RAF Cleave
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RAF Cleave
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RAF Cleave around 400 ft (125 m) above sea level sitting right on the top of a cliff.
Hawker Henley.
3.7 inch Vickers AA guns.
Main gate of the Army camp.
RAF Cleave
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RAF Cleave
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RAF Cleave
23 March 2004
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RAF Cleave
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Now owned by GCHQ.
RAF Cleave
www.cornwall.gov
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RAF Cleave
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Army & RAF Camps
RAF Cleave north of the airfield with two Bellman hangars and four grass runways.
Cleave Anti-Aircraft training camp taking up all the south side.
RAF Cleave
Air Ministry 5101/45
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RAF Cleave
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RAF Camp Site Plan
RAF Cleave: -
Opened 1939 and closed 1945.
Control Tower - TB HOL.39/43.
4 x grass runways of all around 1000yds long.
Accommodation - Temporary.
Hangars - two Bellman, one Blister hangar.
Before the RAF camp was built, up to three Bessoneau hangars were used.
RAF - Officers - 11.
SNCO's -
28.
Other ranks - 380.
WAAF - Officers - 2.
SNCO's - 4.
Other ranks - 74.
Bellman hangar.
Bessoneau hangars.
WAAF's.
RAF Cleave
1939
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RAF Cleave
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Anti-Aircraft Training Camp
This is an early picture of the AA camp and the new airfield not yet extended. The white marks are where hedges have been grubbed out to make way for the extended grass runways. The army camp has a lot of tents and showing a very temporary look to it. Later wooden huts replaced the tents.
1939 and two flights of No.1 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation moved in with Westland Wallace aircraft.
Westland Wallace.
Bessoneau hangar.
Bessoneau.
Hawker Henley inside a Bessoneau hangar.
Wooden army huts.
RAF Cleave
Later 1940's
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A good air photo of the camp taken in the late 40's when the war had ended and the camp was not needed anymore as an AA camp. Along the western side are the remains of the gun positions for training on 3.7 & 4.5 inch AA guns.
3.7imch AA guns.
4.5 inch AA guns.
3.7imch AA guns.
RAF Cleave
OS, SS21 & Part of SS11 - C (includes: Morwenstow; Welcombe)
Publication date: 1965
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A 1965 map of the camps showing most of the buildings plus some more that were built post war on the runway extension in the N/E. I believe the camp became a radio monitoring camp.
Men of the 84th (LT) AA (Anti-Aircraft) Regiment, TA (Territorial Army) unloading a piece of equipment from the back of a lorry at the regiment's training camp at Bude, Cornwall; the man on the left appears to be at least partly dressed in civilian clothing. A boy in short trousers, extreme foreground left, is watching the operation.
Could this be the type of control tower that was here, HOL.39/43.
Part of the camp.
AA Command.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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Possibly a Type24.
One of the very many pill boxes around the airfield. This pill box was constructed and sighted to cover the airfield. If an enemy was to parachute in or use a glider force. They would have been very vulnerable to being attacked the instant they landed and consolidating. The defenders could pour automatic fire down on an enemy forming up to take the airfield.
Behind post war RAF Ministry housing for the camp.
Plan.
Possibly a Type 26.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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RAF Cleave
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96 & 97 Ammunition Store.
There are two ammunition stores which I would think its was small arms ammunition for airfield defence.
Plan.
.303 ammunition.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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Another Type 26 covering the valley to the north west of the airfield. This pill box covers an attack from the beach and up a ravine, which would be an easy way onto the airfield without being seen.
Plan.
Possibly a Type26.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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The entrance.
Possibly a Type26.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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RAF Cleave
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Looking inside at the rear door.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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RAF Cleave
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Machine gun emplacement.
Turnbull machine gun mounting.
Turnbull mount by Peter Hibbs www.pillbox.org.uk.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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RAF Cleave
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View down the valley.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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RAF Cleave
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In the gully is a concrete tie down, a five gallon drum filled with concrete and a ring set into it to tie to light aircraft down in windy weather.
Aircraft tie down.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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Defence position
Two concrete drain pipes sunk into the ground and this one looks like they are joined by a trench.
Machine gun mountings.
Twin Vickers guns.
Concrete drains.
RAF Cleave
23 January 2005
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RAF Cleave
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Defence position
Two more drain pipe defence positions.
Lewis gun twin mount.
RAF Cleave
23 January 2005
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RAF Cleave
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Defence position
These were used a lot in early built airfields.
RAF Cleave
23 January 2005
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RAF Cleave
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You have been Warned
Typical over stating the obvious. There are two Stanton shelters here with Void signs on them and would you believe it they are totally sealed up anyway!!!!!!!!!!.
Plan.
Stanton shelter.
Assembling a Stanton shelter.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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RAF Cleave
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Motor Transport
9 - M.T. Sheds - T - 7274/39.
(9. = on the plan).
('T'= timber hutting).
Plan.
MT plan 9026/40 very like the one above. A double row of wooden sheds some open but several may have had doors on. At least one of the garages would have had an inspection pit.
Wooden MT shed.
RAF Cleave
23 January 2005
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Motor Transport
The remains of concrete blocks to stop a driver reversing into the door post. .
RAF Cleave
25 January 2005
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Officers Mess
Building foundations. You can just make out the roundabout that was in front of the Mess.
Plan.
1 - Officers Mess & Mess Quarters T 7270/39
41 - Officers and Batman's Quarters N 18/542/42.
