RAF Shellingford, Berkshire

RAF Shellingford

Details

RAF Shellingford RAF

Shellingford was opened for use as a practice landing field for Elementary Flying Training in 1931, the aerodrome being of grass. It opened for night flying on 25 September 1941.
No 3 EFTS were located at RAF Shellingford with some 56 Tiger Moths and a communal site was established for all ranks at nearby Stanford-in-the-Vale. British Army pilots trained here as glider pilots from 1943, the base being one of many assisting in the training of Horsa Glider pilots in preparation for the D-Day landings of 1944.
Royal Netherlands Air Force pilots also received training at Shellingford in 1946.
No.3 EFTS departed in 1948, the aerodrome closing on 31 March 1948 as the RAF gradually wound down following the Second World War. However, the airfield was re-opened briefly for use by the United States Air Force in the 1950s. USAF 7568 Material Squadron provided radar maintenance for the 32nd Brigade whose task was to provide the air defence for all USAF SAC bases in the UK. RAF Shellingford closed to the USAF in early 1957 with the 7568 MS moving to Denham Studios, near Uxbridge, as the 7500 Air Base Group. (Military Wiki)

DH Tiger Moth.

Pilot under instruction.

 

RAF Shellingford

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RAF Shellingford

Details

Most of its perimeter track is still here, two incredible wooden blister hangars, a watch office and more.
This was written in 2005.

3 x runways of Sommerfeld tracking.
4 x Bellman hangars.
11 x Blister hangars.
4 x dispersed accommodation sites.
1 x Communal site.
1 x Sick Quarters.
1 x Sewage site.

Bellman hangar.

Sommerfeld tracking.

Plan of the watch office.

RAF Shellingford

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Site No. 3.
2005 and an air-raid shelter was in place and 12 the TB Ablutions block, it still had its ladder to the water tank in the tower.
1,2 &3 - Women Workers Quarters - N - SHL/7110/842.
4,5,6,&7 - Men Unskilled Quarters - N - SHL/7110/842.
8,9,10,&11 - Men Skilled Quarters - N - SHL/7110/842.
12 - Ablutions - TB - SHL/7110/842.
13 Fuel Compound.
14 - Picket Post - N - SHL/7110/842.
15 - Female Latrine - TB - SHL/7110/842.
16 - Male Latrine - SHL/7110/842.
17 - Male Latrine - SHL/7110/842.
18 - M & E Plinth - TP/4172/41.
19 - Static Water Tank.
20 - Bucket Emptying Manhole - 7281/42.
N - Nissen.
TB - Temporary Brick.
AS - Air Raid Shelter.

Bucket Emptying Platform T.P.7087/42.

The roadway is still there

Chimney on the left for the heating plant, water tank is still in the tower, with the ladder to access it.

RAF Shellingford

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This is the access roadway to the 66 - Aviation Petrol 24,000gal - 15425/40.

Plan

Plan.

66 - Aviation Petrol 24,000gal - 15425/40.

RAF Shellingford

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66 - Aviation Petrol 24,000gal - 15425/40.
Larger pump house.
There are two pump houses, this one we could not access as it was in the Quarry.

Plan  of the perimeter track leading to the fuel instillation circular roadway with two pump houses and tanks for 24,000gal. Site plan No. 15425/40..

66 - Aviation Petrol 24,000gal - 15425/40.
The red lines on the plan are actually where the petrol bowsers parked. They are level ground, where the tank dip sticks can record the amount of fuel inside.

Fuel gauge.

RAF Shellingford

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66 - Aviation Petrol 24,000gal - 15425/40.
This is the second pump house outside the quarry.

66 - Aviation Petrol 24,000gal - 15425/40.
The red lines on the plan are actually where the petrol bowsers parked. They are level ground, where the tank dip sticks can record the amount of fuel inside.

Early Albion fuel bowser.

Trailer type bowser.

RAF Shellingford

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66 - Aviation Petrol 24,000gal - 15425/40.
Inside the second smaller pump house and the holes in the right wall would have taken fuel pipes through.

Pump house plan.

Fuel pump.

POOL tankers would have delivered fuel from probably Avonmouth docks to here.

RAF Shellingford

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Blister hangar type 'Standard', most later Blister hangars were made of steel light welded fames and covered in corrugated iron sheets. This is a very early model that uses a wooden frame and older style iron sheets.

Plan.

These Blister hangars used timber for supports and a different form of iron sheeting and small windows.

RAF Shellingford

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Blister hangar type 'Standard' there were ten altogether on the airfield.

Plan.

DH Tiger Moth.

 

RAF Shellingford

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Blister hangar type 'Standard'
Artistic licence.

 

 

 

RAF Shellingford

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Blister hangar type 'Standard'
One of five that were here.

RAF Shellingford

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The airfield & perimeter track

 

 

RAF Shellingford

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Blister hangar type 'Standard'
A view you could not see now, as this part of the field has been dug up for gravel extraction.

Plan

RAF Shellingford

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Perimeter track looking north.
Runway surfaces were Sommerfeld tracking a wire mesh and pin construction placed over grass to allow vehicles/planes to use the road/runways and not damage the ground.

Plan red arrow.

Plan of the runways.

Sommerfeld tracking.

Remains at RAF Southrop.

Sommerfeld tracking tie down pins and washers.

Sommerfeld tracking.

