RAF Perranporth

RAF Perranporth
Perranporth, Cornwall in England
Site information
Type	Satellite Station
Code	PP
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	Royal Air Force
Controlled by	RAF Fighter Command 1941-44 RAF Coastal Command 1944 RAF Transport Command 1944-
Location
RAF Perranporth Shown within Cornwall
Coordinates	50°19′53″N005°10′36″W / 50.33139°N 5.17667°W / 50.33139; -5.17667
Site history
Built	1940 (1940)/41
In use	April 1941 – April 1946
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation	97 metres (318 ft) [1] AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 05/23  Tarmac 09/27  Tarmac 18/36  Tarmac

Royal Air Force Perranporth or more simply RAF Perranporth is a former Royal Air Force satellite station situated near Perranporth, Cornwall, in the United Kingdom.

History

The 330 acre (134 hectares) airfield was built as an RAF Fighter Command station in the Second World War in 1941 and is situated on Cligga cliffs in the north of Cornwall.

Rare 1942 film footage of RAF pilots and Spitfires at RAF Perranporth is shown on the BBC website. ^[2]

Squadrons

• No. 19 Squadron RAF ^[3]
• No. 65 (East India) Squadron RAF ^[4]
• No. 66 Squadron RAF ^[4]
• No. 118 Squadron RAF ^[5]
• No. 130 (Punjab) Squadron RAF ^[6]
• No. 132 (City of Bombay) Squadron RAF ^[6]
• No. 183 (Gold Coast) Squadron RAF ^[7]
• No. 234 (Madras Presidency) Squadron RAF ^[8]
• No. 276 Squadron RAF ^[9]
• No. 286 Squadron RAF ^[10]
• No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron ^[11]
• No. 310 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF ^[12]
• No. 317 Polish Fighter Squadron ^[13]
• No. 329 (GC I/2 'Cicognes') Squadron RAF ^[14]
• No. 340 (GC IV/2 Île-de-France) Squadron RAF ^[14]
• No. 341 (GC III/2 'Alsace') Squadron RAF ^[15]
• No. 412 Squadron RCAF ^[16]
• No. 453 Squadron RAAF ^[17]
• No. 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron AAF ^[18]
• No. 610 (County of Chester) Squadron AAF ^[19]
• No. 639 Squadron RAF ^[20]

Units

• No. 18 Terminal Staging Post ^[21]
• No. 19 Terminal Staging Post ^[21]
• No. 92 Staging Post ^[21]
• No. 95 Gliding School RAF ^[21]
• No. 120 (Major) Staging Post ^[21]
• No. 122 (Major) Staging Post ^[21]
• No. 123 (Major) Staging Post ^[21]
• No. 145 (French) Airfield Headquarters RAF ^[21]
• No. 1602 (Anti-Aircraft Co-operation) Flight RAF ^[21]
• No. 2828 Squadron RAF Regiment ^[21]
• Air Sea Rescue Flight RAF, Perranporth (1941) became 'C' Flight, No. 276 Squadron RAF ^[22]

Current use

The airfield was later converted to civilian use as Perranporth Airfield; it currently has three hard surface runways and two grass strips.

References

Citations

1. Falconer 1998, p. 70.
2. BBC news – 2009-Nov-06 – Spitfire pilot hi-jinks found on film Archived 7 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine
3. Jefford 1988, p. 30.
4. Jefford 1988, p. 45.
5. Jefford 1988, p. 57.
6. Jefford 1988, p. 59.
7. Jefford 1988, p. 66.
8. Jefford 1988, p. 75.
9. Jefford 1988, p. 82.
10. Jefford 1988, p. 83.
11. Jefford 1988, p. 84.
12. Jefford 1988, p. 85.
13. Jefford 1988, p. 86.
14. Jefford 1988, p. 87.
15. Jefford 1988, p. 88.
16. Jefford 1988, p. 90.
17. Jefford 1988, p. 93.
18. Jefford 1988, p. 98.
19. Jefford 1988, p. 99.
20. Jefford 1988, p. 101.
21. "Perranporth". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust . Retrieved 1 October 2021.
22. Lake 1999, p. 22.

Bibliography

• Falconer, J (1998). RAF Fighter Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN   0-7110-2175-9.
• 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.
• Lake, A (1999). Flying units of the RAF. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN   1-84037-086-6.