The Airfield
The Airfield
Construction of the Airfield began in December 1942 as a bomber base for the United States Air Force and was completed in February 1944. It was initially a base for Dakota aircraft and Hadrian gliders which took part in the D-Day landings. The USAF left the Airfield in November 1944 and it was handed over to the RAF.
In January 1945 two Dakota squadrons arrived to train prior to taking part in the war with the Japanese. In October 1946 the Airfield was closed.
The Airfield re-opened again between 1951 and 1956 when it was used again by the RAF to train pilots using Vampire and Meteor jet aircraft.
It was rebuilt in 1966 and has since been used by the Royal Navy as a site for Helicopter training controlled from RNAS Yeovilton.
For more information see the following links: https://www.southwestairfields.co.uk/page20.html