RAF Stradishall: Difference between revisions

Add links
Coordinates: 52°08′06″N 000°30′51″E / 52.13500°N 0.51417°E / 52.13500; 0.51417
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m ←Redirected page to Stradishall
 
Closed, converted into Solar Farm
 
(40 intermediate revisions by 29 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Former Royal Air Force station in Suffolk, England}}
#REDIRECT [[Stradishall]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2013}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = RAF Stradishall
| ensign = Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg
| ensign_size = 90px
| native_name =
| partof = <!-- for elements within a larger site -->
| location = [[Stradishall]], [[Suffolk]]
| country = England
| image = [[File:RAF Stradishall station crest.jpg|200px]]
| caption = [[Latin]]: ''Vires de caelo''<br>("Might from the sky")
| image2 = [[File:RAF Stradishall 1945.png|250px]]
| caption2 = Aerial view in 1945
| type = Royal Air Force station
| coordinates = {{Coord|52|08|06|N|000|30|51|E|region:GB_type:airport|display=inline,title}}
| gridref = TL720515{{sfn|Birtles|2012|p=48}}
| pushpin_map = Suffolk#UK
| pushpin_map_caption = Shown within Suffolk
| pushpin_label = RAF Stradishall
| pushpin_label_position =
| ownership = [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]]
| operator = [[Royal Air Force]]
| controlledby = [[RAF Bomber Command]] 1938-49<BR>* [[No. 3 Group RAF]]<BR>[[RAF Fighter Command]] 1949-61<BR>* [[No. 12 Group RAF]]<BR>[[RAF Flying Training Command]] 1961-70
| open_to_public = <!-- for out of use sites/sites with museums etc -->
| site_other_label = <!-- for renaming "Other facilities" in infobox -->
| site_other = <!-- for other sorts of facilities – radar types etc -->
| site_area = <!-- area of site m2, km2 square mile etc -->
| code = <!--facility/installation code -->
| built = {{Start date|1937}}
| used = February 1938 - {{End date|1970}}
| builder =
| fate =
| condition =
| battles = [[European theatre of World War II]]
| events =
| past_commanders = <!-- past notable commander(s) -->
| garrison = <!-- such as the 25th Bombardment Group -->
| occupants = <!-- squadrons only -->
| designations =
| website =
| footnotes = <!-- catchall in case it's needed to preserve something in infobox -->
<!-- begin airfield information -->
| IATA =
| ICAO =
| LID =
| GPS =
| WMO =
| elevation = {{Convert|116|m|0}}
| r1-number = 02/20
| r1-length = <!-- {{Convert|1285|m|0}} -->
| r1-surface = Concrete
| r2-number = 06/24
| r2-length = <!-- {{Convert|1795|m|0}} -->
| r2-surface = Concrete
| r3-number = 12/30
| r3-length = <!-- {{Convert|1275|m|0}} -->
| r3-surface = Concrete
| h1-number =
| h1-length = <!-- {{Convert| |m|0}} -->
| h1-surface =
| airfield_other_label = <!-- for renaming "Other facilities" in infobox -->
| airfield_other = <!-- for other sorts of airfield facilities -->
<!-- end airfield information -->
}}
'''Royal Air Force Stradishall''' or more simply '''RAF Stradishall''' is a former [[Royal Air Force]] station located {{Convert|7|mi}} north east of [[Haverhill, Suffolk|Haverhill]], [[Suffolk]] and {{Convert|9|mi}} south west of [[Bury St Edmunds]], Suffolk, [[England]].


==History==
[[Category:Military history of Suffolk]]

[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1942]]
In his memoirs,<ref>Peden, Murray, "A Thousand Shall Fall," Dundurn (1 April 2003)</ref> [[Murray Peden]], a [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] pilot, recounts his training at Stradishall. In the RAF's "heavy conversion unit" (No. 1657 Heavy Conversion Unit<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sturtivant |first1=Ray |first2=John F. |last2=Hamlin |title=RAF Flying Training And Support Units since 1912 |location=Tonbridge, Kent, UK |publisher=Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd.|year=2007 |isbn=0-85130-365-X }}</ref>) at the airfield, he and others were trained to fly [[Short Stirling]] bombers. He describes in detail his experiences flying there, and the life on the ground of aircrew who were shortly to begin operations over [[Nazi Germany]] as part of [[RAF Bomber Command]] during the [[World War II|Second World War]].
[[Category:Royal Air Force stations in Suffolk|S]]

