RAF Southend

RAF Southend RAF Rochford
Rochford, Essex in England
Personnel of 121 Squadron watch Supermarine Spitfires coming into land at RAF Rochford, August 1943
Site information
Type	Royal Air Force station
Owner	Air Ministry Admiralty
Operator	Royal Air Force Royal Naval Air Service
Controlled by	RAF Fighter Command
Location
RAF Southend Shown within Essex Show map of Essex RAF Southend RAF Southend (the United Kingdom) Show map of the United Kingdom
Coordinates	51°34′13″N000°41′36″E / 51.57028°N 0.69333°E / 51.57028; 0.69333
Site history
Built	1915 (1915) & 1939
In use	1915 - 1919 1939 - 1945 (1945)
Fate	Civilian use as London Southend Airport
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Runways Direction Length and surface 05/23  Grass

Royal Air Force Southend or more simply RAF Southend is a former Royal Air Force station located near to Rochford, Essex, UK. At the start of the Second World War it was known as RAF Rochford.

The site is now known as London Southend Airport. ^[1]

Units

The following units were here at some point: ^{[2] [3]}

• No. 19 Squadron RAF between 16 and 20 August 1942 with the Supermarine Spitfire VB then again between 12 and 20 May 1944 with the North American Mustang III ^[4]
• No. 37 Squadron RAF
• No. 41 Squadron RAF
• No. 54 Squadron RAF
• No. 56 Squadron RAF
• No. 61 Squadron RAF
• No. 64 Squadron RAF
• No. 65 (East India) Squadron RAF
• No. 66 Squadron RAF
• No. 74 Squadron RAF
• No. 121 (Eagle) Squadron RAF
• No. 122 (Bombay) Squadron RAF
• No. 124 (Baroda) Squadron RAF
• No. 127 Squadron RAF
• No. 137 Squadron RAF
• No. 141 Squadron RAF
• No. 151 Squadron RAF
• No. 152 (Hyderabad) Squadron RAF
• No. 222 (Natal) Squadron RAF
• No. 234 (Madras Presidency) Squadron RAF
• No. 264 (Madras Presidency) Squadron RAF
• No. 287 Squadron RAF
• No. 291 Squadron RAF
• No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron
• No. 310 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF
• No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF
• No. 313 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF
• No. 317 Polish Fighter Squadron
• No. 331 (Norwegian) Squadron RAF
• No. 332 (Norwegian) Squadron RAF
• No. 349 (Belgian) Squadron RAF
• No. 350 (Belgian) Squadron RAF
• No. 402 Squadron RCAF
• No. 403 Squadron RCAF
• No. 411 Squadron RCAF
• No. 453 Squadron RAAF
• No. 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron AAF
• No. 600 (City of London) Squadron AAF
• No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron AAF
• No. 611 (West Lancashire) Squadron AAF
• No. 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron AAF

First World War units

• No. 11 (Home Defence) Reserve Squadron RFC between 24 January and 8 February 1917 ^[5] became No. 98 Depot Squadron RFC between 8 February and 27 June 1917, became No. 198 Depot Squadron RFC between 27 June and 21 December 1917, became No. 198 (Night) Training Squadron RAF between 21 December 1917 and May 1919 when the unit disbanded ^[6]
• No. 99 Depot Squadron RFC between 1 and 23 June 1917 ^[6]
• No. 190 Depot Squadron RFC between 24 October and 21 December 1917, became No. 190 (Night) Training Squadron RFC between 21 December 1917 and 14 March 1918 ^[6]

Units

• Detachment from No. 6 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF between 19 August and 18 September 1943 ^[7]
• No. 17 Armament Practice Camp RAF between 18 October 1943 and 27 August 1944 ^[8]
• No. 34 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF between 1 January and 3 September 1939 ^[9]
• Salvage Ferry Service Detachment from No. 71 Maintenance Unit RAF from 1 April 1945 ^[10]
• No. 148 Gliding School RAF between July 1944 and 16 June 1949 ^[11]
• No. 413 (Polish) Repair & Salvage Unit RAF between 3 January and 15 March 1944 ^[12]
• No. 1488 (Fighter) Gunnery Flight RAF initially between 22 April and 7 June 1942 then between 17 August and 18 October 1943 ^[13]
• No. 1488 (Target Towing) Flight RAF between 9 February and 22 April 1942 ^[13]
• No. 2703 Squadron RAF Regiment ^[1]
• No. 2729 Squadron RAF Regiment ^[1]
• No. 2761 Squadron RAF Regiment ^[1]
• No. 2766 Squadron RAF Regiment ^[1]
• No. 2810 Squadron RAF Regiment ^[1]
• No. 2820 Squadron RAF Regiment ^[1]
• No. 2830 Squadron RAF Regiment ^[1]
• No. 2834 Squadron RAF Regiment ^[1]
• No. 2839 Squadron RAF Regiment ^[1]
• No. 2877 Squadron RAF Regiment ^[1]
• 'C' Section from No. 3209 Servicing Commando between 12 December 1943 and 1 February 1944 ^[14]

Current use

The site is now London Southend Airport. ^[1]

See also

• List of former Royal Air Force stations

References

Citations

1. "Southend (Eastwood) (Rochford)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust . Retrieved 16 September 2025.
2. Jefford 2001, p. 163.
3. Jefford 2001, p. 166.
4. Jefford 2001, p. 34.
5. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 276.
6. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 280.
7. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 62.
8. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 65.
9. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 106.
10. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 178.
11. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 145.
12. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 223.
13. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 124.
14. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 233.

Bibliography

• Jefford, C. G. (2001). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN   1-84037-141-2.
• Sturtivant, Ray; Hamlin, John (2007). Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912. Tonbridge, UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN   978-0851-3036-59.