RAF Uxbridge
Encyclopedia
RAF Uxbridge was a Royal Air Force
(RAF) station in Uxbridge
within the London Borough of Hillingdon
. Its grounds covered 44.6 hectares (110.2 acre) originally belonging to the Hillingdon House
estate, which was purchased by the British Government in 1915, three years before the founding of the RAF. Until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the station was open to the public, and a public footpath ran across the site until 1988; it reopened in 2011.
The station is best known as the headquarters of No. 11 Group RAF
commanded by Air Vice Marshal Sir Keith Park
during the Battle of Britain
, when it was responsible for the defence of the main area of combat around London and the South-East of England. Hillingdon House served as the group's headquarters. An underground bunker, subsequently known as the Battle of Britain Bunker
, was built nearby to handle the control of fighter squadrons, primarily from the 11 Group Operations Room. The base was responsible for controlling the evacuation of Dunkirk in May 1940 (Operation Dynamo
) and the D-Day landings during the latter stages of the Second World War (Operation Overlord
). It was also the location where Prime Minister Winston Churchill
first made his comment "Never was so much owed by so many to so few
", which he later repeated in a speech to Parliament.
Uxbridge closed on 31 March 2010 as part of a reduction in the number of Ministry of Defence properties in the Greater London
area. Many of its remaining military units were relocated to the nearby station RAF Northolt
the next day. Plans for redevelopment, consisting of a mixture of residential and commercial property allowing for the retention of all listed buildings, were approved in January 2011. A small enclave of the station incorporating the Battle of Britain Bunker will retain the RAF Uxbridge name.
The River Pinn
runs through the site from north to south, passing Hillingdon House and the Operations Room and through the wooded land within RAF Uxbridge. The land around the river is designated as greenbelt, and Hillingdon Golf Course borders the south of the station.
, a German-born general serving under William of Orange (later King William III
) who had been knighted for his part in the 1690 Battle of the Boyne
. He had the house built as a hunting lodge, staging regular meetings in the grounds.
The Marchioness of Rockingham, widow of Prime Minister Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham
, purchased the house from the Chetwynd family in 1786 for £9,000 following her husband's death and lived there until her own death in 1804. She left the estate to her stepsister Elizabeth, widow of William Weddell MP, who sold it to Josias Du Pré Porcher in 1805.
In 1810 the estate was sold to Richard Henry Cox, grandson of Richard Cox, founder of the travel company Cox & Kings
. Cox & Co, as the company was then known, was formed after Richard Cox was appointed agent to the Foot Guards (later the Grenadier Guards
), providing banking services for many regiments of the British Army by the end of the 18th century. The mansion was completely rebuilt after it burnt down in 1844 and later received a Grade II listing.
The British Government purchased the estate in 1915, with the intention of establishing a prisoner of war
camp. The local population strongly opposed the plan, causing the government to relent, and the site instead became the Canadian Convalescent Hospital to care for troops evacuated from the front line during the First World War. The hospital opened on 20 September 1915 and was joined on 19 November 1917 by the Royal Flying Corps
Armament School which moved into Hillingdon House with 114 officers and 1156 men, making a donation of £2289 12s 9d
to the Canadian Red Cross
. Needing a site for the training of recruits in ground gunnery, the RFC used parts of the estate not required by the Canadians, and established a firing range. A total of eight of these ranges were built along the River Pinn; one remains today. The hospital closed on 12 December 1917.
On 1 April 1918, the Uxbridge site came under control of the Royal Air Force, which had been formed that day by the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service
. The following month it became the first RAF station to receive a royal visit, from King George VI.
arrived in August 1919, merging to form No. 1 Depot, RAF Uxbridge. The station itself was designated RAF Central Depot, Uxbridge. The site was then split to form two new RAF stations, the area to the east of the River Pinn heading uphill to Hillingdon House becoming RAF Hillingdon and the remainder RAF Uxbridge. That year, the building that would later become the station cinema was opened, serving as a lecture hall for new recruits. The RAF School of Music moved to RAF Uxbridge from Hampstead in September 1919. Headquarters Southern Area, Southern Area Medical Headquarters, Southern Area Barrack Stores, and the Southern Area and South Eastern Area Headquarters of the Air Construction Service moved into Hillingdon House in October 1919. T. E. Lawrence
, better known as "Lawrence of Arabia", underwent initial training at the Uxbridge Depot in 1922 after enlisting in the RAF under the assumed name John Hume-Ross. He recounted his experiences in The Mint
.
Uxbridge Football Club was provided with the use of the station stadium from 1923 and played evening matches there. Ten barrack blocks designed by A. Gilpin were built around the parade ground in 1925, as was the RAF Officers' hospital and the original Operations Room, controlled by the Fighting Area of Air Defence of Great Britain
(ADGB). The Air Ministry
chose RAF Uxbridge as the new base for ADGB on 14 January 1926 due to its proximity to Whitehall
. The site had the added advantage of lying on the fringes of London and would therefore be difficult for an enemy to locate and bomb. Having also housed a gymnasium, the lecture hall building became the station cinema in 1927, initially available to station personnel but soon open to the general public. On 1 March 1929, the Headquarters of the Royal Observer Corps
(ROC) was established at Hillingdon House with Air Commodore
Edward Masterman
appointed as its first commandant. The Observer Corps remained at RAF Uxbridge until 1 March 1936 when it transferred to RAF Bentley Priory.
Due to its wooden construction the original Operations Room could only be used during the summer months; maintenance of the signalling and communications equipment became difficult under damp winter conditions. A memo dated 16 January 1933, sent to the senior Air Staff Officer, Wing Commander
Modin, stated:
Douglas Bader
arrived at the military hospital
in 1932 to recover from the amputation of his legs following an air crash. During his stay at the hospital, Bader met the Desoutter brothers, who were beginning to make lightweight artificial legs from aluminium
. Once fitted with artificial legs, Bader fought hard to regain his former abilities and in time his efforts paid off. He was able to drive a specially modified car, play golf and even dance. During his convalescence, Bader fell in love with Thelma Edwards, a waitress at a nearby pub called the Pantiles.
Formed on 1 May 1936, No. 11 Group RAF was headquartered at RAF Uxbridge under the command of Air Vice Marshal Philip Joubert de la Ferté
, who was succeeded by Sir Ernest Gossage
in January 1937. Following the ADGB's reorganisation on 13 July 1936, the new RAF Fighter Command
moved to RAF Bentley Priory
. The following day, the ADGB became RAF Bomber Command
, headquartered in Hillingdon House. Planning for the new No. 11 Group Operations Room (later to become known as the Battle of Britain Bunker) began in August 1937. Initially it was to be buried 66 feet (20.1 m) below ground but problems with the local London Clay
on the site meant it was eventually built by McAlpine at a depth of 60 feet (18.3 m), although it was still able to withstand being hit by a 500 pounds (226.8 kg) bomb. The bunker was designed by Bob Creer of the Air Ministry. Work began in February 1939 and finished in August the same year, ten days before the outbreak of the Second World War. The original operations room on the surface remained as a back-up but was not required for this purpose and was later renamed Building 76. In August Bomber Command moved to Iver
and on 2 September 1939, the new Operations Room and RAF Uxbridge reached operational war readiness. The station closed to the public at the outbreak of war, at which point the football club was also required to stop its use of the stadium.
pilots were taught key RAF codewords. Pilots practised formation flying on the station football pitch, using tricycles fitted with radios, compasses and speed indicators. British Expeditionary Force
troops returning from Dunkirk were processed at Uxbridge. In mid-1940, staff at the station processed an average of 2,500 recruits and experienced troops per week.