The airfield was home to a number of squadrons during its lifetime:
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* [[No. 1 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p23">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=23.}}</ref>
* [[No. 9 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p27">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=27.}}</ref>
* [[No. 35 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p37">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=37.}}</ref>
* [[No. 51 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p41">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=41.}}</ref>
* [[No. 54 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p42">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=42.}}</ref>
* [[No. 75 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p48">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=48.}}</ref>
* [[No. 85 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p51">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=51.}}</ref>
* [[No. 89 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p51"/>
* [[No. 101 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p54">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=54.}}</ref>
* [[No. 109 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p55">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=55.}}</ref>
* [[No. 115 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p57">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=57.}}</ref>
* [[No. 125 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p58">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=58.}}</ref>
* [[No. 138 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p60">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=60.}}</ref>
* [[No. 148 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p62">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=62.}}</ref>
* [[No. 149 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p62"/>
* [[No. 150 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p62"/>
* [[No. 152 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p63">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=63.}}</ref>
* [[No. 158 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p63"/>
* [[No. 186 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p66">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=66.}}</ref>
* [[No. 207 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p69">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=69.}}</ref>
* [[No. 208 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p69"/>
* [[No. 214 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p71">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=71.}}</ref>
* [[No. 215 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p71"/>
* [[No. 236 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p75">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=75.}}</ref>
* [[No. 245 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p77">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=77.}}</ref>
* [[No. 254 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p79">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=79.}}</ref>
* [[No. 263 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p80">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=80.}}</ref>
* [[No. 311 Squadron RAF]]<ref name="Jefford1988p85">{{Harvnb|Jefford|1988|p=85.}}</ref>
}}

The following units were also here at some point:<ref name="ABCT">{{cite web|url=https://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/airfield-finder/stradishall/ |title=Stradishall |publisher=[[Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust]]|access-date=7 March 2023}}</ref>
{{columns-list|colwidth=40em|
* [[No. 1 Air Navigation School RAF]]
* [[No. 3 Group Training Flight RAF]]
* No. 7 Conversion Flight RAF
* [[No. 21 Blind Approach Training Flight RAF]]
* [[No. 23 OTU|No. 23 Operational Training Unit RAF]]
* No. 26 Heavy Glider Maintenance Section RAF
* No. 31 Base RAF
* No. 149 Conversion Flight RAF
* [[No. 203 Advanced Flying School RAF]]
* No. 214 Conversion Flight RAF
* No. 218 Conversion Flight RAF
* [[No. 226 Operational Conversion Unit RAF]]
* [[No. 419 (Special Duties) Flight RAF]]
* [[No. 1419 (Special Duties) Flight RAF]]
* [[No. 1427 (Ferry Training) Flight RAF]]
* [[No. 1474 (Special Duties) Flight RAF]]
* [[No. 1521 (Beam Approach Training) Flight RAF]]
* No. 2 Section, [[No. 1552 (Radio Aids Training) Flight RAF]]
* [[No. 1556 (Radio Aids Training) Flight RAF]]
* [[No. 1657 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF]]
* [[No. 2725 Squadron RAF Regiment]]
* [[No. 2754 Squadron RAF Regiment]]
* [[New Zealand Flight RAF]]
* [[Photographic Development Unit RAF]]
}}
[[File:214 Squadron Wellington repair at RAF Stradishall WWII IWM CH 1416.jpg|thumb|left|{{center|[[No. 214 Squadron RAF|214 Squadron]] [[Vickers Wellington|Wellington]] being repaired and overhauled at RAF Stradishall}}]]

==Current use==
The airfield closed in 1970 and is now the site of two category C prisons: [[Highpoint North (HM Prison)|HMP Highpoint North]] and [[Highpoint South (HM Prison)|HMP Highpoint South]]. Part of the former airfield remains a [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] training site which is not accessible to the public.

The airfield has been sold to a private buyer to be converted into farm land.

The Airfield is a Solar Farm with grazing for cattle and nature walk. It is open from dawn to dusk.

