received the largest British bomber of the time, the Handley Page V/1500. They would have carried out bombing missions against Berlin but the Armistice was arranged before any missions were actually flown.^[1]

The airfield was equipped with one aircraft repair shed and three double bay general service sheds, although these had been demolished by 1937. It had two Belfast hangars, three C Type hangars, three Bellman hangars and ten Blister hangars.^[2]

It operated through the Second World War as part of No. 16 Group RAF as part of Coastal Command.^[3]

No. 206 Squadron RAF was one of the squadrons being based there, on maritime patrol duties.^[4] Two satellite airfields, RAF Docking^[5] and RAF Langham were opened to accommodate units.^[6]

In 1965 the airfield was used for evaluation trials of the Hawker Siddeley Kestrel V/STOL aircraft.^[7]

Squadrons

• No. 7 Squadron RAF 1923–1927 Vickers Vimy, Vickers Virginia.^[8]
• No. 11 Squadron RAF 1923–1924 de Havilland DH.9A, Fairey Fawn.^[9]
• No. 18 Squadron RAF 1936 Hawker Hart, Hawker Hind.^[10]
• No. 21 Squadron RAF 1935–1936 Hawker Hind.^[11]
• No. 34 Squadron RAF 1935–1936 Hawker Hind.^[12]
• No. 35 Squadron RAF 1929–1935 Fairey IIIF, Fairey Gordon.^[13]
• No. 39 Squadron RAF 1928 de Havilland DH.9A.^[14]
• No. 42 Squadron RAF 1939–1940 Vickers Vildebeest.^[15]
• No. 49 Squadron RAF 1936 Hawker Hind.^[16]
• No. 53 Squadron RAF 1941 Lockheed Hudson.^[17]
• No. 60 Squadron RAF 1920 cadre for disbandment.^[18]
• No. 90 Squadron RAF 1928 Bristol Blenheim.^[19]
• No. 99 Squadron RAF 1924–1928 Aldershot, Vickers Vimy, Handley Page Hyderabad.^[20]
• No. 101 Squadron RAF 1928–1929 Boulton Paul Sidestrand, de Havilland DH.9.^[21]
• No. 119 Squadron RAF 1945 Fairey Swordfish.^[22]
• No. 166 Squadron RAF 1918–1919 Handley Page V/1500.^[1]
• No. 167 Squadron RAF 1918–1919 Handley Page V/1500.^[1]
• No. 200 Squadron RAF 1941 Lockheed Hudson.^[23]
• No. 206 Squadron RAF 1926–1941 Avro Anson, Lockheed Hudson.^[4]
• No. 207 Squadron RAF 1920–1922 de Havilland DH.9A and 1929–1935 Fairey IIIF, Gordon.^[4]
• No. 220 Squadron RAF 1936–1939 Avro Anson.^[24]
• No. 221 Squadron RAF 1940–1941 Vickers Wellington.^[24]
• No. 229 Squadron RAF 1940 detachment Hawker Hurricane.^[25]
• No. 233 Squadron RAF 1944 Lockheed Hudson.^[26]
• No. 235 Squadron RAF 1940–1941 Bristol Blenheim.^[26]
• No. 248 Squadron RAF 1941 Bristol Blenheim.^[27]
• No. 252 Squadron RAF 1940 re-formed and moved to RAF Chivenor to operate the Bristol Blenheim.^[27]
• No. 254 Squadron RAF 1940 Bristol Blenheim.^[28]
• No. 269 Squadron RAF 1936 Avro Anson.^[29]
• No. 274 Squadron RAF 1919–1920 Handley Page V/1500.^[30]
• No. 279 Squadron RAF 1941–1944 Lockheed Hudson.^[31]
• No. 280 Squadron RAF 1942–1943 Avro Anson.^[31]
• No. 320 Squadron RAF 1942 Lockheed Hudson.^[32]
• No. 407 Squadron RCAF 1942 Lockheed Hudson.^[33]
• No. 415 Squadron RCAF 1943–1944 Vickers Wellington.^[34]
• No. 500 Squadron RAF 1941–1942 Bristol Blenheim, Lockheed Hudson.^[35]
• No. 502 Squadron RAF 1942 Armstrong Whitworth Whitley.^[36]
• No. 521 Squadron RAF 1942–1943 various types.^[37]
• No. 524 Squadron RAF 1944–1945 Vickers Wellington.^[37]
• No. 598 Squadron RAF 1945 various types.^[38]
• No. 695 Squadron RAF 1943–1945 various types.^[39]

