RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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The airfield is now owned partly by Wiltshire Wild Life and the Farmer. We met the Farmer, a very nice man and he took us on a tour of the airfield. So all these pictures are with his permission and I thank him for an interesting hour of his time.

 

 

D-Day.

Arnhem.

.

 

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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A full 'A' Class late war airfield in North Wiltshire.
How can you tell its 'A' Class:
Three runways, plenty of aircraft dispersals, a full bomb store and a completely dispersed Communal living sites.
How can you tell its late war:
The design of an 'A' Class airfield needed all its aircraft dispersed around the perimeter track. Now early 'A' Class airfields used circular dispersals and middle ones, a mix of circular and spectacle dispersals. Here they are all the spectacle types, except one circular. (This anomaly I cannot work out, it may have been for a compass swing? and other 'A' Class have two circular dispersals??).
Opened in 1944 just ready for D-Day, its accommodation was all temporary buildings and had a complement of over 2600 men and women. It was closed 1952.
Spectacle as apposed to circular dispersals:
Circular dispersals an aeroplane had to drive into and then turn 180° by applying full rudder and opening up the engines on one side, to turn the plane around (I am not sure if one wheel was braked at the same time0. This caused damage to aircraft undercarriages. A spectacle type, allowed aircraft to just drive in and then drive out, as needed. Also I believe that less concrete was used in construction. There were 45 spectacle an one circular dispersals.

The different styles of aircraft dispersals.
B3/B4 the large bomber circular dispersals .
B5 the spectacle type.

 

 

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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The airfield site as per the Air Ministry's site plan No.53/45.
The technical site is in the N/E, The bomb store to the west. There are two T2 aircraft hangars and as this airfield was mostly used for airborne assault, it had a large hard stand in the N/W, two areas of Pierced Steel Planking at the ends of the main runway. Also the ends of the main runway has been widened to allow massed glider take off.
The three airfields that 46 Group RAF used were, RAF Down Ampney, Gloucester. RAF Broadwell, Oxfordshire and here at RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire.
The squadrons were No. 233 RAF with Dakota transport aircraft and from September 1944 No. 437 RCAF.

No. 233 Squadron RAF.

No.437 Squadron RCAF.

No.46 Group RAF.

No.48 Air Dispatch Group..

Glider Pilot Regiment.

Douglas C47 Dakota, the aeroplane.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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Technical Site.
1 - Guard & Fire Party House - N - 12404/41.
2 - Link Trainer Building - TB - 2units - 4188/42.
3 - A.M. Bombing Teacher - PB - 1compt. - 816/43.
4 - Gas Chamber - TB - 12411/41
5 - Fuel Compound - Wire.
10 - Gas Defence Centre - TB - 12411/42 (It may still be extant?).
13 - W.A.A.F. - Technical Latrine - TB - 9026/41.
14/15 - Main Workshop - N - 327/43.
18 - Crew Rest Room, Locker and Flying Room - S - 2862/43.
19 - Aircraft Shed (Site For).
24 - Aircraft Shed - ST - T2 - 3653/42.
27 - Static Water Tank - ST - 20,000gal - 7241/43
32 - Crew Rest Room, Locker and Flying Room - S - 2862/43
                                                                                                                                   34 - Tow Cable Maintenance & Storage Shed - TB                                                                                                                                    -9523/40.
                                                                                                                                   38/38 - Main Store - N - 2981/43.  
                                                                                                                                   44 - M.T. Sheds - TB - 4Bay - 1977/41.
                                                                                                                                   58 - Operations Block - PB - 228/43.

                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                   PM - Perminent Brick.
                                                                                                                                   TB - Temporary Brick.
                                                                                                                                   N - Nissen Hutting.
                                                                                                                                   S - Seco Hutting.
                                                                                                                                   ST - Steel building.

Nissen Hut.

Link Trainer at RAF Netheravon.

A.M. Bombing Teacher 1130/42 plan.

Fuel Compound - Wire..

13 - W.A.A.F. - Technical Latrine - TB - 9026/41 (I believe extant).

24 - Aircraft Shed - ST - T2 - 3653/42.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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The main entrance to the airfield.

Plan.

 

 

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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These two huts are made in Temporary Brick and are not on the Record Site Plan and outside the technical site. The airfield carried on until 1952, so they may have been built later than 1945.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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The roadway in front led off to the link trainer, AM bombing teacher, Gas Chamber, Fuel Compound, Works Storage huts and left both entrances were to two large Nissen hut workshops. On the right is the Gas Defence Hut.
10 - Gas Defence Centre - TB - 12411/42 (It may still be extant?).
The British Government took gas defence very seriously and every airfield had a Decontamination Block and a Gas Defence Centre. The decontamination Block was usually in the main Mess Site and could treat gassed victims. The defence centre was to hold the gas masks, gas paste (a detection paste) and any other item that may have been needed on an airfield to protect its airmen from a gas attack. At the start of the war, aeroplanes and vehicles had a yellow square painted on them, this changed colour if it came into contact with gas. Also all letter boxes in the country were painted with a yellow square as well, to show civilians that there may be gas around.

