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RAF Castle Camps

Royal Air Force Castle Camps or more simply RAF Castle Camps is a former Royal Air Force satellite station, it was listed as being in Cambridgeshire as it is close to its namesake Cambridgeshire village. It is very near the Suffolk border and the airfield straddled the Essex and Cambridgeshire county border. Construction of the station was started in September 1939. It opened as a satellite of RAF Debden in June 1940 and became a satellite of RAF North Weald in July 1943.

RAF Castle Camps
Castle Camps, Cambridgeshire in England
RAF Castle Camps is located in Cambridgeshire
RAF Castle Camps
RAF Castle Camps
Shown within Cambridgeshire
Coordinates52°03′05″N 000°22′43″E / 52.05139°N 0.37861°E / 52.05139; 0.37861
TypeRoyal Air Force satellite station
1940 & 1941-42 & 1943-
Parent station
1942-43
CodeCC[1]
Site information
OwnerAir Ministry
OperatorRoyal Air Force
Controlled byRAF Fighter Command
* No. 11 Group RAF[1]
Site history
Built1940 (1940)
Built byJohn Laing & Son Ltd
In useJune 1940 – January 1946
Battles/warsEuropean theatre of World War II
Airfield information
Elevation127 metres (417 ft)[1] AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
00/00  Tarmac
00/00  Tarmac
00/00  Tarmac

During the Battle of Britain, one of the units operating from Castle Camps was 85 Squadron, whose Hawker Hurricanes were commanded by Peter Townsend.

The airfield was used by numerous squadrons throughout the Second World War. In 1945, it was commanded by Battle of Britain ace Tim Vigors.[2] It closed in January 1946.

Operational Units and Aircraft

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Unit From To Aircraft Version Notes
No. 85 Squadron RAF 23 May 1940
3 September 1940		 19 August 1940
5 September 1940		 Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane		 I
I		 As a detachment.[3]
Full strength.[3]
No. 73 Squadron RAF 5 September 1940 6 November 1940 Hawker Hurricane I [4]
No. 157 Squadron RAF 18 December 1941 15 March 1943 de Havilland Mosquito II [5]
No. 605 Squadron RAF 15 March 1943 6 October 1943 de Havilland Mosquito II/VI [6]
No. 456 Squadron RAF 29 March 1943 June 1943 Bristol Beaufighter
de Havilland Mosquito		 IIF
II/VI		 [7]
No. 527 Squadron RAF 15 June 1943 28 February 1944 Bristol Blenheim
Hawker Hurricane
de Havilland Hornet Moth		 IV
I
 Formed here.[8]
No. 91 Squadron RAF 29 February 1944 17 March 1944 Supermarine Spitfire XII/XIV [9]
No. 486 Squadron RAF 6 March 1944
29 March 1944		 21 March 1944
29 April 1944		 Hawker Typhoon IB [10]
No. 410 Squadron RAF 30 December 1943 29 April 1944 de Havilland Mosquito XIII [11]
No. 68 Squadron RAF 23 June 1944 28 December 1944 de Havilland Mosquito XVII/XIX [12]
No. 151 Squadron RAF 8 October 1944 19 November 1944 de Havilland Mosquito XXX [13]
No. 25 Squadron RAF 27 October 1944 14 July 1945 de Havilland Mosquito XXX/VI [14]
No. 307 Squadron RAF 27 January 1945 31 May 1945 de Havilland Mosquito XXX [15]

The following units were also here at some point:[16]

Current use

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Site of RAF Castle Camps from the air in 2011

The site has reverted to agricultural use. However the outlines of portions of the runways in the fields (when viewed on Google Earth), can still be seen and some of the perimeter roads are even now in use as farm tracks.

Some of the airfield buildings are still present and being used by local farms and industry.

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b c Falconer 2012, p. 60.
  2. ^ Tim Vigors, "Life's Too Short to Cry", p. 235
  3. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 50.
  4. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 47.
  5. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 63.
  6. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 99.
  7. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 93.
  8. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 96.
  9. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 52.
  10. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 94.
  11. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 90.
  12. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 46.
  13. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 62.
  14. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 33.
  15. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 85.
  16. ^ "Castle Camps". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  17. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 314.
  18. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 184.
  19. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 55.

Bibliography

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  • Brazier, Roy (2011) History of RAF Castle Camps: a Unique Airfield, 1940–47. ISBN 0-95365-182-7
  • Falconer, J (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.
  • 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.
  • Sturtivant, R; Hamlin, J; Halley, J (1997). Royal Air Force flying training and support units. UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 0-85130-252-1.
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