RAF Blakehill Farm
{{short description|Former RAF airfield southwest of Cricklade in Wiltshire, England, operational 1944 - 1952}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = RAF Blakehill Farm
| ensign = Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg
| ensign_size = 90px
| native_name =
| partof =
| location = Cricklade, Wiltshire
| nearest_town =
| country = England
| image = Douglas Dakotas of No. 233 Squadron RAF lined up on the perimeter track at Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire, for an exercise with the 6th Airborne Division, 20 April 1944. CH12833.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Dakotas of No. 233 Squadron RAF lined up on the perimeter track at RAF Blakehill Farm, for an exercise with the 6th Airborne Division, 20 April 1944
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| coordinates = {{Coord|51|37|20|N|1|53|20|W|type:landmark_region:GB-WIL|display=inline,title}}
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| pushpin_map = Wiltshire
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| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption = Shown within Wiltshire
| pushpin_relief =
| pushpin_image =
| pushpin_label = RAF Blakehill Farm
| pushpin_label_position = left
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| ownership = Air Ministry
| operator = Royal Air Force
| controlledby = RAF Transport Command
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| code =
| built = {{Start date|1943}}
| used = 1944–{{End date|1952}}
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| battles = Second World War
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| r1-number = 00/00
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| r1-surface = Concrete
| r2-number = 00/00
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| r2-surface = Concrete
| r3-number = 00/00
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File:RAF Blakehill Farm - 17 Jul 1943.jpg
Royal Air Force Blakehill Farm or more simply RAF Blakehill Farm is a former Royal Air Force station southwest of Cricklade in Wiltshire, England, operational between 1944 and 1952.
History
The station was originally allocated to the United States Army Air Forces Ninth Air Force but not used.[http://www.americanairmuseum.com/place/43 American Museum in Britain – Blakehill Farm] It opened in 1944 and was home for transport aircraft of No. 46 Group RAF Transport Command. In 1948 the airfield was a satellite of RAF South Cerney, and was used by training aircraft until the airfield closed in 1952 and was returned to agricultural use. The site is now a Wiltshire Wildlife Trust nature reserve.{{cite web|title=Blakehill Farm including Stoke Common Meadow, Cricklade|url=https://www.wiltshirewildlife.org/blakehill-farm-including-stoke-common-meadows|publisher=Wiltshire Wildlife Trust|accessdate=18 May 2016}}
Units and aircraft
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Unit
!From !To !Aircraft !Variant !Notes |
|---|
| No. 233 Squadron RAF
|5 March 194 |8 June 1945 | |{{sfn|Jefford|1988|p=75}} |
| No. 271 Squadron RAF
|26 February 1944 |10 August 1945 |Douglas Dakota | |Detachment from RAF Down Ampney{{sfn|Jefford|1988|p=82}} |
| No. 437 Squadron RCAF
|1 September 1944 |7 May 1945 |Douglas Dakota | | Formed here{{sfn|Jefford|1988|p=92}} |
| No. 575 Squadron RAF
|24 November 1945 |31 January 1946 |Douglas Dakota | |{{sfn|Jefford|1988|p=97}} |
| No. 22 Heavy Glider Conversion Unit RAF
|1945 |1945 | I |{{sfn|Lake|1999|p=129}} |
| No. 2 Flying Training School RAF
| | | | |{{cite web|url=https://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/airfield-finder/blakehill-farm-cricklade/ |title=Blakehill Farm (Cricklade) |publisher=Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust|accessdate=2 June 2016}} |
| No. 109 (Transport) OTU RAF
| | | | |
| No. 1528 (Radio Aids Training) Flight RAF
| | | | |
| No. 1555 (Radio Aids Training) Flight RAF
| | | | |
The following units were also here at some point:
- No. 18 Terminal Staging Post
- No. 19 Terminal Staging Post
- No. 92 (Forward) Staging Post
- No. 93 (Forward) Staging Post
- No. 123 (Major) Staging Post
- No. 2748 Squadron RAF Regiment
- No. 2835 Squadron RAF Regiment
Post-war intelligence role
In 1967, GCHQ set up an "experimental radio station", a secret research facility, on the site. The site was still active in some capacity until the mid-1990s,{{Cite web |last=McLachlan |first=Richard |date=27 November 1998 |title=Cricklade Radio Site |url=https://www.subbrit.org.uk/sites/cricklade-radio-site/ |access-date=2022-11-14 |website=Subterranea Britannica}} and traces of the former communications mast bases can still be seen on aerial photographs.{{Cite web |last=Povey |first=Vincent |title=The AN/FLR-9 Type Antenna |url=https://www.rafblakehillfarm.co.uk/blakehill-anflr9-cold-war |access-date=2022-11-14 |website=RAF Station Blakehall Farm |language=en}} The most remarkable object of the facility was a {{Convert|240|ft|adj=on}} tall wooden lattice tower, which was one of the tallest objects in the United Kingdom built of wood. It is possible that this tower was a relic of the wartime Chain Home network, although its lattice pattern is of another type. The tower was demolished on 26 January 2000.{{Cite web |title=The Radio Mast |url=https://www.rafblakehillfarm.co.uk/blakehill-radio-mast |access-date=2022-11-15 |website=RAF Station Blakehill Farm |language=en}}
See also
References
Citations
{{reflist}}
Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite book |last1=Jefford |first1= C G |title= RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912 |year=1988 |publisher= Airlife |location= Shrewsbury |isbn= 1-85310-053-6 }}
- {{cite book |last=Lake |first=Alan |title=Flying Units of the RAF |publisher=Airlife Publishing |location=Shrewsbury |year=1999 |isbn=1-84037-086-6 }}
{{refend}}
External links
{{Commons category inline}}
- Povey, Vince (2018) [https://www.rafblakehillfarm.co.uk/ From War To Wildlife – the complete history of the airfield]
- {{cite web |url= http://www.swindonweb.com/index.asp?m=8&s=116&ss=346&c=2976 |title=RAF Blakehill: Cricklade airfield which played a crucial role in D-Day |work=SwindonWeb |year=2013 }}
- {{cite web |url= http://www.controltowers.co.uk/b/blakehill_farm.htm |title=Control towers: RAF Blakehill Farm airfield |first=Steve |last=Dyer |work=controltowers.co.uk |year=2010 }}
- {{cite web |url= http://www.wiltshirewildlife.org/Reserves/blakehillfarm.htm |title=Blakehill Farm Reserve |work=Wiltshire Wildlife Trust |year=2013 }}
{{Royal Air Force}}