RAF Chedburgh
Former RAF station in Suffolk, England
52°10′49″N 000°37′15″E / 52.18028°N 0.62083°E / 52.18028; 0.62083
31 Base Substation 1943-
* No. 3 Group RAF
* No. 7 (T) Group RAF[1]
| Runways | |
|---|---|
| Direction | Length and surface |
| 00/00 | Concrete |
| 00/00 | Concrete |
| 00/00 | Concrete |
Royal Air Force Chedburgh or more simply RAF Chedburgh is a former Royal Air Force satellite station located near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK. The Bury Road Business Park is now located on the site, a principal enterprise being Yara UK Limited's liquid fertilizer production plant.[2]
History
Murray Peden, a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot, recounts in his memoirs[3] flying on his first attack on Germany, from RAF Chedburgh in September 1943. The target was Hanover. He was a new member of No. 214 Squadron RAF, which was equipped with four-engine Stirlings. He describes the long line of aircraft taxiing "ponderously" along a: "...perimeter track [which] ran within a hundred yards of Chedburgh's pub, before which the locals . . . had assembled for their nightly show." In 2018, the pub building still stood, near the northwest corner of the old airfield.[4]
The following units were here at some point:[2]
- No. 23 Heavy Glider Maintenance Section of No. 2 Heavy Glider Maintenance Unit (? - March 1944)[5]
- No. 214 Squadron RAF (1942-43)
- No. 218 Squadron RAF (1944-45)
- No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron
- No. 304 Polish Bomber Squadron
- No. 620 Squadron RAF (1943)
- No. 1653 Heavy Conversion Unit RAF (November 1943 - November 1944)[6]
References
Citations
- ^ a b c Falconer 2012, p. 63.
- ^ a b "Chedburgh". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ Peden, Murray, "A Thousand Shall Fall," Dundurn (April 1, 2003), p 244
- ^ Google Earth latitude/longitude of pub: 52°11'15.06"N 0°36'53.39"E ; by 2018, the pub had closed and its future was in doubt. See for example: Michael Steward, "Campaign to Save Village Pub Gains Support," East Anglian Daily Times 23 May 2018 https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/campaign-to-save-village-pub-in-chedburgh-near-bury-st-edmunds-gains-support-1-5530587
- ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 191.
- ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 100.
Bibliography
- Falconer, J (2012). RAF Airfields of World War 2. UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-349-5.
- 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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