During the Battle of Britain, fought between July and October 1940, RAF Fighter Command at RAF Bentley Priory received air threat warnings that it filtered to remove duplication, doubt and confusion. These were then forwarded to the group operations rooms at RAF Uxbridge, which would allocate appropriate defence resources and pass orders to No. 11 Group sector airfields. No. 11 Group personnel doubled to 20,000 between April and November 1940. The RAF Officers' hospital was converted to the Women's Auxiliary Air Force
(WAAF) hospital early in 1940. A series of one-day training courses for pilots in the organisation of Group Control took place throughout November.
While overseeing the operations at RAF Uxbridge, Air Vice Marshall Park stayed in a house opposite the entrance to the bunker. He used a small door to reach the bunker from the house each day. The house, named after the war in Park's honour, was demolished in 1996 to make way for newly constructed married quarters; only the garden wall and door was retained. Wing Commander Willoughby de Broke
received the Air Force Cross
on 11 July 1940 for his service as a Senior Operations Officer for No. 11 Group, working within the operations room. Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
visited the station on 16 August 1940, to monitor the battle from the Operations Room. He later made his well-known comment, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" to General Ismay
as they got into their car to leave. Churchill repeated the quote in a speech to Parliament four days later. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
visited the station on 6 September. Churchill was again present at RAF Uxbridge on the fiercest day of fighting of the entire battle – Battle of Britain Day
– 15 September 1940. As the last squadrons were sent into battle, Churchill asked Air Vice Marshal Sir Keith Park, "How many reserves have we?" Park answered "There are none".
A delayed action landmine fell on the station on 26 September 1940 between the police school and WAAF Quarters, where it remained until it was defused the following day. On 28 September a bomb fell into a tree 50 yards (45.7 m) from the Operations Room and was later defused in Harefield. A Junkers Ju 88
attacked the station on 6 October 1940, dropping a bomb beside the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes
(NAAFI) grocery shop. The device damaged water and gas mains but caused no casualties. The Lowe & Shawyer plant nursery to the west of the station served as an unplanned decoy, since from the air, the glass greenhouses resembled a large body of water. Luftwaffe pilots became confused at this unexpected landmark that was not on their maps, and so it is believed this contributed to the small number of bombs which fell on the station.
The king and queen returned on 1 November 1941, by which time a "Royal Box" had been installed in the Operations Room to allow them to observe the plotting activities. During 1942, General Charles de Gaulle
, Sir Anthony Eden
and Lord Mountbatten
all visited the 11 Group Operations Room. The actors Rex Harrison
(then a squadron leader liasing with Bomber Command), Cyril Raymond
and Ronald Adam
all served within the Operations Room during the war.
In 1941, a division of the Meteorological Office was established at RAF Uxbridge as part of the Intelligence Branch. On 1 July that year the station Sick Quarters were merged with the WAAF hospital to create the RAF Station Hospital. No. 11 Group was involved in providing air support for the Dieppe Raid
(Operation Jubilee) on 19 August 1942. Air Marshal
Trafford Leigh-Mallory
commanded participating Allied air forces from the 11 Group Operation Room. The air operations section of Operation Overlord, the 6 June 1944 Normandy landings (D-Day), was also controlled from RAF Uxbridge. Orders from the station were the only ones issued to Allied air units on the day. The headquarters of the 2nd Tactical Air Force and 9th Tactical Air Force of the USAAF
were stationed at Uxbridge while preparations were made for the invasion. On D-Day, the 11 Group Controller became responsible for ensuring sufficient air patrols of the United Kingdom, the main shipping routes and the beach landing areas.
. Swimmers trained at nearby Uxbridge Lido
, and female athletes were housed at RAF West Drayton
. In 1949, the RAF Cricket Association opened on Vine Lane on the western boundary of the station. The station's crest was approved in April 1953, incorporating a drill sergeant's pace stick to symbolise the training of recruits, and a bugle to represent the Central Band of the RAF. RAF Uxbridge was the first RAF station in Middlesex to have a crest approved.
The ceremonial entrance to the north-west of the station, St Andrew's Gate, was officially opened on 16 December 1957 to mark the link between Uxbridge and the Royal Air Force. A memorial to the personnel of No. 11 Group, made of Cornish granite, was placed in the ground above the Operations Room in 1957. No. 11 Group moved to RAF Martlesham Heath
on 14 April 1958 and the room was soon sealed in its original condition. The memorial was unveiled by Air Chief Marshal Lord Dowding
on 23 April 1958 in a ceremony attended by Group Captain Douglas Bader and Wing Commander Lord Willoughby de Broke, among others, and marked by a flypast
of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
. Control of RAF Hillingdon passed from Fighter Command to Technical Training Command that year, from which time the entire site became known as RAF Uxbridge. The RAF School of Education moved into Hillingdon House from RAF Spitalgate
on 10 November 1958. The station later became part of No. 22 Group RAF
.
Personnel at the station were granted the freedom of entry into the London Borough of Hillingdon on 19 March 1960, an honour allowing them to march throughout the borough in uniform. On 1 November that year, the Queen's Colour Squadron
of the RAF Regiment
moved to Uxbridge and the Southern Region Air Traffic Services headquarters moved into Hillingdon House. After the war, the station was already home to the London Area Control Centre
, renamed the London Air Traffic Control Centre in 1948 and the Uxbridge Air Traffic Control Centre in 1957. This eventually transferred to RAF West Drayton but remained under the parentage of RAF Uxbridge.
Sequences for the 1969 film Battle of Britain
were shot in the 11 Group Operations Room, as were scenes in the 1996 television miniseries Over Here
. An episode of Richard Holmes
' War Walks
series was also filmed in the Operations Room. The reinforced Uniter building was built on the site in the 1970s to house communications equipment. Although no longer used for this purpose, the building contains two fuel storage tanks. The main entrance to the station was moved in 1972 from beside the station cinema to its present location roughly 50 yards (45.7 m) south.
Over nine months in 1975, the 11 Group Operations Room was restored by No. 9 Signals Unit. The original map was repaired and returned to the table by the RAF Cartography unit, while the board detailing the readiness and activities of each sector squadron was rebuilt to resemble its status on 15 September 1940. A museum was created within the bunker and the operations room opened for group visits. After the closure of the station in 2010, the operations room and museum were preserved for future public visits. The Royal Air Force Ensign
flew over the parade ground until it was lowered as part of the closure ceremony.
In January 1981, the Provisional Irish Republican Army
(IRA) planted a bomb in the Suvla barrack block at RAF Uxbridge. The device was discovered and the 35 RAF musicians and 15 airmen living there were evacuated before it exploded. Following the incident, an enquiry began and security at all RAF stations was reviewed. The following year, many RAF personnel from the station were deployed during the Falklands War
. The station went on to celebrate its 70th anniversary in 1987 by staging several events which raised £30,000 for the RAF Benevolent Fund
.
