Royal Air Force Waterbeach or more simply RAF Waterbeach is a former Royal Air Force station located in Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire which is about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) north of Cambridge, England. The site was transferred to the Royal Engineers, part of the British Army, in 1966, as Waterbeach Barracks.
RAF Waterbeach | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire in England | |||||||||||
 1945 aerial photograph | |||||||||||
  RAF Waterbeach Shown within Cambridgeshire  RAF Waterbeach RAF Waterbeach (the United Kingdom) | |||||||||||
| Coordinates | 52°16′28″N 000°11′24″E / 52.27444°N 0.19000°E | ||||||||||
| Grid reference | TL495665[1] | ||||||||||
| Type | Royal Air Force station | ||||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defence | ||||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||||
| Controlled by | RAF Bomber Command (1941-45) * No. 3 Group RAF[2] RAF Transport Command (1945-50) RAF Fighter Command (1950-) * No. 11 Group RAF[3] RAF Training Command * No. 38 Group RAF[4] | ||||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||||
| Built | 1940 | ||||||||||
| In use | 11 January 1941 - 2013 | ||||||||||
| Battles/wars | European theatre of World War II Cold War | ||||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||||
| Elevation | 10 metres (33 ft) AMSL | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
History
editRoyal Air Force
editThe airfield was built in 1940 on the northern edge of Waterbeach village and operated under the control of RAF Bomber Command.[5] The original control tower and many RAF buildings, including several hangars, are still present.[6]
RAF units and aircraft – Bomber Command, WW2
edit| Years | Unit | Aircraft | Variant | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941-1942 | No. 99 Squadron RAF | Vickers Wellington | Ic, II | |
| 1941-1942 | No. 26 Conversion Flight RAF | Short Stirling | I | On 2 January 1942 it was upgraded to form 1651 CU |
| 1942–1943 | No. 1651 Conversion Unit RAF | Short Stirling | I, III | During 1942 it flew 49 operational sorties, with a loss of five aircraft |
| 1942 | 214 Squadron Conversion Flight RAF | Short Stirling | I | Two short stays April–May and August–October 1942 |
| 1943 | No. 1665 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF | Short Stirling | I | |
| 1943 | No. 1678 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF | Avro Lancaster | II | The training unit for No. 514 Squadron RAF |
| 1943-1945 | No. 514 Squadron RAF | Avro Lancaster | I, II and III | 437 aircrew were killed flying with 514 Squadron |
Transport Command, 1945-1949
editAfter the Second World War, Consolidated Liberators and Douglas Dakotas from RAF Transport Command flew from RAF Waterbeach.[7]
RAF units and aircraft – Transport Command
edit| Years | Unit | Aircraft | Variant | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945-1946 | No. 59 Squadron RAF | Consolidated Liberator | B, C and GR | Carrying troops to and from India and the Far East |
| 1945-1946 | No. 220 Squadron RAF | Consolidated Liberator | C Mk V, VI and VIII | |
| 1946 | 1552 (BABS) Flight RAF | Airspeed Oxford | Training in Beam Approach Beacon System, March–July | |
| 1946-1947 | No. 51 Squadron RAF | Avro York | C | |
| 1947–1949 | No. 77 Squadron RAF | Douglas Dakota | Participated in Operation Plainfare, the Berlin Airlift | |
| 1947–1949 | No. 62 Squadron RAF | Douglas Dakota | Participated in Operation Plainfare, the Berlin Airlift | |
| 1947–1949 | No. 53 Squadron RAF | Douglas Dakota | Participated in Operation Plainfare, the Berlin Airlift | |
| 1947-1950 | No. 18 Squadron RAF | Douglas Dakota | Participated in Operation Plainfare, the Berlin Airlift | |