85 RAF Officers Quarters T 18/1296/42.
Timber Officers Mess.
RAF Cleave
23 January 2005
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Boundary Stone
A War Department boundary stone No.11. This must have been part of the army camp as if it was the airfield then it would have been an AM Air Ministry stone. Originally they were made of Bath stone, but this one replaces bath stone with reinforced concrete.
Boundary stone designs.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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Another stone, not exactly what this one was for.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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This is a stand for an anti-aircraft mobile radar.
Radar, Gun Laying, Mark III, or GL Mk. III for short, was a radar system used by the British Army to directly guide, or lay, anti-aircraft artillery (AA). The GL Mk. III was not a single radar, but a family of related designs that saw constant improvement during and after World War II. These were renamed shortly after their introduction in late 1942, becoming the Radar, AA, No.3, and often paired with an early warning radar, the AA No. 4, which was also produced in several models.
Wiki
Plan.
Gun Laying, Mk III radar.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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Ramp the radar would have been pushed up.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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RAF Cleave
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Two mounting bolts to hold down the radar.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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RAF Cleave
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A standard 3.7 inch British anti-aircraft hold fast.
Plan.
RAF Cleave
Internet ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fairey Battle damaged.
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RAF Cleave
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Tywyn Camp
4.5 inch Vickers gun line.
A Fairy Battle damaged at Cleave.
Fairy Battle in service with an Anti-Aircraft Co-operation.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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AA gun hold fast
3.7 inch Vickers.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 22 November 2008
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Where ever you find AA mountings, these fittings are always the same. In fact the 3.7inch and the 4.5inch but also I am believe the Bloodhound AA guided ground to air missile used the same types of fittings. Need to check that.
The second picture is more interesting, its a German Atlantikwall casemate at Wn126 "Blankenese", Neville, Cherbourg, France.
3.7 inch Vickers.
4.5 inch Vickers.
Bristol Bloodhound.
Wn126 "Blankenese".
A British 3.7 inch captured gun being used inside a German casemate. Probably captured at Dunkirk.
Captured at Dunkirk.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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Defended bank
No real idea what this was, it could be for ready ammunition or a position for a command post.
Plan.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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RAF Cleave
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Pill box
A rather smashed up pill box.
Type 26.
RAF Cleave
23 January 2005 ------------------------------------------ Possibly 1936 Watchet, Somerset trials
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Queen Bee
de Havilland DH-82B Queen Bee was certainly the first truly successful pilot less aircraft with nearly 400 being manufactured over several years. The Queen Bee’s ability to fly without a pilot was indeed high technology at the time and it was demonstrated for dignitaries on many occasions. ©1936.
The basic idea was to be able to shoot at a plane and not killing the pilot, but I am not sure if the idea was to shoot it down or just near miss. More research needed. The Queen Bee was very successful for the period of pre computerisation
Many of the Queen Bees were flown more than just the single time, some operating for months. Bad shots.
Plan.
The port of Watchet a Queen Bee's recovered from the sea on board the SS Radstock.
RAF Cleave
23 January 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AM
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Queen Bee
The base of the steam catapult like the type that was used on capital ships of the Royal Navy.
Most AA gun practice was to fire at a drogue, a tube of cloth towed behind a usually out of front line service aeroplane.
A Queen Bee at RAF Cleave ready to take off.
A Henley towing a drogue at an AA training camp.
Hawker Henley trainer.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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Queen Bee
"it was only an aeroplane used for towing air-borne targets. they were flown for the anti-aircraft training base. So that was everlasting flying up parallel to the beach, two or three miles out, maybe a bit more. And that was being everlasting shot at, you know. So there we are, that used to go up and down. It was just there, you know, eventually it was just part of the scenery again". From 'An aeroplane on the beach! Ynyslas, June 1940'.
He is talking about the AA camp at Tywyn, in Wales. But very relevant to here.
A Hawker Henley crashed on Maer Beach near Bude and P/O Matherson and LAC Robinson drowned in heavy seas on the 1st April 1940. They were flying from RAF Cleave.
Another picture of P/O Matherson & LAC Robertson's plane.
Shrapnel damage to a No.2 A.A.C.U. 'C' Flight Battle in early '41 Bill Coombes points out the damage at RAF Cleave.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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RAF Cleave
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The Army camp
Site of several huts.
Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) girls operate a kine theodolite (used to record on film the accuracy of anti-aircraft shells) at the Royal Artillery anti-aircraft training school at Manobier in South Wales, 29 October 1940.
Anti-Aircraft site.
Large wooden hut.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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The Army camp
Bases of more huts.
Wooden hutting would have been between here and the road.
The Army camp.
RAF Cleave
23 January 2005
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The Army camp
Large wooden hut base.
Wooden hut.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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Remains lying around in a hollow.
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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Pill box facing out to sea.
Type 24?
RAF Cleave
10 May 2003
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Another covering the valley.
Another type 24?.
RAF Cleave
Google
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RAF Cleave
23 March 2004
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Coombe Valley
RAF Cleave
28 April 2012
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RAF Cleave
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Coombe Valley
Anti-tank obstacles 'Dragons Teeth' in the river bed.
Dragons teeth.
Dragons teeth.
RAF Cleave
28 April 2012
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Coombe Valley
Anti-tank obstacles in the river bed. I am not sure that tanks would ever have landed here.
German tanks assembling in France.
RAF Cleave
23 January 2005
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France
Great Britain