RAF Uxbridge also became involved in Operation Granby
following the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait
in August 1990. Personnel at Uxbridge were prepared for service in the Gulf at that time, and deployed that year in December. During the aerial assault on Iraq in January 1991, support group meetings began at the station for the families of servicemen serving during the Gulf War
. Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
, visited one of these groups in February 1991.
The station church, St Luke's, became structurally unsound on 21 November 1990 after the foundations failed. The building dated back to 1933 and had been constructed of wood; the walls were pushed out and the floor rose by 4 inch. In March 1993, the Leigh-Mallory bridge was opened across the River Pinn, and the church moved into a new permanent home, Building 231, in March 1995.
RAF Uxbridge personnel were once more prepared for action in the Gulf in 2003 in readiness for Operation Telic
in Iraq
. A support network for the families of servicemembers sent into action was again established at the station. In March 2003 the Under-Secretary of State
for Defence was prepared at Uxbridge for a visit to the Gulf.
Personnel paraded through Uxbridge town centre on 28 November 2007, exercising the Freedom of the borough, granted to the station in 1960. RAF Uxbridge became a satellite station of RAF Northolt on 1 April 2008, in preparation for the eventual closure. In the final years of RAF ownership, the Service Prosecuting Authority and Civil Aviation Authority's Air Proximity
(AIRPROX) Board was based in Hillingdon House. The final of the national Carnegie Champions schools rugby tournament was held at the station in August 2008. The link between RAF Uxbridge and the Royal Observer Corps was renewed in 2008 with the closure of RAF Bentley Priory and the relocation to Uxbridge of ROC memorabilia from the Priory Officers' Mess for safekeeping and display. The Royal Observer Corps had been stood down from operational duties in December 1995.
The Queen's Colour Squadron returned from a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2009, with a homecoming parade through Uxbridge town centre held on 5 August 2009. Over 20,000 people watched the parade, which started from Uxbridge Magistrates Court, passing through the High Street to the RAF station.
, Wing Commander A.D. Calame, who had served as Officer Commanding the Queen's Colour Squadron between 10 August 2005 and 16 July 2007:
The station closed on 31 March 2010 as part of the Ministry of Defence's Project MoDEL
, a programme to reduce the number of defence sites in Greater London
in favour of a core site at RAF Northolt. The closure ceremony was overseen by the Mayor of Hillingdon and involved parades and the final lowering of the Royal Air Force Ensign over the parade ground. A Supermarine Spitfire
conducted a flypast of the station. The final units marched to their new station at RAF Northolt the following day. The station, which had received the Freedom of the Borough of Hillingdon, returned the award to the London Borough of Hillingdon as part of the ceremony, though this was returned on 4 September to be stored in the museum of the Battle of Britain Bunker. A commemorative blue plaque dedicated to Douglas Bader was unveiled by the Mayor of Hillingdon at the entrance to the Officers' Mess.
The Middlesex Wing Headquarters of the Air Training Corps
(ATC) had been based at the station together with No. 1083 Squadron ATC, which met on Mondays and Thursdays for parade nights. As part of the closing ceremony, personnel of No. 1083 Squadron were presented with the station crest to adopt as their own. The squadron continued to meet at the station until July 2010, when a newly refurbished building at RAF Northolt became available.
The Grade I listed Battle of Britain Bunker is now preserved as a museum open to the public, while the Grade II listed Hillingdon House will be partially converted into a restaurant. The station cinema is also Grade II listed. The Battle of Britain War Memorial is a scheduled protected monument. While not listed, several other buildings on the site were identified within the plans for possible retention. These are the Sick Quarters, the Officers' Mess, the gymnasium, the carpenters' block in the grounds of Hillingdon House and a building near the Battle of Britain Bunker. St. Andrew's Gate will be retained, as will one barrack block (Mons) adjacent to the parade ground.
Plans to develop the remaining 44.6 hectares (110.2 acre) of the site were approved by the London Borough of Hillingdon in January 2011 for 1,340 homes, shops, a theatre and a primary school to be built over 10 years. The council intends the development to become an extension of Uxbridge town centre. Early suggestions from the Leader of Hillingdon Council included a theatre with a statue of T.E. Lawrence outside, and a new museum built around the Battle of Britain Bunker. MP for Uxbridge John Randall called in 2009 for Hillingdon Hospital
to be relocated to the site as an alternative to a planned rebuilding project on its existing site. The hospital trust ruled out such a move due to the projected costs.
The area around the Battle of Britain Bunker, including the No. 11 Group memorial, will retain the RAF Uxbridge name and be maintained by RAF Northolt as an enclave. The Royal Air Force Ensign was moved to the area, together with the Supermarine Spitfire gate guardian, a fibreglass replica of aircraft BR600. The Spitfire was refurbished and painted in the D-Day invasion colours of No. 33 Squadron as aircraft BS239, funded by the London Borough of Hillingdon. Uxbridge's first gate guardian was a real Supermarine Spitfire which was unveiled on 23 May 1973. This was sold to a collector for restoration and replaced by the current guardian in 1988. At a service commemorating the Battle of Britain in September 2010, a new Hawker Hurricane
gate guardian in the markings of No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron was unveiled, also near the bunker. The guardian is a fibreglass replica of the aircraft flown by Witold Urbanowicz
during the Battle of Britain.
The South Hillingdon branch of the St. John Ambulance
service was based at RAF Uxbridge until the closure in 2010 led to a period of uncertainty over its relocation. Eventually, RAF Northolt provided the charity with new premises, which were available from January 2011.
In June 2011, it was announced that the public right of way from St Andrew's Gate in the north-west to Vine Lane in the north-east would be reopened, after work to fence off the pathway was completed. The path, 800 metres (2,624.7 ft) long, was the subject of a petition submitted to Hillingdon Council in 2010 and had been closed since 1988. By early August 2011, the path had been reopened.
Videos
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF) station in Uxbridge
Uxbridge
Uxbridge is a large town located in north west London, England and is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It forms part of the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is located west-northwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres...
within the London Borough of Hillingdon
London Borough of Hillingdon
The London Borough of Hillingdon is the westernmost borough in Greater London, England. The borough's population was recorded as 243,006 in the 2001 Census. The borough incorporates the former districts of Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the...
. Its grounds covered 44.6 hectares (110.2 acre) originally belonging to the Hillingdon House
Hillingdon House
Hillingdon House is a Grade II listed mansion in Hillingdon, Greater London. The original house was built in 1717 as a hunting lodge for the Duke of Schomberg. It was destroyed by fire and the present house was built in its place in 1844....
estate, which was purchased by the British Government in 1915, three years before the founding of the RAF. Until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the station was open to the public, and a public footpath ran across the site until 1988; it reopened in 2011.
The station is best known as the headquarters of No. 11 Group RAF
No. 11 Group RAF
No. 11 Group was a group in the Royal Air Force for various periods in the 20th century, finally disbanding in 1996. Its most famous service was during 1940 when it defended London and the south-east against the attacks of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.-First World War:No. 11 Group was...
commanded by Air Vice Marshal Sir Keith Park
Keith Park
Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Rodney Park GCB, KBE, MC & Bar, DFC, RAF was a New Zealand soldier, First World War flying ace and Second World War Royal Air Force commander...
during the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
, when it was responsible for the defence of the main area of combat around London and the South-East of England. Hillingdon House served as the group's headquarters. An underground bunker, subsequently known as the Battle of Britain Bunker
Battle of Britain Bunker
The Battle of Britain Bunker is an underground operations room at RAF Uxbridge, formerly used by No. 11 Group Fighter Command during the Second World War. Fighter aircraft operations were controlled from there throughout the War but most notably during the Battle of Britain and on D-Day...
