RAF Castle Camps

Last updated

RAF Castle Camps
Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg
Castle Camps, Cambridgeshire in England
Cambridgeshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
RAF Castle Camps
Shown within Cambridgeshire
Coordinates 52°03′05″N000°22′43″E / 52.05139°N 0.37861°E / 52.05139; 0.37861
TypeRoyal Air Force station
Satellite station
1940 & 1941-42 & 1943-
Parent station
1942-43
CodeCC [1]
Site information
Owner Air Ministry
Operator Royal Air Force
Controlled by RAF Fighter Command
* No. 11 Group RAF [1]
Site history
Built1940 (1940)
Built byJohn Laing & Son Ltd
In useJune 1940 – January 1946
Battles/wars European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation127 metres (417 ft) [1] AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
00/00 Tarmac
00/00 Tarmac
00/00 Tarmac

RAF Castle Camps was listed as being in Cambridgeshire as it is close to its namesake Cambridgeshire village. It is very near the Suffolk border and the airfield straddled the Essex and Cambridgeshire county border. Construction of the station was started in September 1939. It opened as a satellite of RAF Debden in June 1940 and became a satellite of RAF North Weald in July 1943.

Contents

During the Battle of Britain, one of the units operating from Castle Camps was 85 Squadron, whose Hawker Hurricanes were commanded by Peter Townsend.

The airfield was used by numerous squadrons throughout the Second World War. In 1945, it was commanded by Battle of Britain ace Tim Vigors. [2] It closed in January 1946.

Operational Units and Aircraft

UnitFromToAircraftVersionNotes
No. 85 Squadron RAF 23 May 1940
3 September 1940		19 August 1940
5 September 1940		 Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane		I
I		As a detachment. [3]
Full strength. [3]
No. 73 Squadron RAF 5 September 19406 November 1940Hawker HurricaneI [4]
No. 157 Squadron RAF 18 December 194115 March 1943 de Havilland Mosquito II [5]
No. 605 Squadron RAF 15 March 19436 October 1943de Havilland MosquitoII/VI [6]
No. 456 Squadron RAF 29 March 1943June 1943 Bristol Beaufighter
de Havilland Mosquito		IIF
II/VI		 [7]
No. 527 Squadron RAF 15 June 194328 February 1944 Bristol Blenheim
Hawker Hurricane
de Havilland Hornet Moth 		IV
I
Formed here. [8]
No. 91 Squadron RAF 29 February 194417 March 1944 Supermarine Spitfire XII/XIV [9]
No. 486 Squadron RAF 6 March 1944
29 March 1944		21 March 1944
29 April 1944		 Hawker Typhoon IB [10]
No. 410 Squadron RAF 30 December 194329 April 1944de Havilland MosquitoXIII [11]
No. 68 Squadron RAF 23 June 194428 December 1944de Havilland MosquitoXVII/XIX [12]
No. 151 Squadron RAF 8 October 194419 November 1944de Havilland MosquitoXXX [13]
No. 25 Squadron RAF 27 October 194414 July 1945de Havilland MosquitoXXX/VI [14]
No. 307 Squadron RAF 27 January 194531 May 1945de Havilland MosquitoXXX [15]

The following units were also here at some point: [16]

Current use

Site of RAF Castle Camps from the air in 2011 Former RAF Castle Camps from the air - geograph.org.uk - 2696648.jpg
Site of RAF Castle Camps from the air in 2011

The site has reverted to agricultural use. However the outlines of portions of the runways in the fields (when viewed on Google Earth), can still be seen and some of the perimeter roads are even now in use as farm tracks.

Some of the airfield buildings are still present and being used by local farms and industry.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JHC FS Aldergrove</span> Ministry of Defence Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station

Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station Aldergrove, also known as simply JHC FS Aldergrove, is a British military base located 4.4 miles (7.1 km) south of Antrim, Northern Ireland and 18 miles (29 km) northwest of Belfast, and adjoins Belfast International Airport. It is sometimes referred to simply as Aldergrove which is the name of a nearby hamlet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Ballyhalbert</span> Former Royal Air Force station in Northern Ireland

Royal Air Force Ballyhalbert or more simply RAF Ballyhalbert is a former Royal Air Force station at Ballyhalbert on the Ards Peninsula, County Down, Northern Ireland

Royal Air Force Blackbushe or more simply RAF Blackbushe is a former Royal Air Force station in Hampshire, England, during the Second World War. It is now Blackbushe Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Catterick</span> Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire, England

Royal Air Force Catterick or RAF Catterick is a former Royal Air Force airfield located near Catterick, North Yorkshire in England. It is located alongside the A6055 road on the outskirts of Catterick Village.

