Royal Air Force Akeman Street or more simply RAF Akeman Street is a former Royal Air Force Relief Landing Ground located 2 miles (3.2 km) north east of Minster Lovell, Oxfordshire, England. It was named after the Roman road which crosses the airfield.
RAF Akeman Street | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minster Lovell, Oxfordshire in England | |||||||
  RAF Akeman Street Shown with Oxfordshire | |||||||
| Coordinates | 51°49′22″N 1°31′01″W / 51.82278°N 1.51694°W | ||||||
| Site information | |||||||
| Owner | Air Ministry | ||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||
| Site history | |||||||
| Built | 1939 | ||||||
| In use | 1940-1947 | ||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||
| Elevation | 134 metres (440 ft) AMSL | ||||||
| |||||||
The airfield was a Relief Landing Ground (RLG) for RAF Brize Norton, with building starting in 1939 and opening on 10 July 1940.[1] Active flying stopped on 15 August 1945, and the site was closed on 1 February 1947.
Based units
editUnits that used the airfield were No. 2 Service Flying Training School RAF (2 SFTS)[2] from Brize Norton with Airspeed Oxford aircraft and then No. 6 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit RAF based at RAF Little Rissington (later became 6 SFTS) between 1942 and 1945.
Other unit posted to the site included a sub site of No. 3 Maintenance Unit RAF between 9 April 1938 and January 1947 and a sub site of No. 21 Heavy Glider Conversion Unit RAF.
A German bombing raid on Brize Norton on 16 August 1940 forced the Advanced Training Squadron to move to Akeman Street.[2]
The station closed on 1 February 1947.[3]
Current use
editLittle of the 10 Blister hangars and single large Bellman hangar remain today.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Bowyer, Michael J. F. (1990). Action stations 6: Military Airfields of the Cotswolds and Central Midlands (2 ed.). Wellingborough: Stephens. p. 60. ISBN 1-85260-372-0.
- ^ a b c "Akeman Street (Crawley)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
- ^ Bowyer, Michael J. F. (1990). Action stations 6: Military Airfields of the Cotswolds and Central Midlands (2 ed.). Wellingborough: Stephens. p. 61. ISBN 1-85260-372-0.