Royal Air Force Moreton-in-Marsh or more simply RAF Moreton-in-Marsh is a former Royal Air Force station near Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire. It was opened in November 1940 with three concrete and tarmac runways and five aircraft hangars.[2] It closed for operational flying in early 1948. The base remained in use as a relief runway and for training. After a period of care and maintenance, the Station was handed over to the Home Office in 1955.
RAF Moreton-in-Marsh | |||||||||||
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| Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire in England | |||||||||||
.jpg) The Fire Service Technical College on the old airfield site | |||||||||||
  RAF Moreton-in-Marsh Shown within Gloucestershire  RAF Moreton-in-Marsh RAF Moreton-in-Marsh (the United Kingdom) | |||||||||||
| Coordinates | 51°59′42″N 001°40′48″W / 51.99500°N 1.68000°W | ||||||||||
| Type | Royal Air Force Station | ||||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||||
| Controlled by | RAF Flying Training Command | ||||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||||
| Built | 1940 | ||||||||||
| In use | 1941 - 1955 | ||||||||||
| Battles/wars | European theatre of World War II | ||||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||||
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| Operational dates.[1] | |||||||||||
The town's environs are quite flat and low-lying although it is situated at the northern extremity of the Cotswold Hills range. During the Second World War, a large area of this flat land to the east of the town was developed as an airfield and became the base of No. 21 Operational Training Unit RAF (OTU), flying mainly Vickers Wellington bombers.[3] It is highly likely that the airfield inspired the title of the radio comedy series Much Binding in the Marsh.[4] Two of the programme's stars, Kenneth Horne and Richard Murdoch, had served there as flying instructors.[5]
Units
editThe following units were also here at some point:[1]
Current use
editThe former airfield is now home to the Fire Service College where senior fire officers from brigades all over the UK undergo operational, management and leadership training.[6]
References
editCitations
edit- ^ a b "Moreton-in-Marsh". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
- ^ "Moreton in March Aifield". Pastscape. Historic England. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
- ^ "Moreton-in-Marsh". Air of Authority. Archived from the original on 16 July 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ^ "Much Binding In The Marsh". Memorabilia UK. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
- ^ Turner, Mark (2018). Moreton-in-Marsh Through Time. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445684284.
- ^ "History and Heritage". Fire Service College. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
External links
edit
- The Wellington Aviation Museum. Includes a detailed history of the station