Bicester Airfield

Bicester Aerodrome, formerly RAF Bicester, is an airfield on the outskirts of the English town of Bicester in Oxfordshire. The RAF left in 2004.

The airfield consists of 400 acres (1.5 km²) of well-drained short-mown grass, with three nominal runways (not marked) of 06/24, 13/31, 18/36, each 1,000 metres long. The field is bumpy in places due to collapsing field drains, requiring care on the part of pilots operating aircraft in those areas.

History

Flying first took place on the site in 1911 when a Lt H.R.P Reynolds landed a Bristol Boxkite biplane on the field. Organised flying began in 1916 when a Training Depot was established. In January 1917 the Royal Flying Corps moved into the site, then 180 acres (0.7 km²), with the 118 night bomber squadron arriving. Canvas hangars were used before more substantial aircraft sheds were built.

In November 1918, No. 44 Training Station Depot arrived, followed by 5 Squadron in 1919, flying Bristol Fighters returning from France, having flown in the First World War. All the squadrons disbanded by 1920, and the airfield was closed in 1920 after being used briefly as a clearing centre for repatriated soldiers.

In 1925 work began on redeveloping the site as a bomber station, and flying began again in January 1928. A range of large RAF bombers operated from the field, including the Vickers Virginia. Other aircraft included Hawker Horsleys and, in 1935, Hawker Harts arrived. In November 1932, the only RAF squadron of Boulton Paul Sidestrands arrived, replaced by Overstrands in 1936.

Development of the station continued throughout this period, with many new buildings being erected.

World War II

In 1937/1938 two squadrons of the new Bristol Blenheim bomber arrive, followed by two more squadrons in 1939 with Spitfires and with Avro Anson support aircraft, forming the No 1 Camouflage Unit. The aircraft were used for training, with no operational sorties being flown from the field.

Later in 1939 the first Handley Page Halifax was assembled at Bicester, and the type made its maiden flight at the field on 25 October that year, flying to Boscombe Down. The type went on to become the first four-engined bomber to drop bombs on Germany in World War II.

Throughout the war RAF Bicester was used as a training centre, becoming home to the 13 Operational Training Unit in June 1943, flying Spitfires and Mosquitos as well as Blenheims. Although no offensive missions were flown, flights were not without risk. On 6 December 1941, a Blenheim stalled on take-off, killing all three crew members. Just four days later a second Blenheim crashed in an identical accident, again with no surivors.

War-time units

*No 1 Camouflage Unit
*13 OTU
*135 Squadron
*308 Squadron
*403 Squadron
*457 Squadron
*605 Squadron

Post-war

At the end of 1944 Bicester became a non-flying unit, used for maintenance, and later as a Motor Transport depot. In 1953 71 Maintenance Unit arrived, who salvaged, repaired, and then transported damaged aircraft.

Windrushers Gliding Club arrived in 1956 having moved from Little Rissington, and gliding began at the field. The RAF Gliding and Soaring Association began using the site in 1963, eventually merging with Windrushers Gliding Club. In 1966 1 LAA Squadron RAF Regiment arrived from RAAF Butterworth, Malaysia along with 26 LAA Squadron RAF Regiment− from Changi, Singapore.

The RAF ceased to use the airfield as a military base in 1976, but still maintained staff there to run the gliding training operation as adventurous training for servicemen. These courses were intended to develop teamwork and self-sufficiency among the servicemen by putting them in unfamiliar situations, such as sports which involved a small risk factor. However, in the mid-1980s the USAF briefly used the Technical and Domestic Area for storage.

Today

The Ministry of Defence still owns part of the site, which is used for army training. In June 2004 the RAF Gliding and Soaring Association moved to RAF Halton. The main use of the site is now civilian gliding, being home to both a newly-reformed (July 2004) Windrushers Gliding Club, and also the Oxford University Gliding Club.

The airfield is one of the finest examples of an unmodified pre-war RAF station still almost completely in existence with many listed buildings. The brick 1934 "Fort" type 1959/34 control tower survives, as do the two C-type and two A-type aircraft hangars.

Plans were developed in the late 1990s to develop the airfield for housing and industry, but they were abandoned due to strong local opposition and the historic nature of the site. In 2002, Cherwell District Council listed the area as a Conservation area.

References

* [http://www.wartimememories.co.uk/airfields/bicester.html The Wartime Memories Project - RAF Bicester]
* [http://windrushers.org.uk/airfield_history.htm Windrushers Gliding Club - Bicester Airfield history]
* [http://www.pixture.co.uk/Airfields/Pages/Bicester.htm WW2 Airfields of Oxfordshire - Bicester]
* [http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/exhibitions/not-quite-extinct/vickers-virginia.cfm RAF Museum - Vickers Virginia]
* [http://www.controltowers.co.uk/B/bicester.htm Controltowers.co.uk - Bicester]
* [http://www.vryork.com/airmuseum/source/rear_gunner.html VR York (Halifax bomber information]
* [http://www.bc-heritage.org/bicester Bomber Command Heritage - Save RAF Bicester Campaign]