RAF Warboys site plan
RAF Warboys
I use to run the RAF
Warboys web site, but due to the amount of time I was spending on my Raf Upwood
site, and costs, I had to give it up. My good friend Marcus goodman is going
to take over and run the Warboys site.
Any information, memories, pictures, would be of
great help
Just email me at rafupwood@hotmail.com
Thanks Sean Edwards.
Warboys Pathfinder Reunion Website.
http://www.warboyspathfinderreunion.net
RAF Warboys site plan
R.A.F. WARBOYS HISTORY
The construction of R.A.F. Warboys began in 1940, the airfield,
that would be situated to the south side of Warboys was in the county of Huntingdonshire.
They built the airfield to relieve the congestion at Upwood and for the use
of 17OTU Blenheims. The surface of Upwood was only grass and was having alot
of problems in the wet winter time with planes taking off and landing.The airfield
was near complection in 1941. Around the 17th of May the complection of barbed
wire around strategic area's, and three AA guns positions with one vickers gun
was almost finished.
The airfield was ready to use at the end of July 1941 but the first squadron
to move was a detachment of Stirling's from 15 squadron, arriving from Wyton.
The next squadron to arrive was 'D' Flight 17OTU which was based at Upwood and
came to Warboys on the 15th December. 15 squadron left two day before 17OTU
arrived. The complection of the domestic sites and the new officers mess and
Sergeants mess was in use about this time. The bad weather held up alot of the
buildings including the Battle Headquarters.
The first fully-operational squadron to arrive at Warboys was 156 squadron on
the 5th August 1942. The squadron came from Alconbury with Wellingtons, and
in the new year re-equipped with Lancasters.
Next squadron was 1507, Beam Approach Training for the Bomber Command, but was
only at Warboys from 13th March to 17th June 1943 equipped with Oxfords. After
1507 (BAT) left, the Stirlings, Lancasters, Halifaxes and Oxfords of the Pathfinder
Force Navigation Training Unit arrived from Gransden Lodge. Tests were made
on the defence of the base like on 31st October 1943 when the Home Guard, from
non-local Platoons attempted to take the airfield over by rating the defences
but was unable to do so. The further strengthening of defences was made on the
1st March 1944 when 2716 squadron RAF Regiment tock over ten Bofors gun sites.
Upwood, which was still having alot of problems with the grass runways decided
to convert over to concret runways, three in total. One of it's first squadron
on the new announced concret runways was 156 squadron when it left Warboys in
March 1944. March the 8th was an event when the A.O.C. of the Pathfinder Force
Air Comm. Bennett arrived to inspect the station and the personnel, the day
before came 1655 (Mosquito) Training Unit which had just come from Marham. The
small Warboys site was getting very busy, on the 6th October when nineteen Lancasters
of 428 squadron arrived form Middleton St. George after operations over Germany,
but by 12th December 1944 1655 (Mosquito) Training Unit left and went to Upper
Heyford. The first of January came a smaller unit, 1323 Flight (Automatic Gun
Laying Turret) from Bourn.
VE Day, 8th May 1945, big changes at R.A.F. Warboys, the first was Navigation
Training Unit that disbanded at the end of June 1945 but was replaced on the
22nd of July by 128 squadron with the re-equipped Mosquitos from Wyton. On the
28th of June arriving from Bourn was 1696 (Bomber) Defence Training Flight.
Squadron 571 arrived from Oakington on 20th July equipped with Mosquitos. ON
the 23rd of July came the A.O.C. of 8 Group, AVM J.R. Whitley DSO AFC, to inspect
the station for the final time, he was very impressed.
Warboys was coming to and end and it started with 571 squadron when it disbanded
on the 20th September 1945, not long to follow was 1696 (Bomber) Defence Training
Flight on the 28th of September and 1323 (AGLT) Flight was two days after that.
128 Squadron left on the 8th October for service on the continent. With only
a few communication aircraft left the airfield was strangely quiet. On the 15th
December 1945 Warboys was placed under the care maintenance basis with it's
parent station Upwood. With over the following years reverted back to agricultural
use. The buildings became derelict and the runways and taxiways were gradually
broken up. Bloodhound air-defence missiles of 257 squadron was based at Warboys
from the 1st of July 1960 with the return of the Royal Air Force. No accommodation
was provided and the operating crews lived at Upwood which there was loads of
room. By the end of December 1963 the Bloodhounds had been withdrawn and the
Royal Air Force relinquished the airfield for the second time, and the last
time.
Sean Edwards...
THE RUNWAY GHOST
Warboys airfield is located just seven miles North-east of Huntingdon,
during world war two some strange things happened, and, as often as not, on
the night of a full moon.
Warboys opened as a training airfield in 1941. In August 1942 the newly-formed
156 Squadron moved in with Vickers Wellingtons. There they remained until March
1944. They became part of No.8 Group’s Pathfinder Force and remained in
this role for the rest of the European war, flying first Wellingtons and then
the four-engined Lancasters. Their role was to mark targets with incendiary
bombs and flares. The squadron played a major part in Bomber Command’s
offensive. During operations the squadron lost 45 Wellingtons and 117 Lancaster
Bombers.
The incidents occurred after aircraft were returning from raids. One aircraft
was seemed to make a good approach but after a certain distance along the runway
it suddenly swerved off with fatal results. Another aircraft did the same thing
but fortunately the crew escaped injury. Again the same thing happened a little
later on. Each time aircraft made a safe landing only to suddenly swerve off
the runway at a certain point. After each incident the aircraft’s undercarriage,
braking systems and other checks were made, but in every case there was nothing
wrong.
The pilots were questioned, but they would not say what made them swerve. Eventually
one pilot was induced to say what happened.
”I had just made a perfect touchdown,” He said, “and was hurtling
down the runway when suddenly, what appeared to be a little girl walking across
the runway, I had to swerve to avoid her.” Upon this strange explanation
they questioned the other pilots again, and at long last they said the same
thing---a little girl had crossed the runway in front of them.
There were no dwellings in the vicinity, the nearest village being a mile or
two away, and nobody could account for the strange apparition.
However, some time after this some people were walking by the side of the runway
when they came upon the skeleton of a little girl partially buried. The remains
were never identified but the remains were taken away and buried in a nearby
churchyard. From that time on there were no more sighting of the apparition.
Strange, but it seems that as soon as she was decently put to rest she did not
appear any more……
T2 hangar at Warboys in Feb 1997
A Telegram from Don Bennett to Group Captain Hamish Mahaddie at RAF Warboys
Raf Warboys memorial
SQUADRON'S AT R.A.F. WARBOYS
DETACHMENTS TO WARBOYS WERE:
15 Squadron,
17OTU ("D" flight)
1696(B)DT Flight
128 Squadron,
Badge: In front of an ogress a shuttle in hand.
Motto: "Fulminis instar" ("Like a thunderbolt").
Authority: King George VI, March, 1946.
The badge is symbolic of the squadron's activities over enemy territory when,
with Mosquito aircraft carrying 4,00 lb. Bombs to Berlin it functioned with
the regularity of a shuttle.
571 Squadron,
No Badge Authorised.
1323(AGLT)Flight,
1507(BAT) Flight,
1655(Mos.)TU,
1696(B)DT Flight,
PFF NTU,
PFF NTU(HQ),
1696(B)DT Flight