Royal Air Force Bircham Newton or more simply RAF Bircham Newton is a former Royal Air Force station located 2.1 miles (3.4 km) south east of Docking, Norfolk and 13.4 miles (21.6 km) north east of King's Lynn, Norfolk, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Colerne</span> Former airfield in Wiltshire, England

Royal Air Force Colerne or more simply RAF Colerne is a former Royal Air Force station which was on the outskirts of the village of Colerne in Wiltshire, England, and was in use from 1939 to 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Detling</span> Former Royal Air Force station in Kent, England

Royal Air Force Detling, or more simply RAF Detling, is a former Royal Air Force station situated 600 feet (180 m) above sea level, located near Detling, a village about 4 miles (6.4 km) miles north-east of Maidstone, Kent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Acklington</span> Former Royal Air Force station in Northumberland, England

Royal Air Force Acklington, simply known as RAF Acklington, is a former Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force station located 3.2 miles (5.1 km) south west of Amble, Northumberland and 8.8 miles (14.2 km) north east of Morpeth, Northumberland.

Royal Air Force Bramcote, or more simply RAF Bramcote, is a former Royal Air Force station located 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south-east of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England used during the Second World War. It was later transferred to the Admiralty and was known as Royal Naval Air Station Bramcote,, and when commissioned became HMS Gamecock. When it subsequently transferred to the British Army from the Admiralty, it was called Gamecock Barracks.

Royal Air Force Blyton or more simply RAF Blyton is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located in Lincolnshire, 4.8 miles (7.7 km) north east of Gainsborough, and 9.6 miles (15.4 km) south of Scunthorpe, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Cranage</span> Former RAF base in Cheshire, England

Royal Air Force Cranage or more simply RAF Cranage is a former Royal Air Force Satellite station operated during the Second World War. It was located just to the North of Middlewich, Cheshire, England.

Royal Air Force Bolt Head or more simply RAF Bolt Head is a former Royal Air Force satellite airfield 1 mile (1.6 km) south west of Salcombe on the south Devon coast, England from 1941 to 1945. During the Second World War it was used as a satellite for RAF Exeter. There were two runways, of 3,680 ft at 45° and 4,200 ft at 120°.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Caistor</span> Former Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England

RAF Caistor is a former Royal Air Force Relief Landing Ground located 6.2 miles (10.0 km) south east of Brigg, Lincolnshire and 9.1 miles (14.6 km) north west of Binbrook, Lincolnshire, England, the site is now used for farming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Newchurch</span>

Royal Air Force Newchurch or RAF Newchurch was a temporary Second World War airfield at Newchurch, Kent. It was a base for a Hawker Tempest wing that gave fighter cover over occupied France in the period up to and beyond D-Day and later defended south-east England against attack from V-1 flying bombs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Bradwell Bay</span>

Royal Air Force Bradwell Bay or more simply RAF Bradwell Bay is a former Royal Air Force station located 9.5 miles (15.3 km) east of Maldon, Essex, England and 3.1 miles (5 km) south west of West Mersea, Essex.

RAF Appledram is a former Royal Air Force Advanced Landing Ground 2.3 miles (3.7 km) southwest of Chichester, West Sussex and 12.2 miles (19.6 km) east of Portsmouth, Hampshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Peterhead</span> Former airfield in Scotland, UK

Royal Air Force Peterhead or more simply RAF Peterhead is a former Royal Air Force sector station located 2.4 miles (3.9 km) east of Longside, Aberdeenshire and 3.4 miles (5.5 km) west of Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Royal Air Force Fraserburgh, or more simply RAF Fraserburgh, is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, 3.2 miles (5.1 km) south east of Fraserburgh and 12.3 miles (19.8 km) north west of Peterhead.

Royal Air Force Macmerry or more simply RAF Macmerry is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located 4.5 miles (7.2 km) west of Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland and 11.4 miles (18.3 km) east of Edinburgh. It was situated immediately to the north east of Macmerry on the north side of the A1 road. It has also been called RNAS Macmerry and unofficially RAF Tranent and RAF Penston during its life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Church Fenton</span> Royal Air Force base in Yorkshire, England

Royal Air Force Church Fenton or RAF Church Fenton is a former Royal Air Force (RAF) station located 4.3 miles (6.9 km) south-east of Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England and 6.3 miles (10.1 km) north-west of Selby, North Yorkshire, near the village of Church Fenton.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 Falconer 2012, p. 60.
  2. ↑ Tim Vigors, "Life's Too Short to Cry", p. 235
  3. 1 2 Jefford 1988, p. 50.
  4. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 47.
  5. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 63.
  6. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 99.
  7. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 93.
  8. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 96.
  9. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 52.
  10. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 94.
  11. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 90.
  12. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 46.
  13. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 62.
  14. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 33.
  15. ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 85.
  16. ↑ "Castle Camps". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust . Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  17. ↑ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 314.
  18. ↑ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 184.
  19. ↑ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 55.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.