RAF Swanton Morley
Encyclopedia
The former Royal Air Force Station Swanton Morley, more commonly known as RAF Swanton Morley, was a Royal Air Force Station in Norfolk
, England
, located near to the village of Swanton Morley
. The site is now occupied by the British Army
, and is now known as Robertson Barracks in honour of Field Marshal Sir William Robertson, the first Field Marshal to rise from the rank of private and who was the Chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1916 to 1918.
the station was home to the Bomber Support Development Unit (BSDU) of No. 100 Group RAF
. On July 4, 1942, American and British airmen took off from this station as part of the first combined bombing raid of World War Two. Both Winston Churchill and General Eisenhower were at RAF Swanton Morley for this mission, which saw six crews from 15th Bombardment Squadron fly a raid with six crews from the RAF, using Boston aircraft belonging to the RAF's No. 226 Squadron.
After World War II the station was home to No 1 Air Signaller's School and later to the Central Servicing Development Establishment (CSDE) and the Maintenance Analysis and Computing Establishment (MACE).
From June 1953 to 1995 the station was also used by 611 Volunteer Gliding School, when the station was listed for closure under Options For Change. The station held popular airshow
s during the 1980's.
The station closed in 1995 and converted to an Army base. It is currently home to the Light Dragoons.
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, located near to the village of Swanton Morley
Swanton Morley
Swanton Morley is a picturesque village situated in the heart of Norfolk. It is a village steeped in history documented back to the Domesday Book...
. The site is now occupied by the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, and is now known as Robertson Barracks in honour of Field Marshal Sir William Robertson, the first Field Marshal to rise from the rank of private and who was the Chief of the Imperial General Staff in 1916 to 1918.
History
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the station was home to the Bomber Support Development Unit (BSDU) of No. 100 Group RAF
No. 100 Group RAF
No. 100 Group was a special duties group within RAF Bomber Command.It was formed on 11 November 1943 to consolidate the increasingly complex business of electronic warfare and countermeasures within one organisation. The group was responsible for the development, operational trial and use of...
. On July 4, 1942, American and British airmen took off from this station as part of the first combined bombing raid of World War Two. Both Winston Churchill and General Eisenhower were at RAF Swanton Morley for this mission, which saw six crews from 15th Bombardment Squadron fly a raid with six crews from the RAF, using Boston aircraft belonging to the RAF's No. 226 Squadron.
After World War II the station was home to No 1 Air Signaller's School and later to the Central Servicing Development Establishment (CSDE) and the Maintenance Analysis and Computing Establishment (MACE).
From June 1953 to 1995 the station was also used by 611 Volunteer Gliding School, when the station was listed for closure under Options For Change. The station held popular airshow
Airshow
An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....
s during the 1980's.
The station closed in 1995 and converted to an Army base. It is currently home to the Light Dragoons.
Facilities
The station was equipped with a grass surface airfield with three main runways, a perimeter track with 31 loop hardstandings, four T-type hangars, four blister hangars and one J-type hangar. The station was also equipped with a Watch Office with Met. Section, utility buildings and barracks for a total staff of 1,968 males and 390 females.Squadrons
- No. 105 Squadron RAFNo. 105 Squadron RAFNo. 105 Squadron was a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force, active for three periods between 1917 and 1969. It was originally established during the First World War as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps and disbanded after the war. Reactivated shortly before the Second World War, it was...
Blenheims, Mosquito - No. 88 Squadron RAFNo. 88 Squadron RAFNo 88 Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force formed at Gosport, Hampshire in July 1917.-Involvement in World War I:The squadron was moved to France in April 1918 where it undertook fighter-reconnaissance duties...
- No. 152 Squadron RAFNo. 152 Squadron RAFNo. 152 Squadron of the Royal Air Force .-History:No 152 Squadron was formed on 1 October 1918 at Rochford as a Camel night fighter unit. 30 June 1919, the squadron disbanded....
- No. 226 Squadron RAFNo. 226 Squadron RAFFirst formed on 1 April 1918 at Pizzone, Italy, by re-designating the Bombing School Pizzone, No. 226 Squadron RAF operated fast bombers and fighter aircraft and formed No. 472, 473 and 474 Flights within it in September 1918...
- 15th Bomb Squadron (US Eighth Air ForceEighth Air ForceThe Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
)
- No. 1482 Flight RAF (Bombing and Gunnery Flight
- No. 1508 Flight RAF Blind Approach Training Flight
See also
- Royal Air Force station
- List of RAF stations
- List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons