Royal Air Force Colerne or more simply RAF Colerne is a former Royal Air Force station which was on the outskirts of the village of Colerne in Wiltshire, England, and was in use from 1939 to 1976.

The site is now known as Azimghur Barracks and is home to 21 Signal Regiment, Royal Signals and 93 (City of Bath) Air Training Corps detached flight.

History Second World War Originally there had been a farm called Doncombe and a vineyard on the site of the airfield, the names of Doncombe Lane and Doncombe Hill being the last link to the farm.

From 1940 to 1955 RAF Fighter Command units were based here. During the Battle of Britain the airfield served as a satellite field to RAF Middle Wallop, and squadrons rotated back and forth from there on a daily basis.RAF, Groups in the Battle of Britain, accessed February 2009

Later it was a training station for night fighter navigators. Using the latest night fighter procedures, the unit involved was No. 238 Operational Conversion Unit RAF from June 1952 until January 1957 and Bristol Brigand twin engine aircraft were used for this purpose. They also operated Bristol Buckmaster Aircraft for pilot training, and a number of Boulton Paul Balliol aircraft – an advanced pilot trainer powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. The pilot and trainee sat side-by-side in the wide fuselage, and the Balliols were used as targets for the Brigand aircraft to practice radar interceptions on.

Squadron Equipment From To Departed To Notes No. 19 Squadron RAF Supermarine Spitfire VB 23 July 1942 31 July 1942 RAF Perranporth No. 29 Squadron RAF de Havilland Mosquito XIIII/XXX 22 February 1945 11 May 1945 RAF Manston No. 87 (United Provinces) Squadron RAF Hawker Hurricane IHurricane IIC 28 November 19407 August 1941 18 December 194027 January 1942 RAF Charmy Down Detachment at RAF Charmy Down.Det at RAF St Mary's. No. 89 Squadron RAF Bristol Beaufighter IF 25 September 1941 19 November 1941 en route Egypt Reformed here. No. 118 Squadron RAF Spitfire IIA 7 April 1941 9 April 1941 RAF Warmwell No. 124 (Baroda) Squadron RAF Spitfire VII March 1943 26 July 1943 RAF Northolt As a detachment from RAF North Weald. No. 125 (Newfoundland) Squadron RAF Boulton Paul Defiant IDefiant IIBeaufighter IIF 16 June 194125 January 1942 7 August 194114 May 1942 RAF Charmy DownRAF Fairwood Common Full SquadronDet at RAF Fairwood CommonDet at RAF Charmy Down. No. 131 (County of Kent) Squadron RAF Spitfire IXSpitfire VII 10 February 194429 February 1944 22 February 194424 March 1944 RAF Fairwood CommonHarrowbeer No. 137 Squadron RAF Hurricane IVHawker Typhoon IB 2 January 1944 4 February 1944 RAF Lympne No. 151 Squadron RAF Defiant IMosquito II/XII/VI/XIII 30 April 194317 November 1943 16 August 194325 March 1944 RAF Middle WallopRAF Predannack No. 165 (Ceylon) Squadron RAF Spitfire VC/IXB 10 February 19447 March 1944 1 March 194410 March 1944 RAF Fairwood CommonRAF Culmhead No. 175 Squadron RAF Hurricane IIBTyphoon IB 8 April 1943 29 May 1943 RAF Lasham No. 183 (Gold Coast) Squadron RAF Typhoon IB 24 March 1943 8 April 1943 RAF Gatwick No. 184 Squadron RAF Hurricane IID 1 December 1942 1 March 1943 RAF Chilbolton Det at RAF Milfield. No. 219 (Mysore) Squadron RAF Mosquito XVII 26 March 1944 1 April 1944 RAF Bradwell Bay No. 256 Squadron RAF Defiant I 6 February 1941 26 March 1941 RAF Squires Gate Det at RAF Middle Wallop. No. 263 (Fellowship of the Bellows) Squadron RAF Westland Whirlwind I 28 January 194215 August 1942 10 February 194213 September 1942 RAF Fairwood CommonRAF Warmwell No. 264 (Madras Presidency) Squadron RAF Defiant IIMosquito IIMosquito XIII 1 May 194230 November 1944 30 April 19431 December 1944 RAF Odiham No. 285 Squadron RAF Defiant IIIMiles Martinet I 25 August 1943 19 November 1944 RAF Andover As a detachment from RAF Woodvale. No. 286 Squadron RAF Miles Master IIIDefiant III/IHurricane IAirspeed Oxford 30 December 19412 March 1942 24 January 194230 April 1942 RAF Lulsgate BottomRAF Lulsgate Bottom No. 307 Polish Night Fighter Squadron Defiant I 26 March 1941 26 April 1941 RAF Exeter No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadron Hurricane I/IIA/IIB 18 June 1941 2 August 1941 RAF Northolt No. 317 Polish Fighter Squadron Hurricane I 26 June 1941 27 June 1941 RAF Fairwood Common No. 402 Squadron RCAF Hurricane IBSpitfire VB 4 March 1942 17 March 1942 RAF Fairwood Common No. 406 Squadron RCAF Mosquito XXX 17 September 1944 27 November 1944 RAF Manston No. 410 Squadron RCAF Mosquito XIII/XXX 28 July 1944 9 September 1944 RAF Hunsdon No. 417 Squadron RCAF Spitfire IIA/VB 26 January 1942 24 February 1942 RAF Tain No. 456 Squadron RAAF Beaufighter IIF/VIFMosquito IIMosquito VI December 194217 August 1943 29 March 194317 November 1943 RAF Middle WallopRAF Fairwood Common No. 488 Squadron RNZAF Mosquito XIII 3 May 194429 July 1944 12 May 19449 October 1944 RAF ZealsRAF Hunsdon No. 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron AAF Spitfire I/IIA 9 April 1941 25 June 1941 RAF Chilbolton No. 504 (County of Nottingham) Squadron AAF Spitfire IXEMeteor III 28 March 1945 10 August 1945 Disbanded Dets at RAF Andrews Field and Lübeck. No. 587 Squadron RAF OxfordHawker Henley IIIHurricane IVMiles MartinetHurricane IIC 10 April 1944 1 October 1944 RAF Weston Zoyland As a detachment from RAF Culmhead. No. 600 (City of London) Squadron AAF Beaufighter IIF 27 April 194127 June 1941 18 June 19416 October 1941 RAF Fairwood CommonRAF Predannack Det at RAF Predannack. No. 604 (County of Middlesex) Squadron AAF Mosquito XIIIMosquito XII 13 July 194428 July 1944 25 July 19446 August 1944 RAF ZealsA-8 Picauville Det at A-15 Maupertus. No. 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron AAF Meteor I/III 17 January 1945 28 February 1945 RAF Andrews Field Det at B 58 Melsbroek.