| 1949-1950 | No. 24 Squadron RAF | Avro Lancastrian Douglas Dakota Avro York |
C2 C Mk IV C Mk I |
Participated in Operation Plainfare and then European scheduled services |
Fighter Command, 1950-1963
editRAF Fighter Command took over the base on 1 March 1950 and used Gloster Meteors, Supermarine Swifts, de Havilland Venoms, de Havilland Vampires and Gloster Javelins. In addition Hawker Hunter fighters arrived in May 1955 and, two years later, the prototype English Electric P1 (Lightning) visited RAF Waterbeach.[citation needed]
RAF units and aircraft – Fighter Command
edit| Years | Unit | Aircraft | Variant | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950-1959 | No. 56 Squadron RAF | Gloster Meteor Supermarine Swift Hawker Hunter |
F4 and F8 F1 and F2 F5 and F8 |
27 Meteor F4s from RAF Thorney Island arrived on 10 May 1950 |
| 1950-1958 | No. 63 Squadron RAF | Gloster Meteor Hawker Hunter |
F4 and F8 F6a |
|
| 1955-1957 | No. 253 Squadron RAF | de Havilland Venom de Havilland Vampire |
NF2a T11 |
|
| 1957-1958 | No. 153 Squadron RAF | Gloster Meteor Gloster Javelin |
NF12 and 14 FAW 7 and 9 |
|
| 1958-1961 | No. 25 Squadron RAF | Gloster Meteor Gloster Javelin |
NF12 and 14 FAW 7 and 9 |
|
| 1959-1961 | No. 46 Squadron RAF | Gloster Javelin | FAW 2 | |
| 1961-1962 | No. 64 Squadron RAF | Gloster Javelin | FAW 9 | |
| 1961-1963 | No. 1 Squadron RAF | Hawker Hunter | F6 and FGA9 | |
| 1961-1963 | No. 54 Squadron RAF | Hawker Hunter | FGA9 | Hunter XG264 was the last to leave RAF Waterbeach for RAF West Raynham on 8 August 1963 |
After the last RAF fixed-wing aircraft, from No. 54 Squadron RAF, left in August 1963,[8] the site was used by the Airfield Construction Branch RAF until 1966.[9]
Royal Engineers
editIn 1966 the station and airfield remained the property of the Ministry of Defence, but was transferred from the Royal Air Force to the Royal Engineers, part of the British Army, as Waterbeach Barracks.[10] Until the closure of nearby RAF Oakington in the early 1970s, the main runway at Waterbeach remained active, along with the control tower, and was used as a relief landing ground for Varsities used in the advanced pilot training role. The former airfield was used as a training area for troops, with occasional visits by helicopters and, in the past, by the Hawker Siddeley Harrier.[11]
See also
editReferences
editCitations
edit- ^ Birtles 2012, p. 52.
- ^ Delve 1994, p. 77.
- ^ Delve 1994, p. 85.
- ^ Delve 1994, p. 89.
- ^ Hamlin & Merrington 2011, p. [page needed].
- ^ Waterbeach Military Heritage Museum, displays and unpublished archives.
- ^ Hamlin & Merrington 2011, pp. 31–35.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 42.
- ^ Hamlin & Merrington 2011, pp. 21–22.
- ^ Planning Application CP88 – Denny St Francis (Waterbeach), Cambridgeshire County Council, retrieved 2011-07-20
- ^ Waterbeach Barracks, 12 (Air Support) Engineer Group
Bibliography
edit- Birtles, Philip (2012). UK Airfields of the Cold War. Midland Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-346-4.
- Delve, Ken (1994). The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
- Hamlin, John F.; Merrington, Oliver J. (2011) [updated 2014]. At the Beach: the story of Royal Air Force Waterbeach and Waterbeach Barracks. Peterborough: GMS Enterprises. ISBN 978-1-904514-63-3.[verification needed]
- Jefford, C. G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
External links
edit
- Waterbeach Barracks and Airfield (Urban&Civic)
- Waterbeach Military Heritage Museum (former Barracks Museum)
- 12 (Force Support) Engineer Group, Royal Engineers (now at RAF Wittering)
- 39 Engineer Regiment (Air Support), Royal Engineers (now at Kinloss Barracks)