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RAF Tangmere

Coordinates: 50°50′45″N 000°42′23″W / 50.84583°N 0.70639°W / 50.84583; -0.70639
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RAF Tangmere
Tangmere, West Sussex in England
Aerial photograph of Tangmere airfield, 10 February 1944
Station badge
RAF Tangmere is located in West Sussex
RAF Tangmere
RAF Tangmere
Location in West Sussex
Coordinates50°50′45″N 000°42′23″W / 50.84583°N 0.70639°W / 50.84583; -0.70639
Grid referenceSU910060[1]
TypeRoyal Air Force Sector Station
CodeRN[2]
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defence
OperatorRoyal Air Force 1919-20
1925-
Royal Flying Corps 1917
U.S. Signal Corps 1918-1919
Fleet Air Arm
Controlled byRAF Fighter Command
* No. 11 Group RAF
RAF Second Tactical Air Force
*No. 84 Group RAF[2]
RAF Signals Command 1958-[3]
Open to
the public		Yes
Site history
Built25 September 1917 (1917) & 1927-30
In use1917-20
1925 - October 16, 1970 (1970-10-16)
Battles/warsFirst World War
European theatre of World War II
EventsBattle of Britain
Garrison information
Past
commanders		C. W. Hill
DesignationsGrade II
Airfield information
Elevation15 metres (49 ft)[2] AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
07/25 1,828.75 metres (6,000 ft) Concrete
17/35 1,463 metres (4,800 ft) Concrete

Royal Air Force Tangmere or more simply RAF Tangmere is a former Royal Air Force station located in Tangmere, England, famous for its role in the Battle of Britain.[4]

It was one of several stations near Chichester, West Sussex. The famous Second World War aces Wing Commander Douglas Bader, and the then inexperienced Johnnie Johnson were stationed at Tangmere in 1941.

History

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First World War

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The aerodrome was founded in 1917 for use by the Royal Flying Corps as a training base. In 1918 it was turned over to the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps (USSC) as a training ground, and continued as such until the end of the Great War in November of that year, after which the airfield was mothballed in 1919.[5]

Additional units:

Inter-War Years

[edit]

In 1925 the station re-opened to serve the RAF's Royal Flying Corps, and went operational in 1926 with No. 43 Squadron equipped with biplane Gloster Gamecocks (there is a row of houses located near the museum entrance called Gamecock Terrace).[16]

As war threatened in the late 1930s, the fighter aircraft based at Tangmere became faster, with Hawker Furies, Gloster Gladiators, and Hawker Hurricanes all being used.

In 1934, Squadron Leader C W Hill, famous WW1 prisoner-of-war escaper, commanded No. 1 Fighter Squadron at RAF Tangmere. Two years later, as a Wing Commander, he became the station commander.

Additional units:

  • Coastal Area Storage Unit (1925-28)[17]
  • 1 Squadron between 1927-39[18]
  • 43 Squadron between 1926-39[19]

Second World War

[edit]

In a memoir, Peter Townsend (noted Battle of Britain pilot and, post-war, romantically linked with Princess Margaret), recounts the arrival of 605 Squadron at Tangmere, just before the outbreak of war. Townsend says that

Things hummed at Tangmere Cottage, just opposite the guard room, where [605's commanding officer John Willoughby de Broke and his wife Rachel] kept open house. There we spent wild evenings, drinking, singing, dancing to romantic tunes . . . we danced blithely, relentlessly towards catastrophe. . . . With one chance in five of survival - not counting the burnt and the wounded - only a handful of us would come through [i.e., survive to the end of World War II].

In 1939 the airfield was enlarged to defend the south coast against attack by the Luftwaffe, with Tangmere's only hotel and some houses being demolished in the process. The RAF commandeered the majority of houses in the centre of the village, with only six to eight families being allowed to stay. The village would not resume its status as a civilian community until 1966.

A line of Supermarine Spitfire Mark VBs of No. 131 Squadron RAF, being prepared for a sweep at Merston, a satellite airfield of Tangmere

In August 1940 the first squadron (No. 602 Squadron RAF) of Supermarine Spitfires was based at the satellite airfield at nearby Westhampnett, as the Battle of Britain began. By now the villagers had mainly been evacuated, and extensive ranges of RAF buildings had sprung up.[20]

The first, and worst, enemy raid on the station came on 16 August 1940 when hundreds of Junkers Ju 87 (Stuka) dive bombers and fighters crossed the English coast and attacked Tangmere. There was extensive damage to buildings and aircraft on the ground and 14 ground staff and six civilians were killed. However the station was kept in service and brought back into full operation.