This is how the Gas Defence Centre may have looked, this one was at RAF Kings Cliffe.

Plan,

Air Ministry Bomb Trainer building, how it may have looked. 3 - A.M. Bombing Teacher - PB - 1compt. - 816/43.

Full decontamination building at RAF Kemble..

Gas Chamber (RAF Dunkeswell) not as sinister as it sounds. The idea of it was to test your gas mask and make sure it worked.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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13 - W.A.A.F. - Technical Latrine - TB - 9026/41.
As I have said before 'It's always the toilets that are last to go'. There were in 'Military Airfields' by Willis and Hollis stated that there were 122 W.A.A.F. on site. Seeing the dispersed sites plan, there were two W.A.A.F. sites No.10 &11. No.10 had three huts for Officers, two for Sergeants, two airwomen barracks and No.11, eight airwomens barracks and a religious and welfare centre.
There jobs here were clerical, kitchens, etc. But also parachute packing, air traffic control, stores, aircraft medical staff. So it could have been very varied for them.

Plan.

Latrine - TB - 9026/41.

W.A.A.F.

Air dispatch medical staff..

Motor Transport.

W.A.A.F.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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Memorials.

Plan,

 

 

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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Memorials.

Plan,

Glider internal.

Glider pilots view.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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The airfield.

Plan.

 

 

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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Another hut not on the plan and may have been constructed after 1945.
The site of the 38/38 - Main Store - N - 2981/43.
The main store supplied all the camps needs, from uniforms to aircraft parts to MT parts.

This picture from AIR 10-7392 shows a Romney hut, but here it was a Nissen 30ft. Would be very similar.

Plan.

Plan.

Issue counter.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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Air Ministry hut but much later than WW2, more Cold War.

Plan.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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Perimeter track, 50ft wide, most has been cut back to a roadway size, but you can see here that this part is the full width.

Plan.

Dakotas using the perimeter track here on the northern side.

Horsa Glider.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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Another section of wider perimeter track, the run in to the T2 hangar .
19 - Aeroplane Shed - S - 1451/42.

Plan,

A standard T2 hangar inside.

A T2 being built by American Engineers.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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Perimeter track 50ft running left and right and the runway running almost due west, straight in front.
This is where the gliders would be marshalled in two rows down the runway and the Dakotas both sides, ready to be hooked up and await the signal to go. One after the other in a very slick fashion, they would pull away and then the next would line up. Until the whole lift was in the air.

How it may have looked around this end of the runway on the day before D-day. The first aircraft took off towing glider combinations at 22.50 hrs June 5th.

Plan.

End of the runway, RAF Aldermaston.

 

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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Dakota C.III of 233 Sqn RAF returning from Normandy.

How it may have looked around this end of the runway on the return of planes bringing back wounded. The nurses that flew back and forth, were called Nightingales.

 

 

 

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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The only circular dispersal.

Plan.

I mentioned RAF Tarrant Rushton had two circular dispersals, here they are in very much the same position.

 

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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Now grass land and the perimeter track left.

After D-Day the transports were flying into France with fuel (in Jerry cans), ammunition, medical, spares and then flying back with wounded.

 

Working on the engine.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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The farmer very kindly showed us around to the ROC Post on the N/W side, a 1950's cold war error underground bunker. What he omitted to say until he took us in the field, was that there was a bull behind the tree.

Plan.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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Cold War Royal Observer Corps Post 'OXF41' was built here in 1955. I could spend hours explaining about the ROC, but Google it and research it. There would have been three people in here awaiting the first explosion of an atomic bomb.

ROC post.

Royal Observer Corps.

Plan.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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More perimeter track.

The farmer, not holding back on speed.

D-Day recognition stripes.

RAF Dakota.

Parachuting into war.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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A lonely hut in a field.

 

Cockpit.

 

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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Part of the Cold War huts, now I believe removed.

Inside and nice tiled floor.

 

 

 

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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The extensive bomb store.

Bomb Store.
Note the arrows showing direction the bomb store vehicles should drive (I have never noticed this on any other plan).
122, 126, 136 & 145 - Pyrotechnic Store - (4 N°.) - N - 22169/43.
132/133 - H.E. Fuzing Point Building - (2 N°.) - N - Extra Heavy - 77500/42.
137/139 - Incendiary Bomb Stores - (3 N°.) - N - 45734/42.
141/144 - Bomb Stores - (4 N°.) - 11212/43.
123/146 - Small Arms Ammunition Store S.A.A. - (2 N°.) - N - 22169/45.