Units

• No. 1 AACU 'B' Flight.^[40]
• No. 1 AACU 'C' Flight.^[40]
• No. 1 AACU 'D' Flight.^[40]
• No. 1 AACU 'K' Flight.^[40]
• No. 1 AACU 'M' Flight.^[40]
• No. 2 APC.^[40]
• No. 2 General Reconnaissance Unit.^[40]
• No. 3 Fighting School.^[40]
• No. 3 School of Aerial Fighting & Gunnery.^[40]
• No. 5 Communications Squadron.^[40]
• No. 6 Communications Squadron.^[40]
• No. 7 AACU.^[40]
• No. 7 Comms Sqn.^[40]
• No. 8 Comms Sqn.^[40]
• No. 18 (RCAF) ACHU.^[40]
• No. 27 ACHU.^[40]
• No. 54 MU.^[40]
• No. 157 (General Reconnaissance) Wing.^[40]
• No. 401 Met Flight.^[40]
• No. 403 Met Flight.^[40]
• 811 Naval Air Squadron.^[40]
• 812 Naval Air Squadron.^[40]
• 815 Naval Air Squadron.^[40]
• 816 Naval Air Squadron.^[40]
• 819 Naval Air Squadron.^[40]
• 826 Naval Air Squadron.^[40]
• 855 Naval Air Squadron.^[40]
• No. 1401 Met Flight.^[40]
• No. 1403 Met Flight.^[40]
• No. 1525 BAT Flight.^[40]
• No. 1555 RAT Flight.^[40]
• No. 1559 RAT Flight.^[40]
• No. 1611 (AAC) Flight.^[40]
• No. 1612 (AAC) Flight.^[40]
• No. 1626 (AAC) Flight.^[40]
• Air Crew Allocation Centre.^[40]
• Air Sea Rescue Training Unit.^[40]
• Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit.^[40]
• Coastal Command Preparation Pool.^[40]
• Officers Advanced Training School.^[40]
• Transport Command Initial Conversion Unit.^[40]
• Warwick Training Unit.^[40]

Current use

After closure as an operational airfield in 1966, the airfield became the home of the Construction Industry Training Board. The runways have gone, but the majority of buildings on the site, including some hangars and the control tower, remain in use by the CITB.^[41]The control tower was demolished in 2010 due to its poor condition.^[2]

Constructionarium is also based within the estate, providing a week's practical learning opportunity for undergraduates.^[42]

See also

• List of Norfolk airfields
• List of former Royal Air Force stations
• List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons

References

Citations

1. Jefford 1988, p. 64.
2. "RAF Bircham Newton airfield". Control Towers. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
3. "RAF Bircham Newton". Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
4. Jefford 1988, p. 69.
5. Bowyer 1979, p. 61.
6. Bowyer 1979, p. 139.
7. Bowyer 1979, p. 68.
8. Jefford 1988, p. 26.
9. Jefford 1988, p. 27.
10. Jefford 1988, p. 30.
11. Jefford 1988, p. 31.
12. Jefford 1988, p. 36.
13. Jefford 1988, p. 37.
14. Jefford 1988, p. 38.
15. Jefford 1988, p. 39.
16. Jefford 1988, p. 41.
17. Jefford 1988, p. 42.
18. Jefford 1988, p. 44.
19. Jefford 1988, p. 51.
20. Jefford 1988, p. 53.
21. Jefford 1988, p. 54.
22. Jefford 1988, p. 57.
23. Jefford 1988, p. 67.
24. Jefford 1988, p. 72.
25. Jefford 1988, p. 74.
26. Jefford 1988, p. 75.
27. Jefford 1988, p. 78.
28. Jefford 1988, p. 79.
29. Jefford 1988, p. 81.
30. Jefford 1988, p. 82.
31. Jefford 1988, p. 83.
32. Jefford 1988, p. 86.
33. Jefford 1988, p. 89.
34. Jefford 1988, p. 90.
35. Jefford 1988, p. 94.
36. Jefford 1988, p. 95.
37. Jefford 1988, p. 96.
38. Jefford 1988, p. 98.
39. Jefford 1988, p. 105.
40. "Bircham Newton". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
41. Airfield Archeology - Bircham Newton
42. "Where is it held". Constructionarium. Retrieved 1 February 2014.

Bibliography

• Bowyer, M J.F. (1979). Action Stations: Vol 1. Wartime military airfields of East Anglia 1939-1945. Cambridge: Patrick Stephens Limited. ISBN 0-85059-335-2.
• Jefford MBE, Wg Cdr C G (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.

External links

• RAF Bircham Newton Memorial Project
• Wartime Memory Projects - Bricham Newton
• Interwar photographs of Bircham Newton
• Royal Air Force Administrative Apprentice Association Royal Air Force Bircham Newton