RAF Funtington

RAF Funtington
Funtington, West Sussex in England
Site information
Type	RAF advanced landing ground
Code	FJ [1]
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	Royal Air Force
Controlled by	RAF Second Tactical Air Force * No. 83 Group RAF * No. 84 Group RAF RAF Fighter Command * No. 11 Group RAF
Location
RAF Funtington Shown within West Sussex Show map of West Sussex RAF Funtington RAF Funtington (the United Kingdom) Show map of the United Kingdom
Coordinates	50°51′41″N000°52′01″W / 50.86139°N 0.86694°W / 50.86139; -0.86694
Site history
Built	1943 (1943)
In use	September 1943 - 13 December 1944 (1944)
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation	35 metres (115 ft) [1] AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface E/W 1,464 metres (4,803 ft)  Sommerfeld Tracking NW/SE 1,097 metres (3,599 ft) Sommerfeld Tracking

Royal Air Force Funtington or more simply RAF Funtington is a former Royal Air Force advanced landing ground located in West Sussex, England.

History

The following units were here at some point:

• No. 122 Airfield Headquarters RAF became No. 122 (Rocket Projectile) Wing with North American Mustang I's ^[2]
  • No. 19 Squadron RAF (1944) ^[3]
  • No. 65 (East India) Squadron RAF (1944) ^[4]
  • No. 122 (Bombay) Squadron RAF (1944) ^[5]
• No. 130 Airfield Headquarters RAF with Mustang I's ^[6]
  • No. 4 Squadron RAF (1943) ^[7]
  • No. 268 Squadron RAF (1943) ^[8]
• No. 143 (RCAF) Airfield Headquarters RAF with Hawker Typhoon I's ^[6]
  • No. 438 Squadron RCAF (1944) ^[9]
  • No. 439 Squadron RCAF (1944) ^[9]
  • No. 440 Squadron RCAF (1944) ^[9]
• No. 144 (RCAF) Airfield Headquarters RAF became No. 144 (RCAF) (Fighter) Wing with Supermarine Spitfire IX's ^[6]
  • No. 441 Squadron RCAF (1944) ^[9]
  • No. 442 Squadron RCAF (1944) ^[9]
  • No. 443 Squadron RCAF (1944) ^[9]
• No. 123 (Rocket Projectile) Wing with Typhoon I's ^[6]
  • No. 198 Squadron RAF (1944) ^[10]
  • No. 609 (West Riding) Squadron AAF (1944) ^[11]
• No. 136 (Fighter) Wing with Typhoon I's ^[6]
  • No. 164 (Argentine–British) Squadron RAF (1944) ^[12]
  • No. 183 (Gold Coast) Squadron RAF (1944) ^[13]
• No. 145 (French) (Fighter) Wing with Spitfire IX's ^[6]
  • No. 329 (GC I/2 'Cicognes') Squadron RAF (1944) ^[14]
  • No. 340 (GC IV/2 Île-de-France) Squadron RAF (1944) ^[14]
  • No. 341 (GC III/2 'Alsace') Squadron RAF (1944) ^[15]
• No. 135 (Fighter) Wing with Spitfire IX's ^[16]
  • No. 33 Squadron RAF (1944) ^[17]
  • No. 222 (Natal) Squadron RAF (1944) ^[18]
  • No. 349 (Belgian) Squadron RAF (1944) ^[15]
  • No. 485 Squadron RNZAF (1944) ^[19]
• No. 132 (Norwegian) (Fighter) Wing with Spitfire IX's ^[16]
  • No. 66 Squadron RAF (1944) ^[4]
  • No. 127 Squadron RAF (1944) ^[20]
  • No. 331 (Norwegian) Squadron RAF (1944) ^[14]
  • No. 332 (Norwegian) Squadron RAF (1944) ^[14]

The following units were also here at some point:

• No. 20 (Fighter) Sector ^[21]
• No. 411 (Polish) Repair & Salvage Unit ^[21]
• No. 419 (RCAF) Repair & Salvage Unit ^[21]
• No. 421 Repair & Salvage Unit ^[21]
• No. 1301 Mobile Wing RAF Regiment ^[21]
• No. 1309 Mobile Wing RAF Regiment ^[21]
• No. 2701 Squadron RAF Regiment ^[21]
• No. 2702 Squadron RAF Regiment ^[21]
• No. 2739 Squadron RAF Regiment ^[21]
• No. 2800 Squadron RAF Regiment ^[21]
• No. 2819 Squadron RAF Regiment ^[21]
• No. 3208 Servicing Commando ^[21]

Current use

The site has been reverted to farmland. ^[21]

References

Citations

1. Falconer 2012, p. 97.
2. Ashworth 1985, p. 119.
3. Jefford 1988, p. 30.
4. Jefford 1988, p. 45.
5. Jefford 1988, p. 58.
6. Ashworth 1985, p. 120.
7. Jefford 1988, p. 24.
8. Jefford 1988, p. 81.
9. Jefford 1988, p. 92.
10. Jefford 1988, p. 67.
11. Jefford 1988, p. 99.
12. Jefford 1988, p. 64.
13. Jefford 1988, p. 66.
14. Jefford 1988, p. 87.
15. Jefford 1988, p. 88.
16. Ashworth 1985, p. 121.
17. Jefford 1988, p. 36.
18. Jefford 1988, p. 72.
19. Jefford 1988, p. 94.
20. Jefford 1988, p. 59.
21. "Funtington". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust . Retrieved 4 April 2022.

Bibliography

• Ashworth, C (1985). Action Stations: Vol 9. Military airfields of the Central South and South-East. Wellingborough: Patrick Stephens Limited. ISBN   0-85059-608-4.
• Falconer, Jonathan (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.