Abingdon STATION
1932 - 1940s
The Station strength on opening as RAF Abingdon in 1932 was four officers, one warrant officer, eight non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and 42 airmen with the first aircraft to be based were Fairey Gordons of 40 Squadron, arriving on 8 and 9 September 1932.
RAF Abingdon was the take-off point for the first solo East to West crossing of the Atlantic by a woman – Beryl Markham flew a Vega Gull westwards in September 1936.
The station’s first military role was as a training station for Bomber Command with 10 Operational Training Unit (OTU) operating a mix of types, predominantly Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bombers. To ease the pressure, the OTU was split into 3 flights, with A and B flight flying from Abingdon, C flight was stationed at nearby RAF Stanton Harcourt, Abingdon's satellite airfield.
The unit continued in this role throughout World War II.
The photo shows an example of the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley of 10 OTU.
1948 - 1949 - period of intensity
Post-war the station became part of Transport Command, in 1946 the airfield saw Douglas DC-3 Dakotas based, but latterly the Avro York (a descendant from the famous Avro Lancaster) replaced the Dakota, with the station's aircraft involved in the 1948 Berlin Airlift.
The crisis started on June 24, 1948, when Soviet forces blockaded rail, road, and water access to Allied-controlled areas of Berlin. The United States and United Kingdom responded by airlifting food and fuel to Berlin from Allied airbases in western Germany.
The crisis ended on May 12, 1949, when Soviet forces lifted the blockade on land access to western Berlin.
The photo is of an Avro York.
Early 1950s - early 1970s
During the 1950s, a Ferry Unit was established whereby aircraft such as F86 Sabres passed through on their way to Germany for operational service.
Handley Page Hastings transport aircraft arrived from 1953 with no.s 24 Squadron & 48 Squadron with 1953 also being significant in the The Freedom of Abingdon within a ceremony was granted by the towns people.
Blackburn Beverleys of 24 and 47 squadrons were a common sight in local skies which at the time were the RAFs largest transport aircraft, and were joined in 1966 by the newly formed 46 squadron flying Hawker Siddeley Andover transport aircraft.
Also an increasingly common sight from the early 70's were the DeHavilland Chipmunk and Scottish Aviation Bulldog trainers from 6 Air Experience Flight and Oxford / London University Air Squadrons.
The photo shows Blackburn Beverley transports with Handley Page Hastings beyond that.
No.1 Parachute Training School (1 PTS)
In 1950 the school moved to RAF Abingdon where it remained for 26 years until, in 1976 it moved to its present location at RAF Brize Norton.
During its time at Abingdon, C Hangar which is the third of four hangars originally constructed in the early 1930s were their home, an area of some 30,000 square feet which contained synthetic training equipment – high ramps, low ramps, wheel trainers, slides, flight swings, block and tackle trainers, mock doors, fuselage mockups, a parachute storeroom, a maintenance section (STESS), fitting racks, plus six fan descent trainers high in the roof.
A high jumping platform sat behind the Hangars in which practice jumps could be performed before being passed to actually train and jump out of an aircraft.
The world Team were formed here too in 1961 initially with a team of six instructors which actually were nicknamed 'The Big Six'..... however after huge success increased to a twelve instructors in 1965 and were renamed The Falcons. Since then they have travelled far and wide and perform at many events each season.
Mid 1970s - 1992
1974 proved a turning point for the airfield, once again the station's role changed, becoming a Support Command facility incorporating 60 and 71 Maintenance Units (MU) with 1976 seeing it become responsible for both in depth maintenance programs onsite as well as complex aircraft repairs around the UK.
The Engineering Wing comprised of no.1, no.2 and much later no.3 Air Maintenance Squadrons (AMS), the Repair and Salvage Squadron (RSS) & an Engineering Support Squadron (ESS).
Joint Air Transport Establishment (JATE) and Aircraft Salvage & Transportation Flight (AS&TF) were among other units to be based at the station within this period.
Blackburn Buccaneers, Hawker Hunters, Hawker Siddeley (later British Aerospace) Hawks, SEPECAT Jaguars, and Vickers VC-10s were all serviced at RAF Abingdon through its time as a Maintenance Depot.
Many locals may remember the stored Vickers VC-10s on the airfield, some of which were converted into aerial refuelling tankers, or the stored Hawker Siddeley Nimrod Airborne Early Warning aircraft that ended up being scrapped during the 1990s.
The photo shows some of the Jaguars in the large F Hangar in the 1980s under various states of minor or major servicing. Up to 18 Jaguars could be housed in F Hangar at any one time with a wing bay at one end too. The photo shows a number of Jaguars on minor or major servicing.