The following units were here during the Second World War: Aircraft Delivery Flight, Colerne RAF became No. 2 Aircraft Delivery Flight RAF (March 1941 – July 1943) No. 2 Supplementary School of Technical Training RAF (March – May 1941) No. 4 Aircraft Assembly Unit RAF (July 1940 – March 1942) became No. 218 Maintenance Unit RAF (March 1942 – February 1948) No. 10 Group Communication Flight RAF (July 1940 – April 1945) No. 149 (Long Range Fighter) Wing RAF (July – September 1944) No. 1454 (Fighter) Flight RAF (June 1941 – January 1942) No. 1457 (Fighter) Flight RAF (September – November 1941) Detachment of No. 1487 (Fighter) Gunnery Flight RAF (January – February 1943) No. 1498 (Target Towing) Flight RAF (August – September 1943) Fortress Flight RAF (1942 – October 1942) Special Installation Flight RAF (August 1942 – February 1948 & October 1953 – March 1962)

Cold War and closure Between 4 May 1948 and 1 March 1962, No. 49 Maintenance Unit RAF was based at the airfield.

After this period it became a Transport Command airfield, and Handley Page Hastings aircraft were flown from RAF Colerne. After the demise of the Hastings and the introduction of the new Lockheed C-130 Hercules to the RAF Air Support Command, the front-line transport role was relinquished. The Hercules were based at RAF Lyneham, also in Wiltshire, and for many years major servicing of the Hercules was carried out at RAF Colerne by the Air Engineering Squadron, until the station closed in 1976.