Throughout the war, the station was used by the Royal Air Force Special Duty Service when 161 (Special Duty) Squadron's Westland Lysander flight came down to do their insertion and pick-up operations into occupied Europe. The SOE used Tangmere Cottage, opposite the main entrance to the base to house and receive their agents.[20] Today the cottage sports a commemorative plaque to its former secret life.

Later in the war, as the RAF turned from defence to attack, Group Captain Douglas Bader, the legless fighter ace, commanded the Tangmere wing of Fighter Command. Today he is commemorated by a plaque outside the former Bader Arms public house, now a Co-operative Food outlet in the village. 616 Squadron, which included Johnnie Johnson and Hugh Dundas, arrived at Tangmere in late February 1941.[21] Johnson went on to become the highest scoring Western Allied fighter ace against the Luftwaffe.

For D-Day, the RAF created Airfield Headquarters units which transformed into wings to control multiple similar squadrons for offensive actions for eventual use in mainland Europe.

German (right) and Commonwealth pilot graves, St Andrew's Church. The large tombstone is a mémorial to pilots lost at sea.

Many of those killed at the base, from both sides in conflict, are buried in the cemetery at St Andrews Church, Tangmere, today tended by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. American RAF pilot Billy Fiske who died at Tangmere in 1940 was one of the first American aviators to die during the Second World War.[16]

Defensive units (1939-41):

Offensive units (1941-45):

Units:

RAF Regiment:

The following RAF Regiment units were also here at some point:[72]

Postwar

[edit]

After the war, the Central Fighter Establishment arrived from RAF Wittering on 27 February 1945 with the station being renamed to CFE Tangmere.[73] The RAF High Speed Flight was reformed here on 14 June 1946 and in September 1946, a world air speed record of 616 mph (991 km/h) was set by Group Captain Edward "Teddy" Mortlock Donaldson in a Gloster Meteor F.4; after his death in 1992, he was buried in St Andrews Church. In September 1953, Squadron Leader Neville Duke became holder of the world air speed record when he flew a modified Hawker Hunter prototype at 727.63 mph (1,170 km/h) – the 50th anniversary of this event was commemorated in 2003.

A number of units associated with the CFE also arrived including:

The unit moved to RAF West Raynham on 1 October 1945, with No. 85 Squadron RAF arriving on 11 October 1945 with the de Havilland Mosquito XXX, upgrading to the Mosquito NF.36 from January 1946, the unit deployed to RAF Lubeck and RAF Acklington for varying periods of time until finally leaving on 16 April 1947 going to RAF West Malling.[43] No. 1 Squadron RAF returned on 30 April 1946 from their previous base of RAF Hutton Cranswick with the Supermarine Spitfire F.21, the unit deployed to Acklington and Lubeck at various times. From October 1946 the Gloster Meteor F.3 was introduced, being replaced by the Harvard T.2b and Oxford T.2 from August 1947 in preparation for conversion to the Meteor F.4 which arrived during June 1948. This was replaced by the F.8 during August 1950 and this in turn was replaced by the Hawker Hunter F.5 in September 1958. The squadron was disbanded on 1 July 1958.[18] No. 222 (Natal) Squadron RAF arrived on 2 October 1946 from RAF Weston Zoyland already operating the Meteor F.3, converting to the newer F.4 during the first few months of 1948 before moving to RAF Lubeck on 1 May 1948.[37]

On 1 June 1950, a Gloster Meteor flying eastwards over Portsmouth reported a UFO at 20,000 ft. It is also seen by the radar at RAF Wartling, and was described as Britain's first flying saucer, and led to the Flying Saucer Working Party later that year.[79]

No. 266 (Rhodesia) Squadron RAF arrived on 16 April 1947 from RAF Wattisham with the Meteor F.3 replacing No. 85 Squadron RAF. No. 266 Squadron upgraded to the Meteor F.4 from February 1948, with the squadron deploying to Lubeck and Acklington during its stay. 266 was disbanded on 11 February 1949 and renumbered as No. 43 Squadron RAF,[61] the Meteor F.8 was introduced from September 1950 and the squadron moved to RAF Leuchars on 11 November 1950.[19] On 25 November 1950 No. 29 Squadron RAF arrived from RAF West Malling with the Mosquito NF.30 converting to the Meteor NF.11 from July 1951. The squadron moved to RAF Acklington on 14 January 1957 where it eventually changed to the Gloster Javelin FAW.6.[80] On 1 August 1954 No. 34 Squadron RAF was reformed here with the Meteor F.8, upgrading to the Hunter F.5 from October 1955 before being disbanded on 15 January 1958.[81] On 30 September 1957 No. 25 Squadron RAF arrived from RAF West Malling with the Meteor NF.12 & NF.14 until 1 July 1958 when the squadron was disbanded.[52]