Photo Copyright: Peter R March
United States Air National Guard (ANG)
It wasn't just the British armed forces that used RAF Abingdon, the United States Air Force (USAF) chose the airfield as one of a small number around the UK to be a co-located Operating Bases(COB).
A COB had the bare minimum of facilities required to house a detachment of US aircraft, and were paid for by the USAF or by NATO.
This comprised aircraft generators and associated systems required for basic engineering requirements.
The COB was used in 1984, 1986 and in 1989, when the airfield saw detachments of Lockheed C-130 Hercules transports from the California, Minnesota and Ohio Air National Guard units.
Normally the detachment would last at least two weeks and the Air National Guard Units worked alongside a Tactical Airlift Group. The photo shows the front part of a C130E Hercules on the apron after a mission in 1989.
Photo Copyright: Alan Bovingdon Cox
RAF Abingdon Air Days / Battle of Britain At Home Days
Abingdon will be remembered for many reasons, not least for its very popular annual Air Days which later were titled 'RAF Battle of Britain At Home Days' and attracted between 30,000 and 50,000 visitors each year.
The special 1990 Air Day incorporating the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain flypast direct from overflying Buckingham Palace, attracted over 80,000 visitors, with many also not getting onto the airfield and abandoning their cars outside the perimeter as the car parks reached full capacity!
This show was the very last RAF organised airshow ever staged ,however our small airshow / country show has been held on the airfield since the year 2000 which serves as a reminder of the days gone by.
The photo copyrighted to Adrian Balch shows part of the 1968 Royal Review & subsequent airshow.
The RAF move out- The Army move in
Finally, under the ‘Options for Change’ defence review, RAF Abingdon closed on 31 July 1992 under the command of Group Captain Henderson, after which Squadron Leader Mike Lawrence (who was the Abingdon Jaguar and Hawk Unit test pilot) filled in for the last six months in a caretaker role with a handover ceremony outside the Station Headquarters (SHQ) on one cold December day together with the new incoming occupants -and Station Commander from the British Army under the Royal Logistic Corp (RLC).
That day in December ended just over 60 years of Royal Air Force ownership, and was about to embark on a new military career with units from both No.3 & No.4 Regiments of the RLC primarily from Germany which were drawing down there forces.
December 1992 to the present day
The technical site which includes all hangars and associated buildings is now known as Dalton Barracks – named after a famous soldier, James Dalton VC who held the equivalent rank of quartermaster and fought in the Battle of Rorke's Drift during the 1879 Zulu Wars.
Initially the station housed No's 3 Close Support & 4 General Support and 12 Close Support Regiments of The Royal Logistic Corps. Also, recently accommodated is Edwards Brooks Barracks, a brand new facility housing the 7 Battalion the Rifles of the Territorial Army, who are stationed just outside the Dalton Barracks perimeter. The name Edward Brooks is of a distinguished World War One soldier from Oxfordshire who was awarded a Victoria Cross for his bravery. D Company of 202 Field Squadron and Thames Valley Wing Air Training Corp HQ are also located within the technical site.
Just recently, No.3 Regiment moved out to make way for No.7 Regiment who have moved from Kendrew Barracks (former RAF Cottesmore).
The station has been involved in many of the major conflicts around the world supplying vehicles and infrastructure as and when needed with their location just off the A34 ideal for rapid mobilisation.
The Airfield (Training Grounds)
The airfield (known as the Training Grounds) is primarily a military area and is frequently used by Army ground-based units as a staging post.
The airfield has never stopped seeing aviation as during the handover from the RAF to the Army, RAF Benson utilised the airfield for the then Westland Wessex helicopters and later Westland Merlin / Puma and Boeing Chinooks which are these days quite rare, and from 1995 a based RAF Motorglider School was established with No.612 Volunteer Gliding School moving in with their Grob Vigilants which until disbanding in 2016.
However - the training grounds still sees occasional use by flying units as it is a designated Tactical Landing Zone (TLZ) under No.2 Group for RAF Brize Norton's Boeing C17 Globemaster & Airbus A400 Atlas fleet when operational requirements apply and involves using night vision goggles to land on unlit runways to simulate a war time situation of landing under the cover of darkness undetected.
The training grounds also is used by several community groups and a number of events open to the public are held onsite.
Unfortunetly during 2016, Dalton Barracks / Abingdon Airfield were one of the MOD establishments that were announced to close under a huge plan to close many establishments up and down the country from all three services to make a 'smaller better defence estate as a whole', so subject to planning approval etc as part of the wider Local Plan under the Vale of White Horse District Council it is possible the first building of houses will start on part of the airfield from around 2029 onwards with the Barracks (technical site) closing around 2031. We would hope that some foresight is accounted for to preserve some of its heritage as a military station with perhaps a museum of some kind established aswell as part of the top half of the airfield kept as a community event area - time will tell...!!