, was built nearby to handle the control of fighter squadrons, primarily from the 11 Group Operations Room. The base was responsible for controlling the evacuation of Dunkirk in May 1940 (Operation Dynamo
Operation Dynamo
The Dunkirk evacuation, commonly known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, code-named Operation Dynamo by the British, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France, between 26 May and the early hours of 3 June 1940, because the British, French and Belgian troops were...
) and the D-Day landings during the latter stages of the Second World War (Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
). It was also the location where Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
first made his comment "Never was so much owed by so many to so few
Never was so much owed by so many to so few
Never was so much owed by so many to so few was a wartime speech made by the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on 20 August 1940. The name stems from the specific line in the speech, Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few, referring to the ongoing efforts...
", which he later repeated in a speech to Parliament.
Uxbridge closed on 31 March 2010 as part of a reduction in the number of Ministry of Defence properties in the Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
area. Many of its remaining military units were relocated to the nearby station RAF Northolt
RAF Northolt
RAF Northolt is a Royal Air Force station situated in South Ruislip, east by northeast of Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, West London. Approximately north of London Heathrow Airport, the station also handles a large number of private civil flights...
the next day. Plans for redevelopment, consisting of a mixture of residential and commercial property allowing for the retention of all listed buildings, were approved in January 2011. A small enclave of the station incorporating the Battle of Britain Bunker will retain the RAF Uxbridge name.
The River Pinn
River Pinn
The River Pinn is a river in West London which originates around Pinner and flows into the Frays River, which is a branch of the River Colne.-Route:...
runs through the site from north to south, passing Hillingdon House and the Operations Room and through the wooded land within RAF Uxbridge. The land around the river is designated as greenbelt, and Hillingdon Golf Course borders the south of the station.
Early years
Hillingdon House, the country estate that eventually became RAF Uxbridge, was built in 1717 by the Duke of SchombergMeinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg
Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg, 1st Duke of Leinster, KG was a general in the service of Prince William of Orange, later King William III of England.-Military career:...
, a German-born general serving under William of Orange (later King William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
) who had been knighted for his part in the 1690 Battle of the Boyne
Battle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne was fought in 1690 between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thronesthe Catholic King James and the Protestant King William across the River Boyne near Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland...
. He had the house built as a hunting lodge, staging regular meetings in the grounds.
The Marchioness of Rockingham, widow of Prime Minister Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham
Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham
Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, KG, PC , styled The Hon. Charles Watson-Wentworth before 1733, Viscount Higham between 1733 and 1746, Earl of Malton between 1746 and 1750 and The Earl Malton in 1750, was a British Whig statesman, most notable for his two terms as Prime...
, purchased the house from the Chetwynd family in 1786 for £9,000 following her husband's death and lived there until her own death in 1804. She left the estate to her stepsister Elizabeth, widow of William Weddell MP, who sold it to Josias Du Pré Porcher in 1805.
In 1810 the estate was sold to Richard Henry Cox, grandson of Richard Cox, founder of the travel company Cox & Kings
Cox & Kings
Cox & Kings is the longest established travel company in the world, its history stretching back to 1758 when Richard Cox was appointed as regimental agent to the Foot Guards. Cox & Kings is now an independent tour company with offices in the United Kingdom, India, the United States and Japan...
. Cox & Co, as the company was then known, was formed after Richard Cox was appointed agent to the Foot Guards (later the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
), providing banking services for many regiments of the British Army by the end of the 18th century. The mansion was completely rebuilt after it burnt down in 1844 and later received a Grade II listing.
First World War
In 1914 the mansion was put on the market by the estate of Frederick Cox, Richard Henry Cox's grandson. It was described as "a brick and stone building, partly stuccoed, with extensive outbuildings and ornamental gardens." The house and gardens, together with the surrounding parkland and an artificial lake created by damming a section of the River Pinn, amounted to over 81 ha (200 acre).The British Government purchased the estate in 1915, with the intention of establishing a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camp. The local population strongly opposed the plan, causing the government to relent, and the site instead became the Canadian Convalescent Hospital to care for troops evacuated from the front line during the First World War. The hospital opened on 20 September 1915 and was joined on 19 November 1917 by the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
Armament School which moved into Hillingdon House with 114 officers and 1156 men, making a donation of £2289 12s 9d
£sd
£sd was the popular name for the pre-decimal currencies used in the Kingdom of England, later the United Kingdom, and ultimately in much of the British Empire...
to the Canadian Red Cross
Canadian Red Cross
The Canadian Red Cross Society is a Canadian humanitarian charitable organization and one of 186 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies....
. Needing a site for the training of recruits in ground gunnery, the RFC used parts of the estate not required by the Canadians, and established a firing range. A total of eight of these ranges were built along the River Pinn; one remains today. The hospital closed on 12 December 1917.
On 1 April 1918, the Uxbridge site came under control of the Royal Air Force, which had been formed that day by the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
. The following month it became the first RAF station to receive a royal visit, from King George VI.
Inter-war years
The Recruits Training Depot and a detachment of the RAF Depot from RAF HaltonRAF Halton
RAF Halton is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom, located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire.HRH The Duchess of Cornwall is the Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Halton.-History:...
arrived in August 1919, merging to form No. 1 Depot, RAF Uxbridge. The station itself was designated RAF Central Depot, Uxbridge. The site was then split to form two new RAF stations, the area to the east of the River Pinn heading uphill to Hillingdon House becoming RAF Hillingdon and the remainder RAF Uxbridge. That year, the building that would later become the station cinema was opened, serving as a lecture hall for new recruits. The RAF School of Music moved to RAF Uxbridge from Hampstead in September 1919. Headquarters Southern Area, Southern Area Medical Headquarters, Southern Area Barrack Stores, and the Southern Area and South Eastern Area Headquarters of the Air Construction Service moved into Hillingdon House in October 1919. T. E. Lawrence
T. E. Lawrence
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, CB, DSO , known professionally as T. E. Lawrence, was a British Army officer renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916–18...
, better known as "Lawrence of Arabia", underwent initial training at the Uxbridge Depot in 1922 after enlisting in the RAF under the assumed name John Hume-Ross. He recounted his experiences in The Mint
The Mint (book)
The Mint is a book written by T. E. Lawrence, ‘Lawrence of Arabia’.It concerns the period following the First World War when Lawrence decided to disappear from public view. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force under an assumed name and became Aircraftman Ross. The book is a closely observed...
.
Uxbridge Football Club was provided with the use of the station stadium from 1923 and played evening matches there. Ten barrack blocks designed by A. Gilpin were built around the parade ground in 1925, as was the RAF Officers' hospital and the original Operations Room, controlled by the Fighting Area of Air Defence of Great Britain
Air Defence of Great Britain
The Air Defence of Great Britain was a RAF command comprising substantial Army and RAF elements responsible for the air defence of the British Isles...