No. 164 (Argentine–British) Squadron RAF arrived from RAF Turnhouse on 25 March 1946 with the Spitfire IX, staying until 26 April 1946 when the squadron moved to RAF Middle Wallop.[57] No. 587 Squadron RAF arrived from RAF Weston Zoyland on 1 June 1946 with the Spitfire XVI for two weeks before being disbanded.[82] No. 69 Squadron RAF arrived on 19 April 1947 from RAF Wahn during a break from West Germany. It used the Mosquito B.16 until 16 May 1947 when it moved back to Wahn.[83] No. 74 (Trinidad) Squadron RAF arrived on 1 July 1950 for a total of 8 days from RAF Horsham St Faith using Meteor F.4's.[34]

In the late 1950s the flying was reduced to ground radar calibration under RAF Signals Command with the arrival of No. 115 Squadron RAF on 25 August 1958 from RAF Watton with the Varsity T.1. The Valetta C.1 was introduced from August 1963 but the squadron moved back to Watton on 1 October 1963.[55] No. 245 Squadron RAF arrived on 25 August 1958 along from Watton, but with the Canberra B.2, however the squadron was disbanded on 19 April 1963 to become No. 98 Squadron.[84] No. 98 Squadron RAF used the Canberra B.2 until 1 October 1963 when the Squadron moved to RAF Watton.[54] Between January and March 1958 a detachment of No. 208 Squadron RAF operated here training crews on the new Hunter F.6.[12]

The Joint Services Language School moved here and in 1960 the station was granted the "freedom of the City of Chichester" and the event was marked by a march through the town and service in the Cathedral.[85]

No. 38 Group Tactical Communications Wing RAF and 244 Signal Squadron (Air Support) were the last units to leave the base, relocating to RAF Benson.

Some of the last flying units to be based at the station included:

Units:

In 1963-64 the last flying units left. However the station continued to be used for several years and, in 1968, Prince Charles took his first flying lesson at Tangmere.[96] The station finally closed on 16 October 1970;[97] a single Spitfire flew over the airfield as the RAF ensign was lowered for the last time.[98]

Present use

[edit]

Following the closure of the RAF station, some of the land around the runways was returned to farming. Tangmere Airfield Nurseries have built large glasshouses for the cultivation of peppers and aubergines.

RAF Tangmere Control Tower in 2009

Until 1983 37 acres (150,000 m2) of barracks, admin blocks and repair workshops remained derelict until bought by Seawards Properties Ltd. Housing soon spread around the airfield, and most RAF buildings were demolished. Officers' quarters have been retained as homes and two original RAF buildings remain, the grade II listed Control Tower, and one of the 'H Block' accommodation buildings.

The majority of the airfield is now farmed, and since 1979 the runways have slowly been removed thus returning the whole airfield back to large scale farming once again. In 2016 the final piece of apron and the three T.2 hangars were removed, with houses built in their place on a street called Hangar Drive.

The derelict control tower forms part of the farm but is now bricked up and partly overgrown. It became a grade II listed building as of 2011 and was placed on the heritage at risk register in 2015.[99] A campaign is currently underway to restore the control tower which has received local and national press coverage. This is being led by Tangmere Tower Community Interest Company, who restaged 'The Eisenhower Dinner' at the Chichester Harbour Hotel in 2019 to mark the 75th anniversary of General Eisenhower's original meal in 1944.[100] The CIC are working with the local Aviation Museum, the University of Chichester and Sussex Police and with their architect have submitted a planning application for phase one of the project.

Tangmere Military Aviation Museum

[edit]
Main article: Tangmere Military Aviation Museum
Tangmere Air Museum, February 1995

Tangmere Military Aviation Museum was founded by a group of enthusiastic veterans. It has a replica Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane as well as many original aircraft, including Neville Duke's speed record Hawker Hunter. On display is the 'Star' Meteor flown by Teddy Donaldson when he set the World Air Speed Record in September 1946, breaking the 1,000 km/h barrier.[101]

34067 locomotive

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A number of Oliver Bulleid's light pacific locomotives were named after Battle of Britain squadrons, stations, or commanders. One such locomotive that is preserved and still in main line operation is named "Tangmere" (no 34067).[citation needed]

See also

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References

[edit]

