RAF Uxbridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Royal Air Force Uxbridge | |
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 Station Crest |
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| Active | 1917 – |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force |
| Garrison/HQ | Uxbridge, London, England |
| Royal Air Force Ensign |  |
| Engagements | Battle of Britain, Evacuation of Dunkirk, Preparation for D-Day, Normandy Campaign |
RAF Uxbridge is a Royal Air Force station in Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It is best known as the headquarters of No. 11 Group RAF during the Battle of Britain. 11 Group was responsible for the defence of London and the South-East of England, and therefore was the main area of combat. The group headquarters were specifically at Hillingdon House within the base grounds. An underground operations room was built nearby to handle the control of the fighter squadrons. Uxbridge was the RAF base where Thomas Edward Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) served.
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[edit] History
The country estate which eventually became RAF Uxbridge was called Hillingdon House, built in 1717 by the Duke of Schomberg[1], a general serving under William of Orange (later King William III) and subsequently Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, who was knighted for his part in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. The Grade II listed[2] mansion was completely rebuilt after it was destroyed by fire in 1844[3] and stands on the site of a previous house, also occupied by the Duke and reputed to have been built in 1617. [4]
The Marchioness of Rockingham, widow of Prime Minister Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, purchased the house from the Chetwynd family in 1786 for £9,000[5] following her husband’s death and lived there until her own death in 1804. She left the estate to her stepsister Elizabeth[6], widow of William Weddell MP who, having been left Newby Hall and a house in Mayfair by her late husband, had no need of the house and sold it to Josias Du Pré Porcher in 1805.
In 1810 the estate was sold to Richard Henry Cox of the Cox banking family and grandson of Richard Cox, founder of the travel company Cox & Kings. [4] Cox & Co, as the company was then known, was formed after Richard Cox was appointed agent to the Foot Guards (later the Grenadier Guards) By the end of the 18th century, the company was acting as agent and providing banking services for regiments throughout the British Army.[7]
The London and Middlesex historical and commercial survey of 1816 says of the house, it is “placed on a gentle ascent and forms a conspicuous and pleasing object from the high road. The grounds are of considerable extent, and are rendered attractive by soft undulations of surface. A rivulet (River Pinn) passes through the more level part of the premises, and has been artificially expanded, at some cost and with much correctness of taste."[4]
In 1914 the mansion and lands were marketed for sale[5] by the estate of Frederick Cox, Richard Henry Cox's grandson[8] and was described as “a brick and stone building, partly stuccoed, with extensive outbuildings and ornamental gardens.”[9] The house and gardens, together with the surrounding parkland and artificial lake, created by damming the River Pinn, comprised over 200 acres.
After having been on the market for seven years, the estate was purchased by the British Government in 1915 and it became the Canadian Convalescent Hospital, for troops evacuated from the front line. Opened on 20 September 1915 and closing on 12 December 1917, the hospital saw four commanding officers and five Sisters-in-Charge.[10]
In 1917 the Royal Flying Corps Armament and Gunnery School was established, which existed until 1919. In 1920 it became the newly formed Royal Air Force’s Central Depot, known as RAF Central Depot, Uxbridge. During the inter-war years, RAF Uxbridge saw use by various signals and training units and in 1936 it became the head quarters of 11 Group, Fighter Command, with the responsibility for the air defence of southern England, including London.
[edit] World War II
Information about air threats would come to Fighter Command headquarters at RAF Bentley Priory, which would filter reports to remove duplication, doubt and confusion. The threats would then be allocated to the Group operations rooms for defensive operations to be taken. In the case of No 11 Group this was at RAF Uxbridge.
The WW2 operations room was closed up in 1958 in its original state, and restored in the 1970s. Very little restoration work was required for it to be returned to its 1940s condition. Visits to the operations room and a sizeable museum are possible by contacting the Curator at the Battle of Britain Operations Room, RAF Uxbridge. Visits seem to be fairly regular and have to be arranged in advance as the facility is inside an operational military base. Outside the operations room the Royal Air Force Ensign is flown. This ensign can also be seen flying at the Station Headquarters along with the command flag that represents the rank of the station commander.
[edit] RAF Uxbridge Today
Today RAF Uxbridge is part of No. 22 Group. Units stationed at Uxbridge include the Headquarters Music Services and also the Queen's Colour Squadron of the RAF Regiment.
1083 SquadronAir cadets are based here at RAF Uxbridge where on Mondays and Thursdays cadets of the Air Training Corps meet for a parade night. Middlesex Wing HQ are also based on the RAF base and Wing Commander Davison is currently the Wing Commander.
Hillingdon House is able to be hired as a film location[11] and has been the location for productions such as Red Caps, Prime Suspect and The Bill. Having been in state ownership for 90 years, it retains many of its Victorian features.
The River Pinn runs through RAF Uxbridge and the wooded land within it, past the operations room. RAF Uxbridge is situated partly on green belt land and next to a golf course.
There is a proposal to close the station
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ 1636 survey of Colham manor Uxbridge library
- ^ Defence Estates
- ^ Newspaper cutting Uxbridge library
- ^ a b c London and Middlesex, Edward Wedlake Brayley, Published in 1816
- ^ a b National Archives
- ^ British History Online
- ^ History of Cox & Kings
- ^ Cox Family History
- ^ M.R.O., Acc 503/107
- ^ Official History Of The Canadian Forces In The Great War, 1914-19, Sir Andrew Macphail, 1925
- ^ MOD Film Locations
[edit] Sources
- A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4, 1971, pp. 55-69
- British History Online
- R.H.Cox records
[edit] External links
- RAF Uxbridge Station Website
- Account of a visit to the restored ops room, with photographs
- Air of Authority - An Organisational History of the RAF
- Cox & Kings
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