RAF Barford St John

RAF Barford St John
Near Bloxham, Oxfordshire in England
Aerial view of RAF Barford St John during 2011
RAF Barford St John Shown within Oxfordshire
Coordinates	52°00′13″N001°21′36″W / 52.00361°N 1.36000°W / 52.00361; -1.36000
Type	Royal Air Force station (US Visiting Forces)
Code	BJ [1]
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	United States Air Force
Controlled by	US Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa Formerly RAF Flying Training Command RAF Bomber Command * No. 92 (OTU) Group RAF
Condition	Operational
Site history
Built	1941 (1941)
In use	1941 – 1946 (Royal Air Force) 1951 – present (US Air Force)
Airfield information
Elevation	120 metres (394 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 09/27 1,670 metres (5,479 ft)  Asphalt 16/34 1,215 metres (3,986 ft) Asphalt 02/20 1,210 metres (3,970 ft) Asphalt
Notes: Flying ceased in 1946

Royal Air Force Barford St John or more simply RAF Barford St John is a Royal Air Force station just north of the village of Barford St. John, Oxfordshire, England. It is now a non-flying facility, operated by the United States Air Force as a communications centre with many large communications aerials, and is a satellite of RAF Croughton.

History

RAF use

RAF Barford St John was opened on 30 July 1941 as a training facility for RAF Flying Training Command. It had three grass runways, used primarily by Airspeed Oxfords of No. 15 Service Flying Training School RAF from RAF Kidlington. ^[2] The airfield was rebuilt as an RAF Bomber Command airfield with paved runways and night operations equipment and reopened as a satellite for RAF Upper Heyford in December 1942. ^[2] In 1943 the station served as flight test centre for its Gloster E.28/39 and Gloster Meteor jet aircraft. ^[3] Bomber Command and No. 16 Operational Training Unit was stationed there with Vickers Wellingtons until December 1944. ^[2] No. 1655 Mosquito Training Unit RAF replaced the Wellingtons at that time. ^[2] After the war the airfield was closed in 1946 and placed into care and maintenance. ^[2]

The site was used for some background filming for the 1949 film Twelve O'Clock High . ^{[4] [5] [6]}

The following units were also there at some point: ^[7]

• No. 4 Squadron RAF ^[8]
• Satellite for No. 21 Heavy Glider Conversion Unit RAF (December 1944) ^[9]
• No. 169 Squadron RAF ^[10]
• No. 170 Squadron RAF ^[11]

USAF use

In 1951 the United States Air Force opened a communications (transmitter) centre on the airfield. ^[3] The site has a Scope Signal III installation which was used to modernize "Giant Talk", Strategic Air Command's world-wide command and controls network, which operates from RAF Croughton. ^[12]

See also

• List of Royal Air Force stations
• United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa

References

Citations

1. Falconer 2012, p. 46.
2. "Barford St John Airfield". Heritage Gateway. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
3. Crossley, William (20 September 2011). "Base's special place in aviation history". Oxford Mail . Retrieved 26 September 2011.
4. "Twelve O'Clock High". Movie Locations. 1949. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
5. CQ: The Radio Amateurs' Journal - Volume 22, p. 42. 1966.
6. "Archbury / 12 O'clock High". Airfield Research Group. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
7. "Barford St John". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust . Retrieved 23 June 2020.
8. Jefford 1988, p. 24.
9. Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 190.
10. Jefford 1988, p. 169.
11. Jefford 1988, p. 65.
12. Duke 1989, p. 314.

Bibliography

• Duke, Simon (1989). U.S. Military Forces and Installations in Europe (SIPRI Monographs). Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0198291329.
• Falconer, J (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN   978-1-85780-349-5.
• Jefford, C.G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN   1-85310-053-6.
• Sturtivant, R; Hamlin, J; Halley, J (1997). Royal Air Force flying training and support units. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN   0-85130-252-1.