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ Birtles 2012, p. 49.
  2. ^ a b c Falconer 2012, p. 189.
  3. ^ Birtles 2012, p. 51.
  4. ^ Smith, Andrew W. M. (4 March 2018). "Eclipse in the dark years: pick-up flights, routes of resistance and the Free French". European Review of History: Revue européenne d'histoire. 25 (2): 392–414. doi:10.1080/13507486.2017.1411889. ISSN 1350-7486. S2CID 148856854.
  5. ^ Delve, Ken (24 April 2018). "The RAF at 100: Exploring Sussex's airfields". Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  6. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 28.
  7. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 35.
  8. ^ a b c Jefford 1988, p. 38.
  9. ^ a b c Jefford 1988, p. 50.
  10. ^ a b c d e Jefford 1988, p. 52.
  11. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 62.
  12. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 69.
  13. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 277.
  14. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 275.
  15. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 278.
  16. ^ a b Byron, Reginald (2013). Tangmere : Famous Royal Air Force Fighter Station An Authorised History. Grub Street Publishing. ISBN 978-1909166196.
  17. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 92.
  18. ^ a b c d Jefford 1988, p. 23.
  19. ^ a b c d e Jefford 1988, p. 39.
  20. ^ a b Saunders, Andy (1998). RAF Tangmere revisited. Sutton. ISBN 075091906X.
  21. ^ Sarkar, Dilip. Spitfire Ace of Aces: The True Wartime Story of Johnnie Johnson. Amberley Publishing, 2011. ISBN 978-1-4456-0475-6 page43
  22. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 288.
  23. ^ a b c Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 46.
  24. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 66.
  25. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 67.
  26. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 79.
  27. ^ a b c d e Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 295.
  28. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 89.
  29. ^ a b c d Jefford 1988, p. 90.
  30. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 45.
  31. ^ a b c d e Jefford 1988, p. 59.
  32. ^ a b c d Jefford 1988, p. 87.
  33. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 36.
  34. ^ a b c Jefford 1988, p. 48.
  35. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 85.
  36. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 86.
  37. ^ a b c Jefford 1988, p. 73.
  38. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 88.
  39. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 94.
  40. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 296.
  41. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 30.
  42. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 47.
  43. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 51.
  44. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 61.
  45. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 71.
  46. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 76.
  47. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 95.
  48. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 98.
  49. ^ a b c Jefford 1988, p. 99.
  50. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 100.
  51. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 32.
  52. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 33.
  53. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 43.
  54. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 53.
  55. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 57.
  56. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 58.
  57. ^ a b c d e Jefford 1988, p. 64.
  58. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 65.
  59. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 72.
  60. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 74.
  61. ^ a b c Jefford 1988, p. 81.
  62. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 96.
  63. ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 209.
  64. ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 254.
  65. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 44.
  66. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 155.
  67. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 223.
  68. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 122.
  69. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 123.
  70. ^ a b c d Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 233.
  71. ^ a b c d Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 113.
  72. ^ "Tangmere". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  73. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 84.
  74. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 100.
  75. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 108.
  76. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 193.
  77. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 194.
  78. ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 111.
  79. ^ Good, Timothy (12 July 2012). A Need to Know: UFOs, the Military and Intelligence. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-330-54349-1.
  80. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 34.
  81. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 37.
  82. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 97.
  83. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 46.
  84. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 77.
  85. ^ "National Archives: RAF Tangmere: Freedom of City of Chichester". Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  86. ^ "No 22 Squadron". RAF Web. Retrieved 6 April 2023.(subscription required)
  87. ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 41.
  88. ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 91.
  89. ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 99.
  90. ^ Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 132.
  91. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 161.
  92. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 177.
  93. ^ a b Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 147.
  94. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 112.
  95. ^ Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 273.
  96. ^ "Campaign to restore Tangmere's 'iconic' airfield control tower". 2 November 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  97. ^ "Unit History: RAF Tangmere". Forces War Records. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  98. ^ "Tangmere Pilots". Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  99. ^ Historic England. "Watch Office (Control Tower), former RAF Tangmere (1403165)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  100. ^ Khoo, Anna (27 March 2019). "Recreation of Eisenhower's visit as Tangmere Tower campaign progresses". Chichester Observer. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  101. ^ Thomas, Nick. RAF Top Gun: Teddy Donaldson CB, DSO, AFC and Bar Battle of Britain Ace and World Air Speed Record Holder, Pen & Sword, 2008. ISBN 1-84415-685-0

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Birtles, P. (2012). UK Airfields of the Cold War. Midland Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-346-4.
  • 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.; 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.
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