RAF Shellingford

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Blister hangar type 'Standard'

RAF Shellingford

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Blister hangar type 'Standard'

RAF Shellingford

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Blister hangar type 'Standard'
The timbers for another Blister hangar were stored here.

All the pieces of wood were numbered for easy assembly.

RAF Shellingford

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Blister hangar type 'Standard'
The pulleys and rail are for a canvas curtain door, that can shut of the opening.

Blister hangar curtains.

 

RAF Shellingford

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Blister hangar type 'Standard'
Base of another Blister.

Here you can see a pin stuck into the concrete foundation and a steel side edge runner.

Steel pins used to hold down the hangar.

RAF Shellingford

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Technical Site

1 to 4 - Bellman Hangars - ST - 6411/39.
5 Control Tower (Watch Office) - TB - 641/41.
6 - Fire Tender House & Rest Room - 641/41 & Local.
7 - Latrine - TB - 641/41.
8 - Compass Platform - 10996/40.
24 - Main Store - 647/41.
39 - SAA Store (Small Arms Ammunition) - TB - 16075/40+2495/41.
43 - Main Workshops - 639/41.

38 - M.G. Range - 147/41.

Plan.

Plan 38 - M.G. Range - 147/41.

M.G. Range.

RAF Shellingford

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38 - M.G. Range - 147/41.

Firring point.

 

 

RAF Shellingford

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39 - SAA Store (Small Arms Ammunition) - TB - 16075/40+2495/41.

.303 ammunition.

Lea Enfield rifle.

RAF Shellingford

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40 - Link Trainer (2No.) - 7750/40.

Plan yellow circle.

Plan.

Plan Link trainer 2No.

RAF Shellingford

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41 - Link Trainer (3No.) - 7750/40.

 

Inside a Link trainer room showing the pilot in the Link and the instructor at his table.

Plan Link 4188/42.

RAF Shellingford

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41 - Link Trainer (3No.) - 7750/40.
A slightly out of focus Link Trainer building.

RAF Shellingford

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Hidden in some new factory units is this I think is 47 - Technical latrine - 641/41.

How it may have looked inside.

RAF Shellingford

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1 to 4 - Bellman Hangars - ST - 6411/39.
This is the area of the hangars.

A hangar base, inset an angle bracket attached to the foundations. There were four Bellman Hangars.

Bellman Hangars - ST - 6411/39.

 

Inside,

RAF Shellingford

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The left building is the Fire Tender House.
The right I will call it a Watch Office.

1 to 4 - Bellman Hangars - ST - 6411/39.
5 Control Tower (Watch Office) - TB - 641/41.
6 - Fire Tender House & Rest Room - 641/41 & Local.
7 - Latrine - TB - 641/41.
8 - Compass Platform - 10996/40.

Plan white arrow.

details

Fire tender crew.

RAF Shellingford

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6 - Fire Tender House & Rest Room - 641/41 & Local.

 

 

 

RAF Shellingford

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6 - Fire Tender House & Rest Room - 641/41 & Local.

 

RAF Shellingford

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6 - Fire Tender House & Rest Room - 641/41 & Local.

 

 

 

RAF Shellingford

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5 Control Tower (Watch Office) - TB - 641/41.

 

 

How it may have looked (Paul Francis).

RAF Shellingford

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5 Control Tower (Watch Office) - TB - 641/41.
Right side.

Left side.

 

RAF Shellingford

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5 Control Tower (Watch Office) - TB - 641/41.
 Pyrotechnic cupboard for flair cartridges and flair guns. It would have had two steel doors.

Front of the building.

1941 British No.3mk 1 Very pistol.

Flair cartridges.

lair gun being fired.

RAF Shellingford

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5 Control Tower (Watch Office) - TB - 641/41.

Flight line.

Student pilots.

 

 

RAF Shellingford

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Sick Quarters
48 - Sick Quarters & Dental Surgery - TB - 569/41.
49 - Ambulance Garage & Mortuary - TB - 641/41
50 - Picket Post - TB - 641/41.
51 - Orderlies' Quarters - N - 15015/41.
52 - Orderlies' Latrines & Ablutions - 15015/41.
53 - Static Water Tank - TP/4172/41.
54 Septic Tank.

A Picket Post is the the entrance to a site and everybody entering and leaving, needs to sign in & out. Also it has a room that a prisoner could be held, a toilet wash room and the main office. Also a stove to keep the place warm.

Picket post.

Plan of a Picket Post.

RAF pass.

RAF Shelling

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Now Cottage Road, this was the entrance to the Station Sick Quarters and I was surprised to see the Picket Post still in situ.

Sick quarters.

RAF Shellingford

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I have just found this in the Internet, the caption is:
RAF Shellingford, England 1956.
Left: A2C Charles Frazier.
Right: A2C Ted Clerk.
I am not sure which building this was. The aerodrome closed on 31 March 1948 as the RAF gradually wound down following the Second World War. However, the airfield was re-opened briefly for use by the United States Air Force in the 1950s. USAF 7568 Material Squadron provided radar maintenance for the 32nd Brigade whose task was to provide the air defence for all USAF SAC bases in the UK. RAF Shellingford closed to the USAF in early 1957 with the 7568 MS moving to Denham Studios, near Uxbridge, as the 7500 Air Base Group.
(Military Wiki)

RAF Shellingford

Details

© 2013 Richard Drew