RAF Westhampnett

Article
Talk

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "RAF Westhampnett" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Royal Air Force Westhampnett or more simply RAF Westhampnett is a former Royal Air Force satellite station, located in the village of Westhampnett near Chichester, in the English County of West Sussex.

RAF Westhampnett
~~USAAF Station AAF-352~~

Westhampnett, West Sussex in England

Aerial photograph of RAF Westhampnet, the technical site is to the right, 19 April 1946

RAF Westhampnett is located in West Sussex

RAF Westhampnett

Shown within West Sussex

Coordinates

50°51′40″N 000°45′33″W / 50.86111°N 0.75917°W

Type

Royal Air Force station

Code

WQ^[1]

Site information

Owner

Operator

Royal Air Force
United States Army Air Forces 1942

Controlled by

RAF Fighter Command
* No. 11 Group RAF
1938-42 & 1942-45
RAF Second Tactical Air Force
* No. 83 Group RAF

Site history

Built

1938 & 1940

In use

July 1940 - 1946

Battles/wars

European theatre of World War II

Airfield information

Elevation

33 metres (108 ft)^[1] AMSL

Runways
Direction	Length and surface
06/24	855 metres (2,805 ft) Grass
10/28	613 metres (2,011 ft) Grass
14/32	1,300 metres (4,265 ft) Grass

Sources: UK AIP at NATS^[2]

It was built as an emergency landing airfield for fighter aircraft, as a satellite station to RAF Tangmere. Built on land belonging to the Goodwood Estate, the then landowner, the Duke of Richmond, Frederick Gordon-Lennox retained the Title Deed to the land.

History

Royal Air Force use

Squadrons

No. 41 Squadron RAF.,^[3] from RAF Merston 16 December 1941, to RAF Merston 1 April 1942; operating Supermarine Spitfire Vb
No. 43 Squadron RAF^[4]
No. 65 Squadron RAF^[5] (1941)
No. 91 Squadron RAF^[6] (1943)
No. 118 Squadron RAF^[7] (1943 & 1944)
No. 124 Squadron RAF^[8] (1942 & 1944)
No. 129 Squadron RAF^[9] (1941 & 1942)
No. 130 Squadron RAF^[9] (1944)
No. 131 Squadron RAF^[9] (1942-43)
No. 145 Squadron RAF - operating Hawker Hurricane.^[10] (1940)
No. 167 Squadron RAF^[11] (1943)
No. 174 Squadron RAF^[12] (1943-44)
No. 175 Squadron RAF^[12] (1944)
No. 184 Squadron RAF^[13] (1944)
No. 245 Squadron RAF^[14] (1943-44)
No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron^[15] (1940-41)
No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron^[16] (1944)
No. 340 Squadron RAF^[17] (1942)
No. 350 (Belgian) Squadron^[18] (1944)
No. 402 Squadron RCAF^[19] (1944)
No. 416 Squadron RCAF^[20] (1942)
No. 441 Squadron RCAF^[21] (1944)
No. 442 Squadron RCAF^[21] (1944)
No. 443 Squadron RCAF^[21] (1944)
No. 485 (NZ) Squadron RAF^[22] (1943)
No. 501 Squadron RAF^[23] (1943 & 1944)
No. 602 Squadron RAF - operating Supermarine Spitfire^[24] (1940)
No. 610 Squadron RAF - operating Supermarine Spitfire^[25] (1941, 1943 & 1944)
No. 614 Squadron RAF^[25]
No. 616 Squadron RAF^[25]
787 Naval Air Squadron.^[26]^[27]

Units

No. 83 Group Support Unit during November 1944^[28]
No. 121 Airfield RAF between October 1943 and April 1944^[29]
No. 144 (RCAF) Airfield RAF during April 1944^[29]
No. 402 Air Stores Park between October 1943 and January 1944^[30]
Detachment of No. 1493 (Fighter) Gunnery Flight between June and July 1943^[31]
Air Sea Rescue Flight RAF, Merston/Westhampnett during November 1941^[32]

United States Army Air Forces

31st Fighter Group between 1 August 1942 and 8 November 1942.^[33]

Current use

Upon its closure by the RAF, Westhampnett airfield subsequently became the Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit and Chichester/Goodwood Airport.

See also

References

Citations

^ ^a ^b Falconer 2012, p. 209.
^ Chichester/Goodwood - EGHR
^ Jefford 1988, p. 38.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 39.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 45.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 52.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 57.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 58.
^ ^a ^b ^c Jefford 1988, p. 59.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 61.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 64.
^ ^a ^b Jefford 1988, p. 65.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 66.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 77.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 84.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 85.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 87.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 88.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 89.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 90.
^ ^a ^b ^c Jefford 1988, p. 92.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 94.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 95.
^ Jefford 1988, p. 98.
^ ^a ^b ^c Jefford 1988, p. 100.
^ "Westhampnett (Chichester) (Goodwood)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 1.
^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 161.
^ ^a ^b Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 46.
^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 58.
^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 125.
^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 53.
^ Maurer 1980, p. 85.

Bibliography

Falconer, J. (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.
Hillier, Mark (2015). A Fighter Command Station at War: A Photographic Record of RAF Westhampnett from the Battle of Britain to D-Day and Beyond. Barnsley: Frontline Books. ISBN 978-1-47384-468-1.
Jefford, 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.
Maurer, M. Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. USAF Historical Division. Washington D.C., USA: Zenger Publishing Co., Inc, 1980. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
Sturtivant, R.; Ballance, T. (1994). The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
Sturtivant, R.; Hamlin, J. (2007). Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 978-0851-3036-59.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to RAF Westhampnett.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=RAF_Westhampnett&oldid=1217665585"