RAF Witchford
RAF Witchford | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: none – ICAO: none | |||||||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Witchford, Cambridgeshire | ||||||||||||||||||
| Built | 1942 | ||||||||||||||||||
| In use | 1943-1946 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 46 ft / 14 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 52°22′52″N 000°13′51″E / 52.38111°N 0.23083°ECoordinates: 52°22′52″N 000°13′51″E / 52.38111°N 0.23083°E | ||||||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||||||
  RAF Witchford Location in Cambridgeshire | |||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
Royal Air Force Station Witchford or RAF Witchford is a former Royal Air Force station located 1.8 miles (2.9 km) south west of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England and 13 miles (21 km) north of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire.
History
- No. 115 Squadron RAF first started using RAF Witchford from 26 November 1943 with the Avro Lancaster II before changing to the Mk I and III Lancasters in March 1944 before moving to RAF Graveley on 10 September 1945.[1]
- No. 195 Squadron RAF reformed at the airfield on 1 October 1944 with the Lancaster I and III before moving to RAF Wratting Common on 13 November 1944 where the squadron disbanded on 14 August 1945.[2]
- No. 196 Squadron RAF started using the airfield on 19 Jul 1943 with the Vickers Wellington X until these were replaced with the Short Stirling III during there stay. The squadron left on 18 November 1943 moving to RAF Leicester East.[2]
- No. 513 Squadron RAF formed at Witchford on 15 September 1943 with the Stirling III before disbanding on 21 November 1943 at the airfield.[3]
- No. 29 Aircrew Holding Unit.[4]
A total of 99 bombers despatched on operations from Witchford were lost, 8 being Stirlings and 91 Lancasters.[5]
Current use
The site is now used for farming.[5]
See also
References
Citations
- ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 57.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Jefford 1988, p. 67.
- ↑ Jefford 1988, p. 95.
- ↑ "Witchford". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Bomber Command - Witchford". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
Bibliography
- Jefford MBE, Wg Cdr 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.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Witchford. |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
