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RAF Thorney Island
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RAF Thorney Island
Royal Air Force Thorney Island, or more simply RAF Thorney Island, is a former Royal Air Force station located on Thorney Island, West Sussex, England, 6.6 miles (10.6 km) west of Chichester and 7.1 miles (11.4 km) east of Portsmouth, Hampshire. The site is now used by the Army as Baker Barracks.
The airfield was built in 1938 for fighter aircraft. The airfield was involved in the Battle of Britain when it was attacked by the Luftwaffe on Sunday 18 August 1940 (The Hardest Day), the same date as other stations such as RAF Ford and RAF Poling Radio Direction Finding (RDF) Chain Home station.
RAF Thorney Island was transferred to RAF Coastal Command for the protection of shipping and other various roles, and had its concrete runways laid in 1942. The station closed as an RAF airfield on 31 March 1976; however, the Royal Artillery reopened the site in 1982.
As with many RAF Coastal Command airfields, a great variety of squadrons and aircraft were posted to RAF Thorney Island during World War II in particular:
No. 22 Squadron RAF moved to the airfield on 10 March 1938 firstly using Vickers Vildebeest and then the Bristol Beaufort. It was possibly during this time when Flying Officer Kenneth Campbell won his Victoria Cross for a daring attack on the German battleship Gneisenau which was located in Brest harbour during April 1941, which took his life. The squadron left on 8 April 1940 then came back to the airfield again on 25 June 1941 and stayed until 28 October 1941.
No. 48 Squadron RAF was present between 28 September 1938 and 10 October 1938 before returning on 25 August 1939 and leaving for the last time on 16 July 1940, both times using the Avro Anson.
No. 53 Squadron RAF was operating the Hawker Hector from the airfield firstly between 24 November 1940 and 20 March 1941 before re-turning on 29 April 1943 staying until 25 September 1943 using the Consolidated Liberator.
No. 59 Squadron RAF moved in to Thorney island on 3 July 1940, initially flying anti-submarine patrols and bombing raids against the German invasion ports with Bristol Blenheims but left on 23 June 1941. The squadron returned 22 July 1941 and later became a general reconnaissance squadron, carrying out anti-shipping strikes, first with the Blenheims and then with Lockheed Hudsons then left on 17 January 1942. In August 1942 the squadron returned and converted to the Consolidated Liberator then for two months operated the Flying Fortress before reverting to the Liberator until it left Thorney in February 1943.
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RAF Thorney Island
Royal Air Force Thorney Island, or more simply RAF Thorney Island, is a former Royal Air Force station located on Thorney Island, West Sussex, England, 6.6 miles (10.6 km) west of Chichester and 7.1 miles (11.4 km) east of Portsmouth, Hampshire. The site is now used by the Army as Baker Barracks.
The airfield was built in 1938 for fighter aircraft. The airfield was involved in the Battle of Britain when it was attacked by the Luftwaffe on Sunday 18 August 1940 (The Hardest Day), the same date as other stations such as RAF Ford and RAF Poling Radio Direction Finding (RDF) Chain Home station.
RAF Thorney Island was transferred to RAF Coastal Command for the protection of shipping and other various roles, and had its concrete runways laid in 1942. The station closed as an RAF airfield on 31 March 1976; however, the Royal Artillery reopened the site in 1982.
As with many RAF Coastal Command airfields, a great variety of squadrons and aircraft were posted to RAF Thorney Island during World War II in particular:
No. 22 Squadron RAF moved to the airfield on 10 March 1938 firstly using Vickers Vildebeest and then the Bristol Beaufort. It was possibly during this time when Flying Officer Kenneth Campbell won his Victoria Cross for a daring attack on the German battleship Gneisenau which was located in Brest harbour during April 1941, which took his life. The squadron left on 8 April 1940 then came back to the airfield again on 25 June 1941 and stayed until 28 October 1941.
No. 48 Squadron RAF was present between 28 September 1938 and 10 October 1938 before returning on 25 August 1939 and leaving for the last time on 16 July 1940, both times using the Avro Anson.
No. 53 Squadron RAF was operating the Hawker Hector from the airfield firstly between 24 November 1940 and 20 March 1941 before re-turning on 29 April 1943 staying until 25 September 1943 using the Consolidated Liberator.
No. 59 Squadron RAF moved in to Thorney island on 3 July 1940, initially flying anti-submarine patrols and bombing raids against the German invasion ports with Bristol Blenheims but left on 23 June 1941. The squadron returned 22 July 1941 and later became a general reconnaissance squadron, carrying out anti-shipping strikes, first with the Blenheims and then with Lockheed Hudsons then left on 17 January 1942. In August 1942 the squadron returned and converted to the Consolidated Liberator then for two months operated the Flying Fortress before reverting to the Liberator until it left Thorney in February 1943.
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