C-130 Hercules aircraft XV198 crashed, killing all crew on board, here in September 1973.

Colerne was also the home of No. 2 Field Squadron RAF Regiment from 1962 to 1975. For a number of years up until its closure as an RAF station it housed one of the RAF's regional collections of historic aircraft, including Neville Duke's world-record-breaking Hawker Hunter and a rare example of the rocket-engined Messerschmitt Me 163 B, Werknummer 191904 (since returned to Germany).

From 1966, the Skynet satellite communications system, a Signal Unit with its main base at RAF Oakhanger, had a detachment at Colerne.

Squadron Equipment From To Departed To Notes No. 24 Squadron RAF Handley Page Hastings C.1 1 January 1957 5 January 1968 RAF Lyneham No. 36 Squadron RAF Hastings C.1/C.2 1 September 1958 1 July 1967 RAF Lyneham No. 74 (Trinidad) Squadron RAF Gloster Meteor F.3 15 February 19469 June 1946 2 June 194614 August 1946 RAF BentwatersRAF Horsham St Faith No. 114 (Hong Kong) Squadron RAF Hastings C.1/C.2 13 April 1959 30 September 1961 Disbanded Reformed here. No. 245 (Northern Rhodesian) Squadron RAF Meteor F.3 10 August 1945 18 February 1946 RAF Fairwood Common Reformed here. No. 511 Squadron RAF Hastings C.1/C.2 1 May 1957 1 September 1958 Disbanded No. 662 Squadron RAF Auster AOP 5/6/4 1 February 1949 10 March 1957 Disbanded

The following units were here during the Cold War: No. 3 Air Experience Flight RAF (1993 – ?) No. 24 Group Communication Flight RAF (January 1960 – April 1964) No. 27 (Signals Training) Group RAF (September 1949 – July 1953) No. 27 Group Communication Flight RAF (September 1949 – July 1952) No. 62 Group Communication Flight RAF (January 1948 – July 1952) became Colerne Communication Squadron RAF (August 1942 – July 1957) absorbed by No. 81 Group Communication Flight RAF (January 1952 – April 1958) No. 92 Gliding School RAF (February 1948 – September 1955) Detachment of No. 228 Operational Conversion Unit RAF (January – May 1957) Detachment of No. 238 Maintenance Unit RAF (April 1956 – July 1958) No. 1335 (Meteor) Conversion Unit RAF (March – July 1945) No. 1956 Reserve Air Observation Post Flight RAF (February 1949 – March 1957) No. 1963 Reserve Air Observation Post Flight RAF (February 1949 – March 1957) Airborne Interception School RAF (June 1952) became 238 OCU Bristol University Air Squadron (November 1992 – ?)

British Army units The site was used by the British Army as its training facility for the Junior Leaders Regiment of the Royal Corps of Transport and Royal Army Ordnance Corps. Young men from the age of 16 were trained in a variety of the skills needed to enable them to become better soldiers in the army. Basic driver training was done on simulators, and car driver training to licence level and motorcycle training were undertaken here.

The Regiment consisted of 30 (Junior Leader) Squadron RCT, 57 (Junior Leader) Squadron RCT and 90 (Junior Leader) Squadron RCT, together with 88 (Junior Leader) Coy RAOC.

Estranged from the regiment, at Driffield in Yorkshire, was 32 Driver Training Squadron RCT. Here, young soldiers were sent to the ASMT at Defence School of Transport (Leconfield) to be taught to drive the basic vehicles of the Army (typically a Land Rover and a 4-tonne lorry) and to qualify as Driver Trade B3 before being posted to a full-time working regiment where their technical trade training would be continued.

Post-RAF use After the RAF station closed in 1976, the site was taken over by the Army; occasional flying by Air Cadets continues. The airfield is expected to be closed in 2025.

Units

See also List of Battle of Britain airfields List of Battle of Britain squadrons

References Citations

Bibliography

External links