Raf Colerne |
| Hob Uid: 1392369 | |
Location :
South Gloucestershire, Wiltshire
Marshfield, Colerne
|
| Grid Ref : ST8030071500 |
| Summary : A military airfield, opened in 1940, and operational before its building programme was actually completed. Initially the airfield had a grass runway but this was replaced by three hard runways late in 1940. Construction of site buildings and facilities continued into late 1941. Originally the site was conceived as a Aircraft Storage Unit / Maintenance Unit base but because of the desperate situation in 1940 it was also used as a fighter base during the Battle of Britain. During the Battle, it formed part of 10 Group Royal Air Force Fighter Command and was used as a satellite and relief airfield for Middle Wallop, with units using the airfield on an ad hoc basis each day. The wartime base was used by a large number of Squadrons, including British, Canadian and Polish units. Post war the base was used to store surplus aircraft and mainly by transport and communications units. There was a hiatus in flying from 1976-1993 when the base was redesignated as Azimghur Barracks for the army. In 1989 a Ministry of Defence satellite system was built at the airfield. In 1993 RAF flying resumed at a reduced level. Colerne also houses a collection of historic aircraft. A number of the wartime buildings had survived until their demolition in 2002. After this only three type L hangars remained in 2003. |
More information : Colerne Aerodrome/ RAF Colerne. ST 814 722. Opened in 1940, and operational before its building programme was actually completed. Initially the airfield had a grass runway but this was replaced by three hard runways late in 1940. Construction of site buildings and facilities continued into late 1941. Originally the site was conceived as a Aircraft Storage Unit / Maintenance Unit base but because of the desperate situation in 1940 was also used as a fighter base. The wartime base was used by a large number of Squadrons, including British, Canadian and Polish units. Priddle recounts the actions of each squadron in detail, the list of units is too long to be given here. Post war the base was used to store surplus aircraft and mainly by transport and communications units. There was a hiatus in flying from 1976-1993 when the base was redesignated as Azimghur Barracks. In 1989 a Ministry of Defence satellite system was built at the airfield. In 1993 RAF flying resumed at a reduced level. Colerne now also houses a collection of historic aircraft, which is also listed in detail by Priddle. A number of the wartime buildings had survived until their demolition in 2002. Now only three type "L" hangars survive. (1)
Colerne airfield: ST 803 715. An additional reference providing a briefer synopsis of the use of Colerne airfield. (2)
Colerne airfield: ST 803 715. The Willis and Holliss gazeteer gives a statistical "snapshot" of the base as it appeared in 1944. (3)
During the Battle, RAF Colerne formed part of 10 Group Royal Air Force Fighter Command. It was used as a satellite and relief airfield for Middle Wallop, with units using the airfield on an ad hoc basis each day. (4) |