RAF Roborough
{{Short description|Former Royal Air Force Base in Devon, England (1931–1950)}}
{{For|the current civilian use of this facility and airport information|Plymouth City Airport}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2017}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = RAF Roborough
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| country = England
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| type = Royal Air Force station
| coordinates = {{coord|50|25|20|N|004|06|32|W|region:GB_type:airport|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map = Devon
| pushpin_map_caption = Shown within Devon
| pushpin_label = RAF Roborough
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| ownership = Admiralty
Air Ministry
| operator = Royal Navy
Royal Air Force
| controlledby = Fleet Air Arm
RAF Fighter Command 1940-41
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| built = {{Start date|1931}}
| used = July 1931 - {{End date|1950}}
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| battles = European theatre of World War II
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| elevation = {{Convert|149|m|0}}{{sfn|Falconer|1998|p=77}}
| r1-number = 00/00
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| r1-surface = Grass
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| r2-surface = Grass
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Royal Air Force Roborough or more simply RAF Roborough was a Royal Air Force station in Roborough located {{Convert|3.8|mi}} north of Plymouth, Devon which used Plymouth City Airport as their base.
History
RAF Roborough began when the Air Ministry started to use Plymouth City Airport for exercises between the RAF, Royal Navy and the British Army. The Royal Navy started to use the airport in the late 1930s and was renamed RNAS Roborough however on 1 May 1942 the site was taken over by the Air Ministry for Royal Air Force use primarily for RAF Coastal Command.{{cite web
| website = The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History| publisher = Plymouth Data| last = Moseley| first = Brian| title = Airport| date = April 2014| url = http://www.plymouthdata.info/Airport.htm| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140513063309/http://www.plymouthdata.info/AIRPORT.htm| archivedate = 13 May 2014| accessdate = 13 February 2015}}
=RNAS Roborough=
The Admiralty used the airfield for various duties also the airfield played an important role during the Battle of Britain coming under partial control of the No. 10 Group RAF headquarters at RAF Box and had RAF Middle Wallop as their sector station. The first squadron to use the airfield was No. 247 Squadron RAF between 1 August 1940 and 10 February 1941 flying the Gloster Gladiator II before moving to RAF St Eval on 10 February 1941 however after seven days the squadron moved back to Roborough flying the Hawker Hurricane I before moving out for the last time on 10 May 1941 when the squadron went to RAF Portreath.{{Harvnb|Halley|1988|p=316.}}
- Air Sea Rescue Flight RAF, Roborough (1941){{sfn|Lake|1999|p=22}}
=RAF Roborough=
In 1942 the site was taken over by the Royal Air Force for Coastal Command Duties with No. 691 Squadron RAF forming at the airfield on 1 December 1943 flying Hurricane I's, Boulton Paul Defiant I's, Airspeed Oxford I's and Fairey Barracuda II's before leaving on 21 February 1945 moving to RAF Harrowbeer.{{Harvnb|Halley|1988|p=457.}}
Units
The following squadrons were here at some point:
{{columns-list|colwidth=40em|
- No. 16 Squadron RAF
- No. 225 Squadron RAF
- No. 276 Squadron RAF
- 801 Naval Air Squadron
- 810 Naval Air Squadron
- 814 Naval Air Squadron
- 815 Naval Air Squadron
- 819 Naval Air Squadron
}}
The following units were also here at some point:{{cite web|url=https://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/airfield-finder/roborough-plymouth-plymouth-city/ |title=Roborough (Plymouth) (Plymouth City) |publisher=Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust|access-date=25 April 2022}}
{{columns-list|colwidth=40em|
- 'C' Flight of No. 2 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF
- No. 15 Group Communication Flight RAF
- No. 19 Group Communication Flight RAF
- No. 46 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF
- No. 82 Gliding School RAF
- No. 1623 (Anti-Aircraft Co-operation) Flight RAF
}}
Later use
{{main|Plymouth City Airport}}
In the 1950s the Royal Air Force left and the site became Plymouth City Airport, which in turn was shutdown for good in 2011.{{cite web| website = The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History| publisher = Plymouth Data| last = Moseley| first = Brian| title = Royal Air Force Roborough| date = August 2011| url = http://www.plymouthdata.info/RAF%20Roborough.htm| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20130308040715/http://www.plymouthdata.info/RAF%20Roborough.htm| archivedate = 8 March 2013| accessdate = 13 February 2015}}
See also
References
=Citations=
{{Reflist}}
=Bibliography=
- {{cite book |last1=Falconer|first1=J|title=RAF Fighter Airfields of World War 2 |year=1998 |publisher= Ian Allan Publishing|location= UK|isbn=0-7110-2175-9}}
- {{wikicite|ref={{harvid|Halley|1988}}|reference=Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1981-1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. {{ISBN|0-85130-164-9}}.}}
- {{cite book |last1=Lake |first1=A |title= Flying units of the RAF |year=1999 |publisher= Airlife |location= Shrewsbury |isbn= 1-84037-086-6 }}
External links
- [http://www.battle-of-britain.org/raf-battle-of-britain-fighter-aircraft/raf-battle-of-britain-fighters.htm Information on the Battle of Britain]
{{Royal Air Force}}
{{Royal Naval Air Stations}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roborough}}