RAF Westhampnett

RAF Westhampnett USAAF Station AAF-352
Westhampnett, West Sussex in England
Aerial photograph of RAF Westhampnet, the technical site is to the right, 19 April 1946
RAF Westhampnett Shown within West Sussex
Coordinates	50°51′40″N000°45′33″W / 50.86111°N 0.75917°W / 50.86111; -0.75917
Type	Royal Air Force station
Code	WQ [1]
Site information
Owner	Air Ministry
Operator	Royal Air Force United States Army Air Forces 1942
Controlled by	RAF Fighter Command * No. 11 Group RAF 1938-42 & 1942-45 RAF Second Tactical Air Force * No. 83 Group RAF
Site history
Built	1938 (1938) & 1940
In use	July 1940 - 1946 (1946)
Battles/wars	European theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation	33 metres (108 ft) [1] AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 06/24 855 metres (2,805 ft)  Grass 10/28 613 metres (2,011 ft) Grass 14/32 1,300 metres (4,265 ft) Grass
Sources: UK AIP at NATS [2]

Royal Air Force Westhampnett or more simply RAF Westhampnett is a former Royal Air Force satellite station, located in the village of Westhampnett near Chichester, in the English County of West Sussex.

It was built as an emergency landing airfield for fighter aircraft, as a satellite station to RAF Tangmere. Built on land belonging to the Goodwood Estate, the then landowner, the Duke of Richmond, Frederick Gordon-Lennox retained the Title Deed to the land.

History

Royal Air Force use

Squadrons

• No. 41 Squadron RAF., ^[3] from RAF Merston 16 December 1941, to RAF Merston 1 April 1942; operating Supermarine Spitfire Vb
• No. 43 Squadron RAF ^[4]
• No. 65 Squadron RAF ^[5] (1941)
• No. 91 Squadron RAF ^[6] (1943)
• No. 118 Squadron RAF ^[7] (1943 & 1944)
• No. 124 Squadron RAF ^[8] (1942 & 1944)
• No. 129 Squadron RAF ^[9] (1941 & 1942)
• No. 130 Squadron RAF ^[9] (1944)
• No. 131 Squadron RAF ^[9] (1942-43)
• No. 145 Squadron RAF - operating Hawker Hurricane. ^[10] (1940)
• No. 167 Squadron RAF ^[11] (1943)
• No. 174 Squadron RAF ^[12] (1943-44)
• No. 175 Squadron RAF ^[12] (1944)
• No. 184 Squadron RAF ^[13] (1944)
• No. 245 Squadron RAF ^[14] (1943-44)
• No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron ^[15] (1940-41)
• No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron ^[16] (1944)
• No. 340 Squadron RAF ^[17] (1942)
• No. 350 (Belgian) Squadron ^[18] (1944)
• No. 402 Squadron RCAF ^[19] (1944)
• No. 416 Squadron RCAF ^[20] (1942)
• No. 441 Squadron RCAF ^[21] (1944)
• No. 442 Squadron RCAF ^[21] (1944)
• No. 443 Squadron RCAF ^[21] (1944)
• No. 485 (NZ) Squadron RAF ^[22] (1943)
• No. 501 Squadron RAF ^[23] (1943 & 1944)
• No. 602 Squadron RAF - operating Supermarine Spitfire ^[24] (1940)
• No. 610 Squadron RAF - operating Supermarine Spitfire ^[25] (1941, 1943 & 1944)
• No. 614 Squadron RAF ^[25]
• No. 616 Squadron RAF ^[25]
• 787 Naval Air Squadron. ^{[26] [27]}

Units

• No. 83 Group Support Unit during November 1944 ^[28]
• No. 121 Airfield RAF between October 1943 and April 1944 ^[29]
• No. 144 (RCAF) Airfield RAF during April 1944 ^[29]
• No. 402 Air Stores Park between October 1943 and January 1944 ^[30]
• Detachment of No. 1493 (Fighter) Gunnery Flight between June and July 1943 ^[31]
• Air Sea Rescue Flight RAF, Merston/Westhampnett during November 1941 ^[32]

United States Army Air Forces

• 31st Fighter Group between 1 August 1942 and 8 November 1942. ^[33]

Current use

Upon its closure by the RAF, Westhampnett airfield subsequently became the Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit and Chichester/Goodwood Airport.

See also

• List of former Royal Air Force stations
• Goodwood Circuit

References

Citations

1. Falconer 2012, p. 209.
2. Chichester/Goodwood - EGHR
3. Jefford 1988, p. 38.
4. Jefford 1988, p. 39.
5. Jefford 1988, p. 45.
6. Jefford 1988, p. 52.
7. Jefford 1988, p. 57.
8. Jefford 1988, p. 58.
9. Jefford 1988, p. 59.
10. Jefford 1988, p. 61.
11. Jefford 1988, p. 64.
12. Jefford 1988, p. 65.
13. Jefford 1988, p. 66.
14. Jefford 1988, p. 77.
15. Jefford 1988, p. 84.
16. Jefford 1988, p. 85.
17. Jefford 1988, p. 87.
18. Jefford 1988, p. 88.
19. Jefford 1988, p. 89.
20. Jefford 1988, p. 90.
21. Jefford 1988, p. 92.
22. Jefford 1988, p. 94.
23. Jefford 1988, p. 95.
24. Jefford 1988, p. 98.
25. Jefford 1988, p. 100.
26. "Westhampnett (Chichester) (Goodwood)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
27. Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 1.
28. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 161.
29. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 46.
30. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 58.
31. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 125.
32. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 53.
33. Maurer 1980 , p. 85.

Bibliography

• Falconer, J. (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN   978-1-85780-349-5.
• Hillier, Mark (2015). A Fighter Command Station at War: A Photographic Record of RAF Westhampnett from the Battle of Britain to D-Day and Beyond. Barnsley: Frontline Books. ISBN   978-1-47384-468-1.
• 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.
• Maurer, M. Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. USAF Historical Division. Washington D.C., USA: Zenger Publishing Co., Inc, 1980. ISBN   0-89201-092-4.
• Sturtivant, R.; Ballance, T. (1994). The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN   0-85130-223-8.
• Sturtivant, R.; Hamlin, J. (2007). Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN   978-0851-3036-59.

External links

• Royal Air Force - Battle of Britain 11 Group page
• Gallery of images of RAF Westhampnett ^{[ permanent dead link ]}
• The Wartime Memories Project - RAF Westhampnett