(ADGB). The Air Ministry
Air Ministry
The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
chose RAF Uxbridge as the new base for ADGB on 14 January 1926 due to its proximity to Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
. The site had the added advantage of lying on the fringes of London and would therefore be difficult for an enemy to locate and bomb. Having also housed a gymnasium, the lecture hall building became the station cinema in 1927, initially available to station personnel but soon open to the general public. On 1 March 1929, the Headquarters of the Royal Observer Corps
Royal Observer Corps
The Royal Observer Corps was a civil defence organisation operating in the United Kingdom between 29 October 1925 and 31 December 1995, when the Corps' civilian volunteers were stood down....
(ROC) was established at Hillingdon House with Air Commodore
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Edward Masterman
Edward Masterman
Air Commodore Edward Alexander Dimsdale Masterman CB CMG CBE AFC RAF was a senior officer in the Royal Air Force in the first half of the 20th century...
appointed as its first commandant. The Observer Corps remained at RAF Uxbridge until 1 March 1936 when it transferred to RAF Bentley Priory.
Due to its wooden construction the original Operations Room could only be used during the summer months; maintenance of the signalling and communications equipment became difficult under damp winter conditions. A memo dated 16 January 1933, sent to the senior Air Staff Officer, Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
Modin, stated:
Douglas Bader
Douglas Bader
Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, FRAeS, DL was a Royal Air Force fighter ace during the Second World War. He was credited with 20 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probables, one shared probable and 11 enemy aircraft damaged.Bader joined the...
arrived at the military hospital
RAF Hospital Uxbridge
RAF Hospital Uxbridge was a military hospital within the Royal Air Force station RAF Uxbridge.-History:Douglas Bader arrived at the hospital in 1932 to recover after the amputation of both of his legs following a flying accident. It was during his stay that he met the Desoutter brothers who were...
in 1932 to recover from the amputation of his legs following an air crash. During his stay at the hospital, Bader met the Desoutter brothers, who were beginning to make lightweight artificial legs from aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
. Once fitted with artificial legs, Bader fought hard to regain his former abilities and in time his efforts paid off. He was able to drive a specially modified car, play golf and even dance. During his convalescence, Bader fell in love with Thelma Edwards, a waitress at a nearby pub called the Pantiles.
Formed on 1 May 1936, No. 11 Group RAF was headquartered at RAF Uxbridge under the command of Air Vice Marshal Philip Joubert de la Ferté
Philip Joubert de la Ferté
Air Chief Marshal Sir Philip Bennet Joubert de la Ferté KCB, CMG, DSO was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during the 1930s and the Second World War.-RAF career:...
, who was succeeded by Sir Ernest Gossage
Leslie Gossage
Air Marshal Sir Ernest Leslie Gossage KCB, CVO, DSO, MC . He was a former artillery officer who become a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps and later a senior officer in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War...
in January 1937. Following the ADGB's reorganisation on 13 July 1936, the new RAF Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command was one of three functional commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War, gaining recognition in the Battle of Britain. The Command continued until 17 November 1943, when...
moved to RAF Bentley Priory
RAF Bentley Priory
RAF Bentley Priory was a non-flying Royal Air Force station near Stanmore in the London Borough of Harrow. It was famous as the headquarters of Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and the Second World War. The RAF Bentley Priory site includes a Grade II* listed Officers' Mess and Italian...
. The following day, the ADGB became RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
, headquartered in Hillingdon House. Planning for the new No. 11 Group Operations Room (later to become known as the Battle of Britain Bunker) began in August 1937. Initially it was to be buried 66 feet (20.1 m) below ground but problems with the local London Clay
London Clay
The London Clay Formation is a marine geological formation of Ypresian age which crops out in the southeast of England. The London Clay is well known for the fossils it contains. The fossils from the Lower Eocene indicate a moderately warm climate, the flora being tropical or subtropical...
on the site meant it was eventually built by McAlpine at a depth of 60 feet (18.3 m), although it was still able to withstand being hit by a 500 pounds (226.8 kg) bomb. The bunker was designed by Bob Creer of the Air Ministry. Work began in February 1939 and finished in August the same year, ten days before the outbreak of the Second World War. The original operations room on the surface remained as a back-up but was not required for this purpose and was later renamed Building 76. In August Bomber Command moved to Iver
Iver
Iver is in the south-east corner of the English county of Buckinghamshire and it forms one of the largest civil parishes in the South Bucks district.Iver railway station is in Richings Park.-Etymology:...
and on 2 September 1939, the new Operations Room and RAF Uxbridge reached operational war readiness. The station closed to the public at the outbreak of war, at which point the football club was also required to stop its use of the stadium.
Second World War
During the war RAF Uxbridge was tasked with despatching personnel to and from training and operational units in Northern France. It also housed the RAF Uxbridge Language School, where Polish Air ForcePolish Air Force
The Polish Air Force is the military Air Force wing of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej...
pilots were taught key RAF codewords. Pilots practised formation flying on the station football pitch, using tricycles fitted with radios, compasses and speed indicators. British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
troops returning from Dunkirk were processed at Uxbridge. In mid-1940, staff at the station processed an average of 2,500 recruits and experienced troops per week.
During the Battle of Britain, fought between July and October 1940, RAF Fighter Command at RAF Bentley Priory received air threat warnings that it filtered to remove duplication, doubt and confusion. These were then forwarded to the group operations rooms at RAF Uxbridge, which would allocate appropriate defence resources and pass orders to No. 11 Group sector airfields. No. 11 Group personnel doubled to 20,000 between April and November 1940. The RAF Officers' hospital was converted to the Women's Auxiliary Air Force
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
(WAAF) hospital early in 1940. A series of one-day training courses for pilots in the organisation of Group Control took place throughout November.
While overseeing the operations at RAF Uxbridge, Air Vice Marshall Park stayed in a house opposite the entrance to the bunker. He used a small door to reach the bunker from the house each day. The house, named after the war in Park's honour, was demolished in 1996 to make way for newly constructed married quarters; only the garden wall and door was retained. Wing Commander Willoughby de Broke
John Verney, 20th Baron Willoughby de Broke
John Henry Peyto Verney, 20th Baron Willoughby de Broke, MC, AFC was the son of Richard Greville Verney and Marie Frances Lisette Hanbury. He was educated at Eton College and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst...
received the Air Force Cross
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
on 11 July 1940 for his service as a Senior Operations Officer for No. 11 Group, working within the operations room. Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
visited the station on 16 August 1940, to monitor the battle from the Operations Room. He later made his well-known comment, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" to General Ismay
Hastings Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay
General Hastings Lionel "Pug" Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay, KG, GCB, CH, DSO, PC was a British Indian Army officer and diplomat, remembered primarily for his role as Winston Churchill's chief military assistant during the Second World War and his service as the first Secretary General of NATO from 1952...
as they got into their car to leave. Churchill repeated the quote in a speech to Parliament four days later. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
visited the station on 6 September. Churchill was again present at RAF Uxbridge on the fiercest day of fighting of the entire battle – Battle of Britain Day
Battle of Britain Day
The Battle of Britain Day is the name given to the large-scale aerial battle that took place on 15 September 1940, during the Battle of Britain ....
– 15 September 1940. As the last squadrons were sent into battle, Churchill asked Air Vice Marshal Sir Keith Park, "How many reserves have we?" Park answered "There are none".
A delayed action landmine fell on the station on 26 September 1940 between the police school and WAAF Quarters, where it remained until it was defused the following day. On 28 September a bomb fell into a tree 50 yards (45.7 m) from the Operations Room and was later defused in Harefield. A Junkers Ju 88
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
attacked the station on 6 October 1940, dropping a bomb beside the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes
Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes
The Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes is an organisation created by the British government in 1921 to run recreational establishments needed by the British Armed Forces, and to sell goods to servicemen and their families...
