RAF Blakehill Farm

RAF Blakehill Farm

Douglas 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°W / 51.622; -1.888Coordinates: 51°37′19″N 1°53′17″W / 51.622°N 1.888°W / 51.622; -1.888
Map
RAF Blakehill Farm

Location within Wiltshire

Aerial photograph of RAF Blakehill Farm airfield. The technical site and barrack sites are to the right (east) of the airfield, 17 July 1943.

RAF Blakehill Farm was an RAF airfield (base) situated in Wiltshire, England.

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 used by training aircraft before the airfield closed in 1952 and was returned to agricultural use. The site is now a Wiltshire Wildlife Trust nature reserve.

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

Post-war intelligence role

After WWII, GCHQ set up an "experimental radio station", a top secret research facility, on the site of the RAF's wartime airfield at Blakehill Farm. It consisted of huge communications masts arranged in mysterious strategic 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 antenna bases can still be seen on satellite photographs. [2]

See also

References

Notes
  1. ↑ American Museum in Britain - Blakehill Farm
  2. ↑ 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

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