A Royal Air Force station is an establishment that houses personnel who work within the Royal Air Force to deliver its outputs as per its mission statement. Traditionally recognised for its Air Power contingent, the RAF has many support stations, not all with airfields or runways that can support aircraft. Some radar stations are designated as Remote Radar Heads (RRH).
History edit
The inception of the Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918, saw it inherit real estate from the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service.
Physical layout edit
RAF stations with airfields are classified as flying stations and those which have squadrons not on training as operational. Other sites were considered as non-flying.[1] In the late 20th/early 21st centuries, RAF bases took on the acronym of MOB, FOB etc (Main Operating Base, Forward Operating Base), with operational airfields and main bases being designated at sites such as RAF Coningsby and RAF Marham, with other sites, such as RAF Leeming being deemed as support of training sites.[2]
Operational Airfield edit
Airfields and other stations developed mostly ad-hoc until the expansion programme of the 1930s. During the period leading up to, and immediately into the Second World War, a station would follow a similar layout but would be orientated in different ways due to local topography, or would have different building designs due to the nature on training or work undertaken there.[3] Most expansion period stations would be furnished with an "A" type airfield, usually with the longest runway on a west/east axis, as this was mostly the way the prevailing wind blew. An exception to this, for example, would be RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire, which was sandwiched between the Great North Road to the west, Bedale Beck to the north, and the River Swale to the east, so the longest runway here runs north/south.
An "A" Type airfield consisted of three intersecting runways, the longest expected to be 2,000 yards (1,800 m) long, with the other two being at least 1,400 yards (1,300 m) and each nominally with a width of 50 yards (46 m).[4]
A typical station would have the station headquarters (SHQ) opposite, or adjacent to, the main entrance.[5]
Relief landing ground edit
Support base edit
Marine branch edit
Others edit
Lodger units edit
Organisational layout edit
During the Second World War, a typical flying station would be sub-divided into three wings;[6]
- Flying
- Technical
- Administration
This would still be the structure through the second half on the twentieth century and into the 21st century, but the wings would be labelled as
- Operations
- Engineering
- Base support
Naming edit
The naming of RAF stations has a chequered and confusing history. Airfields inherited by the RAF at its inception generally retained their previous name. At that time, the UK was home to around 300 aerodromes, most of which were handed back at the end of the war, if not by 1919 or 1920. These generally had a name of somewhere local to that field,[7] although some were also known by a number, such as RAF Bramham Moor which was Training Depot ???? RAF Brize Norton was named after the nearest railhead (Brize Norton and Bampton) which was on the south side of the airfield. The name of the local town, Carterton, was thought to possibly cause confusion with RAF Cardington, which was at that time a base for initial recruits and kitting (No. 2 Recruitment Centre).[8] Mostly, the naming of stations came from the parish of which the station headquarters was located in.[1]
Post Second World War stations have been few, but even they have not always bowed to convention. When RAF Fylingdales was being scoped out, it was originally intended to be located in the parish of Fylingdales in North Yorkshire. However the geology of its original location was unsound, and it was relocated to an area atop a rise known as Snod Hill. Rather than name it RAF Snod Hill, the decision was taken to retain the original name.
| Original station name | Second name | Reason | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| RAF Butley | RAF Bentwaters | Renamed after farmhouse near to runway. Renamed for reasons of clarity, but not why it needed clarifying | [9] |
| RAF Church Stanton | RAF Culmhead | To avoid confusion with RAF Church Fenton | [10] |
| RAF Hatfield Woodhouse | RAF Lindholme | To avoid confusion with Hatfield Aerodrome in Hertfordshire | |
| RAF Shotwick | RAF Sealand | To avoid confusion with RAF Scopwick. Scopwick itself was also renamed RAF Digby. | [11] |
References edit
- ^ a b Finn, C. J., ed. (2004). A brief history of the Royal Air Force AP 3003. London: HMSO. p. 376. OCLC 883181451.
- ^ "Changes to aircraft support". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ Congdon, Philip (1987). Per ardua ad astra : a handbook of the Royal Air Force. Shrewsbury: Airlife. p. 7. ISBN 0906393892.
- ^ Halpenny 1991, p. 10.
- ^ Bowyer 1990, p. 40.
- ^ Bowyer, Chaz (1984). Royal Air Force handbook, 1939-1945. London: Ian Allan. p. 9. ISBN 0711013187.
- ^ Halpenny 1991, p. 25.
- ^ Bowyer 1990, pp. 84, 99.
- ^ Bowyer, Michael J. F. (2000). Action stations revisited : the complete history of Britain's military airfields. Manchester: Crécy. p. 67. ISBN 0947554793.
- ^ Jefford 2001, p. 131.
- ^ Halpenny 1991, pp. 25, 82.
Sources edit
- Bowyer, Michael J. F. (1990). Action stations 6: Military Airfields of the Cotswolds and Central Midlands (2 ed.). Wellingborough: Stephens. ISBN 1-85260-372-0.
- Halpenny, Bruce Barrymore (1991). Action stations (2 ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens. ISBN 1-85260-405-0.
- Jefford, C. G. (2001). RAF squadrons : a comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912 (2 ed.). Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.