(NAAFI) grocery shop. The device damaged water and gas mains but caused no casualties. The Lowe & Shawyer plant nursery to the west of the station served as an unplanned decoy, since from the air, the glass greenhouses resembled a large body of water. Luftwaffe pilots became confused at this unexpected landmark that was not on their maps, and so it is believed this contributed to the small number of bombs which fell on the station.
The king and queen returned on 1 November 1941, by which time a "Royal Box" had been installed in the Operations Room to allow them to observe the plotting activities. During 1942, General Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
, Sir Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
and Lord Mountbatten
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, DSO, PC, FRS , was a British statesman and naval officer, and an uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
all visited the 11 Group Operations Room. The actors Rex Harrison
Rex Harrison
Sir Reginald Carey “Rex” Harrison was an English actor of stage and screen. Harrison won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards.-Youth and stage career:...
(then a squadron leader liasing with Bomber Command), Cyril Raymond
Cyril Raymond
Cyril William North Raymond MBE was a British character actor....
and Ronald Adam
Ronald Adam (actor)
Ronald Adam OBE , born Ronald George Hinings Adams, was a British RAF officer, an actor on stage and screen and a successful theatre manager.-Early life:...
all served within the Operations Room during the war.
In 1941, a division of the Meteorological Office was established at RAF Uxbridge as part of the Intelligence Branch. On 1 July that year the station Sick Quarters were merged with the WAAF hospital to create the RAF Station Hospital. No. 11 Group was involved in providing air support for the Dieppe Raid
Dieppe Raid
The Dieppe Raid, also known as the Battle of Dieppe, Operation Rutter or later on Operation Jubilee, during the Second World War, was an Allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe on the northern coast of France on 19 August 1942. The assault began at 5:00 AM and by 10:50 AM the Allied...
(Operation Jubilee) on 19 August 1942. Air Marshal
Air Marshal
Air marshal is a three-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Trafford Leigh-Mallory
Trafford Leigh-Mallory
Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory KCB, DSO & Bar was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force. Leigh-Mallory served as a Royal Flying Corps pilot and squadron commander during World War I...
commanded participating Allied air forces from the 11 Group Operation Room. The air operations section of Operation Overlord, the 6 June 1944 Normandy landings (D-Day), was also controlled from RAF Uxbridge. Orders from the station were the only ones issued to Allied air units on the day. The headquarters of the 2nd Tactical Air Force and 9th Tactical Air Force of the USAAF
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
were stationed at Uxbridge while preparations were made for the invasion. On D-Day, the 11 Group Controller became responsible for ensuring sufficient air patrols of the United Kingdom, the main shipping routes and the beach landing areas.
Post-war years
RAF Uxbridge served as an athlete's village for the male competitors in the 1948 Summer Olympics1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
. Swimmers trained at nearby Uxbridge Lido
Uxbridge Lido
The Hillingdon Sports and Leisure Complex is a leisure centre in Uxbridge, operated by Fusion Lifestyle on behalf of the London Borough of Hillingdon. The complex is centered on the Grade II listed outdoor swimming pool, known as Uxbridge Lido until 2010, when the newly built centre and refurbished...
, and female athletes were housed at RAF West Drayton
RAF West Drayton
RAF West Drayton was a non-flying Royal Air Force station in West Drayton, within the London Borough of Hillingdon, which served as the main centre for military air traffic control in the United Kingdom. It was co-located with the civilian London Terminal Control Centre to provide a vital link...
. In 1949, the RAF Cricket Association opened on Vine Lane on the western boundary of the station. The station's crest was approved in April 1953, incorporating a drill sergeant's pace stick to symbolise the training of recruits, and a bugle to represent the Central Band of the RAF. RAF Uxbridge was the first RAF station in Middlesex to have a crest approved.
The ceremonial entrance to the north-west of the station, St Andrew's Gate, was officially opened on 16 December 1957 to mark the link between Uxbridge and the Royal Air Force. A memorial to the personnel of No. 11 Group, made of Cornish granite, was placed in the ground above the Operations Room in 1957. No. 11 Group moved to RAF Martlesham Heath
RAF Martlesham Heath
RAF Martlesham Heath is a former Royal Air Force airfield in England. The field is located 1½ miles SW of Woodbridge, Suffolk.- RFC/RAF prewar use:Martlesham Heath was first used as a Royal Flying Corps airfield during World War I...
on 14 April 1958 and the room was soon sealed in its original condition. The memorial was unveiled by Air Chief Marshal Lord Dowding
Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding
Air Chief Marshal Hugh Caswall Tremenheere Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding GCB, GCVO, CMG was a British officer in the Royal Air Force...
on 23 April 1958 in a ceremony attended by Group Captain Douglas Bader and Wing Commander Lord Willoughby de Broke, among others, and marked by a flypast
Flypast
Flypast is a term used in the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, and other countries to denote ceremonial or honorific flights by groups of aircraft and, rarely, by a single aircraft...
of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is a Royal Air Force flight which provides an aerial display group comprising an Avro Lancaster, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane...
. Control of RAF Hillingdon passed from Fighter Command to Technical Training Command that year, from which time the entire site became known as RAF Uxbridge. The RAF School of Education moved into Hillingdon House from RAF Spitalgate
RAF Spitalgate
RAF Spitalgate formerly known as RFCS Grantham and RAF Grantham was a Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force station, located south east of the centre of Grantham, Lincolnshire, England fronting onto the main A52 road.-History:...
on 10 November 1958. The station later became part of No. 22 Group RAF
No. 22 Group RAF
Number 22 Group is one of only three groups currently active in the Royal Air Force, falling under the responsibility of Deputy Commander-in-Chief in Air Command. Its current full title is Number 22 Group and it is responsible for RAF training policy and controlling the Royal Air Force College...
.
Personnel at the station were granted the freedom of entry into the London Borough of Hillingdon on 19 March 1960, an honour allowing them to march throughout the borough in uniform. On 1 November that year, the Queen's Colour Squadron
Queen's Colour Squadron
The Queen's Colour Squadron is the unit of the Royal Air Force charged with the safe-keeping of the Queen's Colour for the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom. Since its formation, it has been manned exclusively by officers and men of the RAF Regiment...
of the RAF Regiment
RAF Regiment
The Royal Air Force Regiment is a specialist airfield defence corps founded by Royal Warrant in 1942. After a 32 week trainee gunner course, its members are trained and equipped to prevent a successful enemy attack in the first instance; minimise the damage caused by a successful attack; and...
moved to Uxbridge and the Southern Region Air Traffic Services headquarters moved into Hillingdon House. After the war, the station was already home to the London Area Control Centre
London Area Control Centre
The London Area Control Centre is an air traffic control centre based at Swanwick near Fareham in Hampshire, southern England. It is operated by National Air Traffic Services , starting operations on 27 January 2002, and handles aircraft over England and Wales...
, renamed the London Air Traffic Control Centre in 1948 and the Uxbridge Air Traffic Control Centre in 1957. This eventually transferred to RAF West Drayton but remained under the parentage of RAF Uxbridge.
