Royal Air Force Barkway or more simply RAF Barkway was one of the smallest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom. It was a communications station and was a small collection of buildings and a large radio mast.[1][2]
RAF Barkway  | |
|---|---|
| Near Royston, Hertfordshire in England | |
  RAF Barkway Shown within Hertfordshire | |
| Coordinates | 52°00′30″N 000°00′37″E / 52.00833°N 0.01028°E |
| Type | Royal Air Force station - Non Flying Military Communications |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Ministry of Defence |
| Operator | Royal Air Force United States Air Force |
| Condition | Intact |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1941 |
| In use | 1942-2011 |
History
editIt was originally opened as a monitor station on 22 June 1942 for the Gee (navigation) network in the Eastern area.
The site was used by the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE).[3] It was part of communications network linking:
- RAF Chicksands
- RAF Mildenhall
- RAF Lakenheath
- RAF Feltwell
- RAF Molesworth (via RAF Chelveston)
- RAF Alconbury
- RAF Croughton
In September 2008, the station was broken into by a BASE jumper who climbed the mast and then jumped off and deployed his parachute.[4]
Current use
editThe site was sold in early 2011 as surplus to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) requirements.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Military Bases in Europe
- ^ UK Parliament Publications
- ^ "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 12 Jul 1995". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
- ^ "News".