Bomb train and armourers.

Component store..

Bomb handling.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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Unloading onto a bomb store, note the trammeling of the bombs from the lorry down the ramp.

The way the bombs were handled in the bomb store.

Bomb loading.

Incendiary store.

Component store..

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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132 - Fuzing Point - N - 77500/42.
A fuzing point in a Nissen hut, drive through.

RAF Keevil's fuzing point.
The word FUZE is used and not FUSE. The use of the Z makes it a bomb fuze where as a fuse is an electrical safety device.

Fuzes.

Fuse.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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Cold War secret radio.
GCHQ took over the airfield and did an awful lot of experiments and building of masts, I am not going to say any more about it as Vince Povey does a much better job on his website.

Aerials that may have been here.

Listening section.

This is radar aerials, but the airfield had all sorts of aerials all over it.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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The airfield.

 

 

 

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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Found on the north side of the road was/is a Nissen hut.

 

 

 

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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Site No.5.
244 -245.

235/241 - Officers Quarters - N - 2965/42.
242 - Officers Latrines - TB - 25/32 men - 9271/42.
243 - Officers Ablutions - TB - 25/32 men - 9271/42
244 - Sergeants & Airmens Ablutions - TB - 13men - 9271/42.
245 - Sergeants & Airmens Drying Room - TB - 13men - 9271/42.
247/255 Sergeants Quarters - N - 2965/42.
256 - Transformer Plinth - B.
257/275 - Airmens Barracks - N - 2965/42.

N - Nissen.
TB - Temporary Brick.

Air Ministry Site Plan 547/45, Officers, Sergeants and Airmen were spread out amongst all the dispersed sites.

The officers.

Wake up Sir, inside a Nissen hut for Officers Quarters - Nissen - 2965/42.

The men.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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244 - Sergeants & Airmens Ablutions - TB - 13men - 9271/42.

Bath House 7665/39 plan, how it may have looked inside.

Asbestos covered hot water tank.

Bath,

Washing area.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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244 - Sergeants & Airmens Ablutions - TB - 13men - 9271/42. Left side.
245 - Sergeants & Airmens Drying Room - TB - 13men - 9271/42. Right side.

TB drying room.
Airmens clothing would become damp and need a steady temperature to dry out, so the drying room was made available where hot water would pass through pipes and clothing could hang on the tubes and dry out.

Heating boiler.

Drying room.

Drying room.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm 17 July 1943 under construction.

Site office. Air Ministry Works Department.

 

Laying concrete.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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04 June 2009 at RAF Tarrant Rushton.

Crew of three or four, depending on its role, also there could be about two Army dispatchers, if in a parachute re supply mission.

 

With D-Day stripes.

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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Why the C-47 Dakota.
A short history.
America is a vast country, its spread from the Atlantic to the Pacific. If after WW1 you wished to travel from one coast to another, you had to take the train. There was no direct roads. In fact it took the US Army 62 days to complete this in the summer of 1919. Air routes were the obvious choice. The only aircraft available were wooden framed Ford Tri-Motors and Fokker F-10 type of aircraft. When one crashed due a wooden wing spar deteriorating. The American Airline industry decided all metal aircraft were preferable. Boeing made the 247, twin engine air liner. A good plane but small and could not sustain a passenger business without taking US Mail to make a profit. Also several airlines ganged together and bought every Boeing being made and other airlines had no all metal planes to buy. Douglas were asked to design a plane to carry enough passengers to cross America without the need of carnying the US Mail as well to turn a profit. They came up with the Douglas DC-1, of which only one was built and it flew successfully until it was scrapped in Spain after a forced landing in 1940. From the DC-1, the DC-2 (another good plane) was started and then morphed into the DC-3. It could carry passengers on a three day hop from the east coast to the west. Flying all day and then through the night. By being converted into a sleeper and then back into seats. Landing, re fueling and continuing. It was so successful that a military version was asked for. For military us It could carry passengers, para drop, tow gliders, carry freight and then be quickly converted to carrying stretcher cases. The RAF had nothing like it, only old ex RAF bombers. When the Americans gave the RAF (Lend-lease) some for use in India. Gradually more came to England and by D-Day the RAF had as far as I can see, seven RAF squadrons, they were stationed with two Sqdn's at RAF Down Ampney and two at RAF Broadwell and one Sqdn here. Another arrived in September.
(I will update as I get more information).

Douglas DC-1.

1919 Transcontinental Motor Convoy.  

Ford Tri-Motor of Eastern Airlines.

Fokker F-10 was built in the US.

Boeing 247.

Set up for paratroopers..

RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire

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The End.

© 2013 Richard Drew