Sequences for the 1969 film Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain (film)
Battle of Britain is a 1969 Technicolor film directed by Guy Hamilton, and produced by Harry Saltzman and S. Benjamin Fisz. The film broadly relates the events of the Battle of Britain...
were shot in the 11 Group Operations Room, as were scenes in the 1996 television miniseries Over Here
Over Here
Over Here is a 2-part television miniseries made in 1996 by the BBC chronicling the lives of US Army Air Corps B-17 Flying Fortress bomber crews on a Royal Air Force Spitfire base during World War II...
. An episode of Richard Holmes
Richard Holmes (military historian)
Brigadier Edward Richard Holmes, CBE, TD, JP , known as Richard Holmes, was a British soldier and noted military historian, particularly well-known through his many television appearances...
' War Walks
War Walks
War Walks was a BBC documentary series presented by historian, Professor Richard Holmes. The series was about several famous European battles...
series was also filmed in the Operations Room. The reinforced Uniter building was built on the site in the 1970s to house communications equipment. Although no longer used for this purpose, the building contains two fuel storage tanks. The main entrance to the station was moved in 1972 from beside the station cinema to its present location roughly 50 yards (45.7 m) south.
Over nine months in 1975, the 11 Group Operations Room was restored by No. 9 Signals Unit. The original map was repaired and returned to the table by the RAF Cartography unit, while the board detailing the readiness and activities of each sector squadron was rebuilt to resemble its status on 15 September 1940. A museum was created within the bunker and the operations room opened for group visits. After the closure of the station in 2010, the operations room and museum were preserved for future public visits. The Royal Air Force Ensign
Royal Air Force Ensign
The Royal Air Force Ensign is the official flag which is used to represent the Royal Air Force. The Ensign has a field of air force blue with the Union Flag in the canton and the Royal Air Force roundel in the middle of the fly....
flew over the parade ground until it was lowered as part of the closure ceremony.
In January 1981, the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(IRA) planted a bomb in the Suvla barrack block at RAF Uxbridge. The device was discovered and the 35 RAF musicians and 15 airmen living there were evacuated before it exploded. Following the incident, an enquiry began and security at all RAF stations was reviewed. The following year, many RAF personnel from the station were deployed during the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
. The station went on to celebrate its 70th anniversary in 1987 by staging several events which raised £30,000 for the RAF Benevolent Fund
RAF Benevolent Fund
The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund is the Royal Air Force's leading welfare charity, providing financial, practical and emotional support to serving and former members of the RAF - regardless of rank - as well as their partners and dependents.They help members of the RAF family deal with a wide...
.
Operation Granby
Operation Granby was the name given to the British military operations during the Gulf War. 53,462 troops were deployed during the conflict. The total cost of operations was £2.434 billion of which at least £2.049 billion was paid for by other nations such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia; £200...
following the Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait
Invasion of Kuwait
The Invasion of Kuwait, also known as the Iraq-Kuwait War, was a major conflict between the Republic of Iraq and the State of Kuwait, which resulted in the seven-month long Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, which subsequently led to direct military intervention by United States-led forces in the Gulf...
in August 1990. Personnel at Uxbridge were prepared for service in the Gulf at that time, and deployed that year in December. During the aerial assault on Iraq in January 1991, support group meetings began at the station for the families of servicemen serving during the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO is the third son and fourth child of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh...
, visited one of these groups in February 1991.
The station church, St Luke's, became structurally unsound on 21 November 1990 after the foundations failed. The building dated back to 1933 and had been constructed of wood; the walls were pushed out and the floor rose by 4 inch. In March 1993, the Leigh-Mallory bridge was opened across the River Pinn, and the church moved into a new permanent home, Building 231, in March 1995.
RAF Uxbridge personnel were once more prepared for action in the Gulf in 2003 in readiness for Operation Telic
Operation Telic
Operation TELIC was the codename under which all British military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the Invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on 22 May 2011...
in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. A support network for the families of servicemembers sent into action was again established at the station. In March 2003 the Under-Secretary of State
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
A Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the government of the United Kingdom, junior to both a Minister of State and a Secretary of State....
for Defence was prepared at Uxbridge for a visit to the Gulf.
Personnel paraded through Uxbridge town centre on 28 November 2007, exercising the Freedom of the borough, granted to the station in 1960. RAF Uxbridge became a satellite station of RAF Northolt on 1 April 2008, in preparation for the eventual closure. In the final years of RAF ownership, the Service Prosecuting Authority and Civil Aviation Authority's Air Proximity
Near miss (safety)
See Close Call, for the 2002 film.A near miss is an unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness, or damage – but had the potential to do so. Only a fortunate break in the chain of events prevented an injury, fatality or damage; in other words, a miss that was nonetheless very near...
(AIRPROX) Board was based in Hillingdon House. The final of the national Carnegie Champions schools rugby tournament was held at the station in August 2008. The link between RAF Uxbridge and the Royal Observer Corps was renewed in 2008 with the closure of RAF Bentley Priory and the relocation to Uxbridge of ROC memorabilia from the Priory Officers' Mess for safekeeping and display. The Royal Observer Corps had been stood down from operational duties in December 1995.
The Queen's Colour Squadron returned from a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2009, with a homecoming parade through Uxbridge town centre held on 5 August 2009. Over 20,000 people watched the parade, which started from Uxbridge Magistrates Court, passing through the High Street to the RAF station.