There is a memorial to RAF Stradishall outside Stirling House which was once part of the officers quarters and is now a training unit for the Prison service.

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
*{{cite book |last1=Birtles|first1=P.|title=UK Airfields of the Cold War |year=2012 |publisher= Midland Publishing|isbn=978-1-85780-346-4}}
*{{wikicite|ref={{harvid|Jefford|1988}}|reference=Jefford, C.G. ''RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912''. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988. {{ISBN|1-84037-141-2}}.}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|RAF Stradishall}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110805174457/http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/s47.html History of Bomber Command]
* [http://www.rafweb.org/Stations/Stations-S.htm#Stradishall Unit details]
* [http://splashdown2.tripod.com/theroyalairforce/id8.html RAF Stradishall]
* [http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Suffolk/StradishallRAF.html RAF Stradishall history]

{{Royal Air Force}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stradishall}}
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1938]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force stations in Suffolk]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force stations of World War II in the United Kingdom]]

Latest revision as of 16:46, 16 February 2024

RAF Stradishall
Stradishall, Suffolk in England
Latin: Vires de caelo
("Might from the sky")
Aerial view in 1945
RAF Stradishall is located in Suffolk
RAF Stradishall
RAF Stradishall
Shown within Suffolk
RAF Stradishall is located in the United Kingdom
RAF Stradishall
RAF Stradishall
RAF Stradishall (the United Kingdom)
Coordinates52°08′06″N 000°30′51″E / 52.13500°N 0.51417°E / 52.13500; 0.51417
Grid referenceTL720515[1]
TypeRoyal Air Force station
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defence
OperatorRoyal Air Force
Controlled byRAF Bomber Command 1938-49
* No. 3 Group RAF
RAF Fighter Command 1949-61
* No. 12 Group RAF
RAF Flying Training Command 1961-70
Site history
Built1937 (1937)
In useFebruary 1938 - 1970 (1970)
Battles/warsEuropean theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation116 metres (381 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
02/20  Concrete
06/24  Concrete
12/30  Concrete

Royal Air Force Stradishall or more simply RAF Stradishall is a former Royal Air Force station located 7 miles (11 km) north east of Haverhill, Suffolk and 9 miles (14 km) south west of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England.

History[edit]

In his memoirs,[2] Murray Peden, a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot, recounts his training at Stradishall. In the RAF's "heavy conversion unit" (No. 1657 Heavy Conversion Unit[3]) at the airfield, he and others were trained to fly Short Stirling bombers. He describes in detail his experiences flying there, and the life on the ground of aircrew who were shortly to begin operations over Nazi Germany as part of RAF Bomber Command during the Second World War.

The airfield was home to a number of squadrons during its lifetime:

The following units were also here at some point:[26]

214 Squadron Wellington being repaired and overhauled at RAF Stradishall

Current use[edit]

The airfield closed in 1970 and is now the site of two category C prisons: HMP Highpoint North and HMP Highpoint South. Part of the former airfield remains a Ministry of Defence training site which is not accessible to the public.

The airfield has been sold to a private buyer to be converted into farm land.

The Airfield is a Solar Farm with grazing for cattle and nature walk. It is open from dawn to dusk.

There is a memorial to RAF Stradishall outside Stirling House which was once part of the officers quarters and is now a training unit for the Prison service.

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ Birtles 2012, p. 48.
  2. ^ Peden, Murray, "A Thousand Shall Fall," Dundurn (1 April 2003)
  3. ^ Sturtivant, Ray; Hamlin, John F. (2007). RAF Flying Training And Support Units since 1912. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-365-X.
  4. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 23.
  5. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 27.
  6. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 37.
  7. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 41.
  8. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 42.
  9. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 48.
  10. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 51.
  11. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 54.
  12. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 55.
  13. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 57.
  14. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 58.
  15. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 60.
  16. ^ a b c Jefford 1988, p. 62.
  17. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 63.
  18. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 66.
  19. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 69.
  20. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 71.
  21. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 75.
  22. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 77.
  23. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 79.
  24. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 80.
  25. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 85.
  26. ^ "Stradishall". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 7 March 2023.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Birtles, P. (2012). UK Airfields of the Cold War. Midland Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-346-4.
  • Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Stradishall.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=RAF_Stradishall&oldid=1208154000"