RAF units
Sources: RAF Uxbridge 90th Anniversary 1917–2007, RAF Uxbridge – A Fond Farewell, and Ministry of Defence.| Unit | Dates |
|---|---|
| RAF Depot | October 1918– |
| HQ, No. 2 Group RAF No. 2 Group RAF Number 2 Group is a Group of the Royal Air Force which was first activated in 1918, served from 1918–20, from 1936 through the Second World War to 1947, from 1948 to 1958, from 1993 to 1996, was reactivated in 2000, and is today part of Air Command.... |
7 July 1919 – 31 March 1920 |
| No. 1 Squadron RAF No. 1 Squadron RAF No. 1 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It operated the Harrier GR9 from RAF Cottesmore until 28 January 2011.The squadron motto is In omnibus princeps , appropriate for the RAF's oldest squadron and one that has been involved in almost every major British military operation since... |
19 September 1919 – 21 January 1920 |
| No. 24 Squadron RAF | 19 September 1919 – 1 February 1920 |
| No. 4 Squadron RAF | 20 September 1919 – 30 April 1920 |
| HQ, Southern Area | 20 September 1919 – 1 April 1920 |
| No. 39 Squadron RAF No. 39 Squadron RAF No. 39 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the MQ-9 Reaper since 2007, operating from Creech AFB, Nevada, USA.-World War I:39 Squadron was founded at Hounslow Heath Aerodrome in April 1916 with B.E.2s and Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12s in an attempt to defend against German Zeppelin raids on... |
20 December 1919 – 12 April 1920 |
| No. 3 Squadron RAF No. 3 Squadron RAF No 3 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Typhoon F2, FGR4 and T3 from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire.No 3 Squadron, which celebrated its 95th anniversary over the weekend of 11-13 May 2007, is unique in the RAF for having two official crests.... |
27 October 1919 – 21 January 1920 |
| No. 207 Squadron RAF | 16–20 January 1920 |
| HQ, Inland Area | 1 April 1920 – 1 June 1926 |
| HQ, Air Defence of Great Britain Air Defence of Great Britain The Air Defence of Great Britain was a RAF command comprising substantial Army and RAF elements responsible for the air defence of the British Isles... |
1 June 1926 – 13 July 1936 |
| HQ, Fighting Area | 7 July 1926 – 1 May 1936 |
| HQ, Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental... |
14 July 1936 – 13 March 1940 |
| HQ, No. 11 Group RAF No. 11 Group RAF No. 11 Group was a group in the Royal Air Force for various periods in the 20th century, finally disbanding in 1996. Its most famous service was during 1940 when it defended London and the south-east against the attacks of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.-First World War:No. 11 Group was... |
1 May 1936 – 1948 |
| No. 1 Personnel Transit Centre | 23 August – 6 September 1939 |
| No. 8 Aviation Candidates Selection Board | 3 September 1939 – 4 May 1941 |
| No. 1 Aviation Candidates Selection Board | 4 September 1939 – 4 May 1941 |
| No. 2 Aviation Candidates Selection Board | 4 September 1939 – 2 February 1941 |
| HQ, No. 256 Wing | 23–28 April 1940 |
| HQ, 2nd Tactical Air Force RAF Second Tactical Air Force The former RAF Second Tactical Air Force was one of three tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force during and after the Second World War... |
1 February – 20 August 1944 |
| HQ, No. 28 Group RAF | 24 February 1949 – 6 March 1950 |
| No. 6 Trials Unit | 15 July 1954 – 5 January 1955 |
| No. 28 Trials Unit | 21 April 1975 – 1976 |
| Queen's Colour Squadron Queen's Colour Squadron The Queen's Colour Squadron is the unit of the Royal Air Force charged with the safe-keeping of the Queen's Colour for the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom. Since its formation, it has been manned exclusively by officers and men of the RAF Regiment... |
November 1960 – January 2010 |
Closure and redevelopment
Prior to the closure of RAF Uxbridge, Queen Elizabeth II sent a message to the station in February 2010, via her equerryEquerry
An equerry , and related to the French word "écuyer" ) is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually upon a Sovereign, a member of a Royal Family, or a national...
, Wing Commander A.D. Calame, who had served as Officer Commanding the Queen's Colour Squadron between 10 August 2005 and 16 July 2007:
The station closed on 31 March 2010 as part of the Ministry of Defence's Project MoDEL
Project MoDEL
Project MoDEL is a project run for the Ministry of Defence by the ministry's Defence Infrastructure Organisation and VSM Estates, a joint venture established between Vinci PLC and St. Modwen Properties to bid for the contract...
, a programme to reduce the number of defence sites in Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
in favour of a core site at RAF Northolt. The closure ceremony was overseen by the Mayor of Hillingdon and involved parades and the final lowering of the Royal Air Force Ensign over the parade ground. A Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
conducted a flypast of the station. The final units marched to their new station at RAF Northolt the following day. The station, which had received the Freedom of the Borough of Hillingdon, returned the award to the London Borough of Hillingdon as part of the ceremony, though this was returned on 4 September to be stored in the museum of the Battle of Britain Bunker. A commemorative blue plaque dedicated to Douglas Bader was unveiled by the Mayor of Hillingdon at the entrance to the Officers' Mess.
The Middlesex Wing Headquarters of the Air Training Corps
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
(ATC) had been based at the station together with No. 1083 Squadron ATC, which met on Mondays and Thursdays for parade nights. As part of the closing ceremony, personnel of No. 1083 Squadron were presented with the station crest to adopt as their own. The squadron continued to meet at the station until July 2010, when a newly refurbished building at RAF Northolt became available.
The Grade I listed Battle of Britain Bunker is now preserved as a museum open to the public, while the Grade II listed Hillingdon House will be partially converted into a restaurant. The station cinema is also Grade II listed. The Battle of Britain War Memorial is a scheduled protected monument. While not listed, several other buildings on the site were identified within the plans for possible retention. These are the Sick Quarters, the Officers' Mess, the gymnasium, the carpenters' block in the grounds of Hillingdon House and a building near the Battle of Britain Bunker. St. Andrew's Gate will be retained, as will one barrack block (Mons) adjacent to the parade ground.
Plans to develop the remaining 44.6 hectares (110.2 acre) of the site were approved by the London Borough of Hillingdon in January 2011 for 1,340 homes, shops, a theatre and a primary school to be built over 10 years. The council intends the development to become an extension of Uxbridge town centre. Early suggestions from the Leader of Hillingdon Council included a theatre with a statue of T.E. Lawrence outside, and a new museum built around the Battle of Britain Bunker. MP for Uxbridge John Randall called in 2009 for Hillingdon Hospital
Hillingdon Hospital
Hillingdon Hospital is an NHS hospital, located in Pield Heath Road, Hillingdon, Greater London. It is a general hospital serving the local area, providing a wide variety of services including Accident and Emergency , In-patients, Day Surgery and Outpatient Clinics...
to be relocated to the site as an alternative to a planned rebuilding project on its existing site. The hospital trust ruled out such a move due to the projected costs.
The area around the Battle of Britain Bunker, including the No. 11 Group memorial, will retain the RAF Uxbridge name and be maintained by RAF Northolt as an enclave. The Royal Air Force Ensign was moved to the area, together with the Supermarine Spitfire gate guardian, a fibreglass replica of aircraft BR600. The Spitfire was refurbished and painted in the D-Day invasion colours of No. 33 Squadron as aircraft BS239, funded by the London Borough of Hillingdon. Uxbridge's first gate guardian was a real Supermarine Spitfire which was unveiled on 23 May 1973. This was sold to a collector for restoration and replaced by the current guardian in 1988. At a service commemorating the Battle of Britain in September 2010, a new Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
gate guardian in the markings of No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron was unveiled, also near the bunker. The guardian is a fibreglass replica of the aircraft flown by Witold Urbanowicz
Witold Urbanowicz
Witold Urbanowicz was a Polish fighter ace of the Second World War. According to the official record, Witold Urbanowicz was the second highest-scoring Polish fighter ace, with 17 confirmed wartime kills and 1 probable, not counting his pre-war victory...
during the Battle of Britain.
The South Hillingdon branch of the St. John Ambulance
St. John Ambulance
St John Ambulance, branded as St John in some territories, is a common name used by a number of affiliated organisations in different countries dedicated to the teaching and practice of medical first aid and the provision of ambulance services, all of which derive their origins from the St John...
service was based at RAF Uxbridge until the closure in 2010 led to a period of uncertainty over its relocation. Eventually, RAF Northolt provided the charity with new premises, which were available from January 2011.
In June 2011, it was announced that the public right of way from St Andrew's Gate in the north-west to Vine Lane in the north-east would be reopened, after work to fence off the pathway was completed. The path, 800 metres (2,624.7 ft) long, was the subject of a petition submitted to Hillingdon Council in 2010 and had been closed since 1988. By early August 2011, the path had been reopened.
Further reading
- A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4, 1971, pp. 55–69
- British History Online
- R.H.Cox records
External links
- English Heritage record for RAF Uxbridge
- English Heritage record for the No. 11 Group Operations Room, RAF Uxbridge
- Account of a visit to the restored ops room, with photographs
- London Borough of Hillingdon — RAF Uxbridge Planning Project
- Royal Air Force Association Battle of Britain Club
- 1083 Squadron Air Training Corps
Videos